Restaurant Association of Maryland Blog

RAM Attends Southwest Airline's Spirit Magazine Closing Reception

Just yesterday, the Restaurant Association of Maryland attended Southwest Airline’s Spirit Magazine Closing Reception! The Reception, held at the Pier 5 Hotel in downtown Baltimore, celebrated “Meet Baltimore” a twenty-five page spread appearing in Spirit Magazine’s May 2009 issue. The Southwest Airline publication will entertain airline passengers across the United States highlighting all that Baltimore has to offer.

A full page advertisement featuring six RAM member restaurants – G & M Restaurant, Jordan’s Steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Da Mimmo, Lucy’s Irish Pub & Restaurant and Miller’s Delicatessen – will appear on page 141 under the headline “meat Baltimore”. Miss Shirley’s Cafe is also featured in the publication. Contributors for the magazine’s May issue include Pace Communications, the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, the Greater Baltimore Committee, the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore and the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and more!

Industry Response & Resources Addressing Swine Flu

As of this morning 20 cases of Swine Influenza (Swine Flu) have been identified in 5 U.S. states. The National Restaurant Association is closely monitoring this issue as well as communicating with all pertinent government & health organizations, such as USDA, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

At this time the National Restaurant Association is preparing resources for the restaurant community to address concerns. The Association will launch these materials on our website and will host a conference call later today to discuss the issue.

 

Baltimore County Students Manage Their Way To National Award

Carver Center for the Arts and Technology Place 4th in National ProStart Invitational

The Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation (RAMEF) announced today that the high school hospitality management team from the Carver Center for the Arts and Technology in Baltimore County took 4th place at the National ProStart Invitational in San Diego, CA this past weekend.

The National ProStart Invitational provided the stage for 31 high school teams from across the country to compete against one another in a hospitality management competition.  Teams were given a “case study” that involved several problems and situations that might arise in the hospitality industry on any given day.  After 30 minutes of preparation, the team then had to make a presentation to judges on how they would handle those situations.  Judges then scored their presentations based on how the team addressed customer relations, inter-departmental communications, staffing and labor, sanitation, safety and organization.  Teams also competed against one another in a knowledge bowl, answering questions about hospitality management, culinary arts and food safety.  Judges included hospitality industry professionals and instructors from post secondary schools with hospitality management programs.  Over 1 million dollars in scholarship money and national bragging rights were on the line for the top finishing teams in the competition.

This was the second year in a row that the Carver Center and instructor Bette Mullins had won the Maryland ProStart Student Invitational and earned the right to represent Maryland in the national competition.  Team members Brina Furman, Rachel Sherman, Brenna Hoffman, Tara Lewis, and Thomas Burch each earned a $500 scholarship from both McCormick and Whole Foods Market for winning the state competition, along with several scholarship awards from numerous post secondary institutions.  “These students put in hours and hours of work to prepare for the national competition”, stated Mullins, “I am extremely proud of their 4th place finish and they exceeded all my expectations”.

For placing 4th in the nation, each student on the team will receive a $500 scholarship from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and the Coca Cola Company along with a gift bag worth over $200 in culinary tools and materials.  This is in addition to the scholarships awarded to them for finishing first at the state competition. 

“This is the best finish for any Maryland team in the National ProStart Invitational” commented Marshall Weston Jr., Executive Vice President of RAMEF.  “Having the highest score in the knowledge bowl competition is what propelled this team to 4th in the nation.  This group highlights the caliber of students we have in the ProStart program in Maryland.”

The ProStart program is a high school culinary and hospitality management curriculum that also requires 400 hours of paid industry work experience in order to receive a ProStart National Certificate of Achievement.  Students completing the ProStart program are qualified to enter the workforce in positions above entry level and are on a fast track to management careers.  ProStart is endorsed by the Maryland State Department of Education and also prepares students for post secondary education at culinary schools and hospitality management programs. 

Weston added that “It is the partnerships between the industry and education that has helped these students achieve nationally recognized success.  The financial support and mentoring of those in the industry are what enabled the Carver Center for the Arts to perform at the highest level.”

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RAM Installs HMRA new Officers, Recognizes Maryland Winners

On Thursday, April 16, Paul Hartgen, CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland, installed the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association's 2009-10 officers and board of directors.

Approximately 150 members gathered at Castaway's on 64th Street for annual ceremony.

John Lewis of Talbot Inn/M.R. Ducks was installed as the new president; Malcolm Van Kirk of the Sea Bay Hotel/Best Western OC Suites Hotel was installed as first vice president; and Mary Eastman of the Cayman Suites was installed as the second vice president. Shawn Harman of Fish Tales/Bahia Marina will continue as the organizations secretary/treasurer.

Those who will serve three-year terms on the board of directors are Mark Elman of the Clarion Fontainebleau Hotel and Resort, Travis Wright of The Shark on the Harbor Restaurant and Lisa Lynch of the Commander Hotel. Directors who will serve two-year terms are Chris Wall of the Harborside Bar and Grill, Dave Robinson of the Boardwalk Hotel Group and Doug Buxbaum of Buxy's Salty Dog. The new board will have its first meeting May 14.

Outgoing President Jon Tremellen was presented with a plaque in appreciation of all his hard work and dedication as head of the Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association. The evening's festivities also featured Mayor Rick Meehan recognizing and presenting keys to the city to the Ocean City recipients of the Restaurant Association of Maryland State of the Industry Awards — Greene Turtle, Fager's Island and John Fager, Marlin Moon Grille, Liquid Assets, Leighton Moore of Seacrets and Allied Member of the Year, Fred Lankford of Sysco Eastern Md.

Maryland Culinary Students Heat Up California Kitchens In National Cooking and Hospitality Management Competition

Two Maryland ProStart Teams Travel to San Diego California to Compete in the National ProStart Student Invitational

Earlier today, two Maryland high school culinary teams departed for San Diego, California to compete in a national hospitality competition against teams from across the United States. Carver Center for the Arts in Baltimore County and Howard County Applications and Research Laboratory (Howard County ARL) will represent Maryland on behalf of the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s ProStart program at the National ProStart Student Invitational (NPSI) to take place April 24-26, 2009.

“It’s a significant accomplishment for these young, aspiring hospitality professionals to win Maryland’s regional competition and go on to represent our state in a national competition! To win takes vigorous coursework and countless hours of on-the-job training.  We are so proud of their accomplishments thus far and can’t wait to cheer them on from the crowd at Nationals” commented LaDeana Litchfield, Director of Workforce Development for the Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation (RAMEF). RAMEF orchestrates the ProStart program for the state of Maryland. 

Teams of students representing their state restaurant association’s ProStart program competed in individual state competitions to secure a position in this national event. Howard County ARL and Carver Center for the Arts were the first place winning teams of the culinary and management competitions respectively at the Maryland ProStart Student Invitational on March 4th and were therefore selected to move on to compete at NPSI.

The two sectors of the competition are judged based on specified criteria ranging from sanitation to organization for the management competition and food safety to proper cooking technique for the culinary competition. Judges for each competition include hospitality industry professionals and instructors from post secondary schools with hospitality management programs and top culinary schools in the United States. Over 1 millions dollars in scholarship money and national bragging rights are on the line for the top teams in both sectors of the National Invitational.

Students who complete the high school culinary and hospitality management curriculum are qualified to enter the workforce in positions above entry level and are on a fast track to management careers. “The ProStart program is phenomenal for our industry. It instills hard work and excellent training into each and every student. It truly prepares them for the tough but rewarding hospitality industry,” added Paul Hartgen, President and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland.

The restaurant industry rallied behind these budding chefs and managers by hosting a wine dinner held at the Rumor Mill Fusion Bar and Restaurant in Ellicott City. The dinner featured the winning menu prepared by Howard County ARL at the Maryland ProStart Student Invitational. All proceeds from the dinner were donated towards travel expenses for both teams travelling to NPSI. 

For more information regarding the Maryland ProStart Student Invitational or the National ProStart Student Invitational and the over 3,000 students currently in the program in more than 85 Maryland High Schools please contact the Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation at 410-290-6800 x1015 or visit www.ramef.org.

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The Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation (RAMEF) is a nonprofit organization that works with the Restaurant Association of Maryland to educate the hospitality workforce of Maryland.  RAMEF offers certifications in food safety and responsible alcohol service along with server and hospitality management training.  RAMEF also supports the 80 schools in Maryland using the ProStart program, a culinary and hospitality management curriculum for high school students that is endorsed by the Maryland State Department of Education. Scholarships to students and industry professionals are also managed through the Foundation.  More information on RAMEF can be found at www.ramef.org.

The Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM) has remained relevant to restaurateurs for over 80 years by maintaining core principles born out of the first national financial crisis.  In 1927 a small group of Baltimore area restaurateurs met to deal with the challenges facing the economy and the foodservice industry. Today, RAM is a 2,000 member strong statewide trade association operated for the purpose of promoting, protecting and improving the foodservice industry in the State of Maryland.  Since the very beginning, the Association has been run by restaurateurs and suppliers working not only for the benefit of dues paying members, but also for the restaurant industry as a whole.  For more information about the restaurant industry in Maryland please visit our website at www.marylandrestaurants.com.

Soda Fountain License Fee Repealed!

With the help of our members, RAM repealed the soda fountain license fee on Monday night in the final hour of the Maryland General Assembly session.  This is a great win for restaurants and retailers.  Legislators unanimously agreed that the 1916 law was obsolete and needed to be repealed.

Normally, it is a challenge to get a bill passed this late in the legislative session.  However, Delegate Nick Kipke (R-31, Anne Arundel) worked closely with RAM to insure that the bill passed.  Delegates Jim Mathias (D-38B, Worcester) and James King (R-33A, Anne Arundel) were extremely helpful in making sure this bill passed before the legislature adjourned for the year.  Senator John Astle (D-30, Anne Arundel) made a motion to suspend the Senate rules so that the bill made it through the Senate before midnight.

While the bill has an effective date of October 2009, we hear that the Comptroller’s office has no intention of enforcing the old law before the repeal legislation takes effect.

Thank you to all RAM members who contacted their legislators to assist us with this remarkable win for the industry.  We are currently working on a detailed legislative wrap-up that we will soon share.

 

Hartgen Speaks to Members of the Clarksville Rotary

The president of the Restaurant Association of Maryland, Paul Hartgen, was the guest speaker at the April Clarksville Rotary meeting.  Part of the association's ongoing effort to educate business leaders in Maryland about the role restaurants play in Maryland's economy.

Hartgen spoke about how this industry employes 174,000 great people in over 9,600 locations and generates $9 Billion in sales.

Said Nancy M. Szlasa, Assistant Rotary Governor, "As indicated by the attention and questions posed by the Rotary, we were captivated by your presentation.  You surely heightened our awareness of the role of The Maryland Restaurant Association and its contribution to the industry and to the community.  Your enthusiastic presentation which reflected your wealth of knowledge was definitely appreciated by the Clarksville Rotary Club."

The Powerpoint presentation: Download Clarksville Rotary

Is the Atlantic City Bar & Nightclub Show moving to Maryland?

This coming Thursday, April 9th, the Restaurant Association of Maryland will meet with Naylor/CMG, Questex, the Bar & Nightclub Show and the Baltimore Convention Center to work on getting things a little bit closer to co-locating the Atlantic City Bar & Nightclub show with the Mid-Atlantic Expo...this year.

There are a lot of pieces that are coming together for what we hope will be a whole new experience for restaurant operators in the mid-Atlantic Region.

Either way make sure you save the date for the Mid-Atlantic Food, Beverage, and Lodging EXPO

October 7-8, 2009at the Baltimore Convention Center; Baltimore, Maryland.  Make plans now to attend the Mid-Atlantic's biggest restaurant and lodging show!  See the latest trends and products that matter most to your market - right in your backyard! Plus, you can attend classes, seminars and learn more about how to thrive in tough times!  Email midatlantic@cmgexpo.com to receive advance registration information.

No stone unturned: Cash management strategies for restaurant operators

If your company is looking for opportunities for growth in a shrinking economy … increasing top-line revenue or bottom-line profits in the next 12 months … or discovering new savings opportunities, join us at the next installment in our members-only webinar series on Cash Management Strategies for Restaurant Operators scheduled for Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 2 p.m. EST.

For a direct link, please see www.tinyurl.com/cashmgmt behind Cash Management Strategies for Restaurant. Please contact Kisha Goodrum at kgoodrum@restaurant.org with any questions.