IRA Relief Requests to State, Restaurant Tax Collection Ordinance Advances

Please see the below resources and information for your business - updated as of 6:15 p.m. on Monday, June 21.

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IRA Letter to Governor Pritzker: Restaurants Still Need Policy Reforms, Relief to Recover

Today, the IRA submitted a letter to Governor Pritzker to lay out several policy reforms and relief measures the restaurant and hospitality industry needs to recover from the pandemic.

Click here to read the letter.

Finance Committee Advances Ordinance to Require Delivery Services to Remit Restaurant Tax

This morning, the Committee on Finance voted to advance an ordinance that would require third party delivery services to collect and remit the 0.50% Chicago Restaurant Tax on behalf of restaurants.

The IRA worked with the Department of Finance to address this issue and resolve any confusion over which entities are required to collect and remit the tax when sales are made through a third party delivery services platform.

Click here to read the ordinance. Click here to read more from Chicago Sun-Times.

This Friday - Let's Talk Womxn Supper Club and Conversation

Let's Talk Womxn is hosting a five course in person dinner, or $100 takeout for two, this Friday, June 25 at 6:00 p.m. at Vermilion.

Anyone who who enjoys fantastic food and conversation can attend and participate with an engaging panel discussion. The deadline for reservations is Tuesday, June 22.

Click here to book your experience.

Click here to watch a recent panel with Let's Talk Womxn and the National Restaurant Association on Power, Parity, and the Positive Collaboration.

Biden DOL Issues NPRM to Reinstate the “80/20” Rule

The U.S. DOL has issued a proposed rule that seeks reinstate the Obama-era 80/20 interpretation of the Department’s dual jobs regulation to address the application of the FLSA’s tip credit to tipped employees who perform both tipped and non-tipped duties. Specifically, it proposes that if an employee performs work that directly supports tip-producing work for a substantial amount of time – that exceeds 20 percent of all of the hours worked during the employee’s workweek or exceeds 30 continuous minutes – “that worker is no longer performing labor that is part of the tipped occupation.” The proposal goes on to clarify that employers may not take a tip credit for work that is not part of the tipped occupation. 

The National Restaurant Association is on record opposing the arbitrary “80/20” rule and was strong proponent of the Trump DOL final rule that restored much needed clarity to employers and employees regarding the dual jobs function. Assigning arbitrary caps and attempting to micromanage restaurant work at the level of task assignment has led to mass compliance burdens and unnecessary and costly litigation. Restaurants attempting to emerge from the pandemic on solid footing should not be saddled with impossible compliance and legal challenges that the reinstatement of this so-called rule would create. The Association will file comments, which are due on August 23, 2021.  

Click here to read more.

Thursday Webinar - Marketing Tips from Google and Your Tourism & Beverage Brand Partners

Join the IRA and panelists from Google, Kimpton Gray Hotel, and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Illinois on Thursday, June 24 at 10:00 a.m. for a webinar providing online and in-house ideas for leveraging tools and partners to market your business. Attendees will hear tips and ideas to use this summer to promote your business and drive customer traffic.

This webinar is being provided in partnership with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and the Cook County Community Recovery Initiative.

Click here to register.