Restaurant Association of Maryland Blog

Restaurant Association of Maryland Announces 2012 Nominees for Annual Industry Awards!

The Restaurant Association of Maryland is excited to announce the finalists for the highly anticipated Annual Awards Gala sponsored by McCormick and Company.  The awards honor the Maryland hospitality industry’s best in such categories as Maryland’s Favorite New Restaurant, Chef of the Year, and more.  Winners of these prestigious awards will be revealed at the 58^th Annual Industry Awards Gala on Monday, April 16, 2012 from 6pm to 11pm at Martin’s West in Baltimore.   

Members of the dining public are strongly encouraged to visit www.marylandrestaurants.com/gala to cast their votes for their favorite nominees in each category.  Competition is steep: in the past, more than 30,000 votes per year have been collected. Voting will continue until March 9, 2012.  

2012 Award Nominees

Voted on by the Dining Public:

 Maryland’s Favorite New Restaurant

• The Americana, Baltimore
• Corner BYOB, Hampden
• de Lazy Lizard, Ocean City
• Fishnet, College Park
• Havana Road Cuban Café, Towson 

Chef of the Year

• Daniel Wecker, The Elkridge Furnace Inn
• Jeff Smith, The Chameleon Café
• Jim Barrett, Azure
• John Hufnagel, The Grille at Peerce’s
• Patrick Fanning, The High Spot

Craft Brew Program of the Year

• The Brewer’s Art, Baltimore
• Franklins Restaurant, Brewery & General Store, Hyattsville
• Frisco Tap House & Brewery, Columbia
• Max’s Taphouse, Baltimore
• SoBo’s Wine Beerstro, Salisbury
• Freddie’s Lobster & Clams, Bethesda

Favorite Restaurant

• Baldwin Station, Sykesville
• Box Hill Pizzeria, Bel Air
• Houlihan’s, Columbia
• Passage to India, Bethesda
• Peter’s Inn, Baltimore
• The Red Star Bar & Grill, Baltimore  

Favorite Bar and/or Tavern

• Buffalo Wild Wings, Statewide
• Johnny Rads, Baltimore
• Pusser’s Caribbean Grille, Annapolis
• Quarry House Tavern, Silver Spring
• Shenanigan’s Irish Pub & Grille, Ocean City

Wine and Beverage Program of the Year

• AIDA Bistro & Wine Bar, Columbia
• Bistro Blanc, Glenelg
• Mr. Rain’s Fun House, Baltimore
• Red Red Wine Bar, Annapolis
• The Tasting Room, Frederick

Favorite Food Truck

• The Gypsy Queen, Baltimore
• Haute Dog Fabulous Franks, Baltimore
• IcedGems, Reisterstown
• Kooper’s Chowhound Burger Wagon, Baltimore
• Miss Shirley’s Café, Baltimore

Voted on by Association Members Only:

Allied Member of the Year – Nominations

• Coastal Sunbelt Produce, John Corso
• The Columbia Bank, Del Karfonta
• Corporate Coverage, Tim Thompson
• Meetlocalbiz.com, Todd Sachs
• MICROS, Henry Pertman

Restaurateur of the Year - Nominations

• Anthony Clarke, Galway Bay Irish Pub
• Bill Herbst, La Hacienda
• Linwood Dame, Linwoods
• Matt Milani, The Rumor Mill Fusion Bar & Restaurant
• Tammy Patrick-Cebula, Galaxy 66 Bar & Grille

Be among the first to know the 2012 Industry Award winners and celebrate the Maryland restaurant industry by attending the Awards Gala in April.  Tickets are $175 per person and include a spectacular cocktail hour featuring food from Restaurant Association of Maryland member restaurants, an extravagant sit down dinner and dancing, all in addition to the awards ceremony.

Tickets are available to purchase at www.marylandrestaurants.com/gala. For more information on becoming a sponsor of this event, please contact Sarah Cunningham at 410-290-6800.

RAM Member Named One of America’s Top 100 Romantic Restaurants

The Restaurant Association of Maryland announced today that one of their long-time members, the Elkridge Furnace Inn in Elkridge has been named on of Open Table’s 2012 Most Romantic Restaurants, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

“Over one half of our reservations for Valentine's Day have come from OpenTable and we are virtually booked from opening until close,” said Chef and Owner, Dan Wecker. “I think that it is wonderful that guests can put their parameters into their smart phones or computers and quickly find the type of restaurant and times that work for them.

The Open Table Diners’ Choice Awards for the top 100 most romantic restaurants is generated from nearly 5 million reviews collected from verified Open Table diners between January 2011 and December 2011. All restaurants with a minimum number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Each such restaurant was then scored based on its percentage of qualifying reviews for which “romantic” was selected as a special feature.

The Restaurant Association of Maryland website features a dining special section, with information on member-submitted specials for all occasions, including the upcoming Valentine’s Day! For more information, please visit www.marylandrestaurants.com.

Restaurant Association of Maryland & Members Push To Amend State's Alcohol Tax

The Restaurant Association of Maryland and caterers around the state are hoping to get the alcohol tax amended.

Eddie Dopkin, co-owner of the Classic Catering People tells WBAL Radio that after the legislature passed the hike in the alcohol tax, companies like his learned that it included anything related to serving the drink.

"If you serve a drink at a wedding and you had a bar on a table with a tablecloth and glasses, the law says that the 9 percent gets applied not only to the alcohol served but anything in relation to it. So the tablecloth on the bar, the table you rented for the bar, the glasses," says Dopkin. He does not think the public or legislators understood what the law meant.

Dopkin says it is unfair and not what anybody in the restaurant or catering business expected.

He says its extremely complicated when you are trying to put a bill together for a client.

Melvin Thompson with the Restaurant Association of Maryland tells WBAL Radio that the law has created a lot of confusion for customers and made it really difficult for restaurant owners at the point of sale. He says they are now working with Delegate Shelia Hixson and Senator Nancy King who have sponsored legislation to make the changes.

Thompson says his organization believes this is an unintended consequence of the law and the legislators have been extremely receptive to working with the association in correcting this problem with the law.

Original Source: WBAL Radio (http://wbal.com/article/85813/3/template-story/Push-To-Amend-States-Alcohol-Tax)

Wine, Dine, Speak Your Mind at the 2012 Taste of Maryland Legislative Reception!

The Restaurant Association of Maryland, in coordination with the Maryland Tourism Council (MTC), Maryland Association of Destination Marketing Organizations (MADMO) and the Maryland Hotel and Lodging Association (MHLA), will host the 22nd annual Taste of Maryland Legislative Reception on Monday, January 16, 2012 at the Loews Annapolis Hotel from 5 – 7:30 p.m.

“The Taste of Maryland Legislative Reception is a celebration of the hospitality industry and an opportunity for our members to spend time with legislators.   With the important decisions facing lawmakers this session we want to ensure that our industry’s perspective is taken into consideration,” said Marshall Weston Jr., President & CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland.

The following is a full list of participating restaurants and their locations which can also be seen at www.thetasteofmd.com/restaurants.

Breeze Restaurant
C & R Pub
Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop
Carrol’s Creek Café
Clarence's Taste of New Orleans
Edible Arrangements
Galway Bay
Harris Crab House
Hollywood Casino Perryville
Harris Crab House
Isaac's Restaurant
Langermann’s

Main Ingredient
Maria's Italian Ristorante
Middleton Tavern
Miss Shirley’s Café
Molly Mason’s
Nespresso
O’Brien’s Oyster Bar
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse- Annapolis
Saval Foodservice
Shapiro’s Café
SoBo’s Wine Beerstro
The Melting Pot- Columbia

The evening will also feature an open bar serving MillerCoors products, wines provided by the Maryland Wineries Association. Food leftover from the evening’s event will be donated to the Maryland Food Bank.

Prior to the legislative reception, several education seminars will be held at the Loews Hotel. Seminars are included with your ticket purchase. Registration is now open at www.thetasteofmd.com. The schedule is as follows:

2:00 – 2:45 Seminar A – 3rd Floor of Powerhouse Building at Loews Hotel “Determining the Return on Investment (ROI) of using Social Media” With Speaker, Jason Cohen, RockIt Digital Marketing

                    Seminar B – 2nd Floor of Powerhouse Building at Loews Hotel “Let’s make a Deal, an effective approach to contracts and vendor agreements” With Speaker, Robert Franklin, Franklin & Prokopik

3:00 – 3:45 Seminar C – 3rd Floor of Powerhouse Building at Loews Hotel “Marketing and Branding your Restaurant” With Speaker, Randy Marriner, Victoria Gastro Pub

                  Seminar D – 2nd Floor of Powerhouse Building at Loews Hotel "Getting the Message Out that Tourism IS Economic Development" With Speaker, Maryland County Tourism Directors Panel

4:15 – 5:00 RAM Legislative Update & Preview of 2012 Session – 3rd Floor of Powerhouse Building at the Loews Hotel With Speaker, Melvin Thompson, Senior VP of Government Affairs at RAM

“Our restaurant members and sponsors understand the importance of this event and we are honored by their commitment to make this special evening possible,” added Weston.

Credentialed media interested in attending the reception should contact the Restaurant Association of Maryland directly at 410-290-6800 or jsilver@marylandrestaurants.com.

The 12th Annual Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation Car Raffle Fundraiser Has Begun!

The Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation announces their 12^th annual car raffle fundraiser to raise $50,000 for its ProStart^® school-to-career program.  The top prize is a 2012 Audi A3 from Valley Motors, with $10,000 and $5,000 as second and third prizes respectively. 

“This year’s car raffle is a WIN-WIN for everyone involved”, stated Michael Birchenall Chairman of the RAMEF Board of Directors.  “There’s an incentive for people to purchase a raffle ticket because they’ll receive $325 worth of restaurant gift certificates right away – just in time for the holiday shopping season. The restaurants are excited to promote themselves to a pool of potential new customers and keep people dining out in Maryland. I won the car raffle in 2006! Yes, you can win a new Audi A3.”

Thirteen restaurants have teamed up with the Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation to make this raffle worth every penny and more.  For every car raffle ticket you purchase, you will receive a $25 gift certificate from each of the 13 participating restaurants – that’s $325 worth of gift certificates that you use as holiday gifts or keep for yourself!  Either way, you can’t lose.

Tickets for the raffle are $300 each and only 325 tickets will be sold.  When you purchase a ticket you will receive a $25 gift certificate from all of the following restaurants (there’s no need to choose, you get them all!):

1. Ruth's Chris Steak House – Multiple Locations
2. DaMimmo Finest Italian Cuisine– Baltimore
3. The Milton Inn - Sparks
4. Victoria Gastro Pub – Columbia
5. The Melting Pot – Columbia
6. The Iron Bridge Wine Company – Columbia
7. Second Chance Saloon – Columbia
8. Brewer’s Alley – Frederick
9. Red Brick Station – White Marsh
10. Baldwin’s Station – Sykesville
11. Galaxy 66 Bar & Grille – Ocean City
12. Sunset Grille – Ocean City
13. Phillips Seafood – Ocean City

Proceeds from the raffle will benefit ProStart^® and the Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation Scholarship programs.  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. There are currently over 4,000 high school students in the program in Maryland.

The Marcia S. Harris Legacy Fund, the Letitia B Carter Scholarship Fund and the Co-Branded Scholarship with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation are also managed and awarded through the Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation. 

“This raffle provides an opportunity to get 13 gift certificates that you can use as holiday gifts and donate to a charity at the same time.  The best part of all, you could even get something for yourself, a new Audi A3!” remarked Marshall Weston Jr., President & CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland & the Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation.

The drawing for the raffle will be held on December 19, 2011 at the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s Annual Holiday Party at the RAM Headquarters in Columbia.

Tickets may be purchased online or by phone at: 1-800-874-1313. More information on the Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation and the car raffle can be found at www.ramef.org.

Restaurant Association of Maryland Invites Restaurant Operators to Participate in Foodservice Industry Survey!

 

Restaurant Association of Maryland Announces 2011 Stars of the Industry Awards Nominees

The Restaurant Association of Maryland is excited to announce the finalists for the highly anticipated 2011 “Stars of the Industry” Awards sponsored by McCormick and Company  The awards honor the Maryland hospitality industry’s best in nine different categories. Winners of these prestigious awards will be revealed at the 57^th annual “Stars of the Industry” Awards Gala on Monday, May 16, 2011 from 6pm to midnight at Martin’s West in Baltimore.   

Members of the dining public are strongly encouraged to visit www.marylandrestaurants.com/gala to cast their votes for their favorite nominees in each category. Voting will continue until April 8, 2011.

2011 Award Nominees:

Voted on by the Dining Public:

Maryland’s Favorite New Restaurant (open 2 years or less)

• The Grille at Peerce’s, Phoenix
• Bridge’s Restaurant, Grasonville
• Langermann’s, Baltimore
• B&O American Brasserie, Baltimore
• Againn Tavern, Rockville

Chef of the Year

• Ian Campbell, Bistro Poplar
• Patrick Morrow, Bluegrass Tavern
• Quanta Robinson, Black’s Bar & Kitchen
• Tim Mullen, Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel
• Brian Boston, Milton Inn

Pastry Chef of the Year

• Susan Limb, Praline Bakery & Bistro
• Isaiah Billington, Woodberry Kitchen
• Rita Garruda, 8407 Kitchen Bar
• Bettina Clair, Blue Hill Tavern

Favorite Restaurant

• Lewne’s Steakhouse, Annapolis
• Casey Jones, Waldorf
• Ryleigh’s Oyster Bar, Baltimore
• Sunset Grille, Ocean City
• Dutch’s Daughter, Frederick

 Favorite Bar and/or Tavern

• Harborside Bar & Grill, Ocean City
• MaGerks Pub & Grill, Baltimore
• Looney’s Pub, Maplelawn
• Fish Tales, Ocean City
• Pickles Pub, Baltimore
• Tark’s Grill, Lutherville

 Wine and Beverage Program of the Year

• Mrs. K’s Tollhouse, Silver Spring
• Galaxy 66 Bar and Grille, Ocean City
• Victoria Gastro Pub, Columbia
• Redwood Restaurant & Bar, Bethesda
• 13.5% Wine Bar, Baltimore

 Green Restaurant of the Year

• The Crab Shanty, Ellicott City
• Brick Ridge Restaurant, Mount Airy
• The Rockfish, Annapolis
• Ricciuti’s, Olney

Voted on by Restaurant Association of Maryland Members Only:

Allied Member of the Year – Nominations

• Total Image Graphics, Jeff McCabe
• Coastal Sunbelt Produce, John Corso
• Payce Payroll, Brian Pfeifer
• Electronic Systems Services (ESS), Michael Tash
• Business & Commercial Ventures, Jerry Blumenthal

Restaurateur of the Year - Nominations

• Joe Barbera, AIDA Bistro
• Billy Carder, BJ’s on the Water
• Qayum Karzai, The Helmand
• Jeff Heineman, Grapeseed Bistro
• Karen Murray, TJ’s of Calverton

Be among the first to know the 2011 Stars of the Industry award winners and celebrate the Maryland restaurant industry by attending the Awards Gala in May.  Tickets are $175 per person and include a spectacular cocktail hour featuring food from Restaurant Association of Maryland member restaurants, an extravagant sit down dinner and dancing, all in addition to the awards ceremony.

To purchase tickets, or for more information on becoming a sponsor of this event, please contact Jennie Silver at 410-290-6800.

2011 Maryland ProStart Student Invitational Winners Announced!

Washington County & Baltimore County Students to Represent Maryland in National Competition

1st Place Winners in the Culinary Competition Program: North Hagerstown High School 

 Maryland’s top culinary and hospitality management students from 22 high schools across the state competed yesterday in the Maryland ProStart Student Invitational (MPSI), hosted by the Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation. Students competed for over $1,400,000 in college and continuing education scholarships and the opportunity to represent the State of Maryland at the National ProStart Invitational in Overland, KS in April 2011.

“Each of the students that competed in yesterday’s competition is to be commended for their commitment to their craft. The culinary arts and hospitality management are intense and highly skilled professions and these students took another step forward into a successful and rewarding career in the restaurant and hospitality industry,” said Marshall Weston Jr., President & CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland and Restaurant Association of Maryland Education Foundation.

A panel of 40 national and local foodservice professionals judged the students in both culinary and management competitions. Students trained for months to practice the preparation and execution of an appetizer, entrée and dessert, which they created from scratch in only one hour. All food was cooked with only two butane burners as heat sources, with no electricity or battery operated equipment allowed.

Judges scored participants on proper food safety and sanitation procedures, cooking methods, food taste, teamwork and menu difficulty. In the management competition, student teams presented judges with a business proposal for a new restaurant concept, developed prior to the event. Teams prepared a comprehensive written proposal, visual display and presented their concept to a panel of judges, who acted as potential investors in their new concept.

The winners of the 7th Annual Maryland ProStart Student Invitational:

Culinary Competition Winners   
1st Place:  North Hagerstown High School (Washington County)
2nd Place:  Reservoir High School (Howard County)
3rd Place: Glenelg High School (Howard County)

Management Competition Winners
1st Place:  Carver Center for the Arts (Baltimore County)
2nd Place:  Western School of Technology (Baltimore County)
3rd Place: Howard County Applications and Research Laboratory (ARL) (Howard County)

“Thanks to the generosity of our industry and its supporters, these students will have the opportunity of a lifetime at their fingertips,” said Michael Birchenall, chairman of the RAMEF board of directors.  “This was truly a statewide competition and I couldn’t be more proud of North Hagerstown High School and the Carver Center for the Arts for coming out on top.”

Also honored at last evening’s awards dinner at the Baltimore Convention Center, was the ProStart Teacher of the Year for the State of Maryland.  Laura Safrit, Culinary Arts Teacher at the Rising Sun High School will be honored by the National Restaurant Association at their annual trade show in Chicago, IL this upcoming May in addition to being recognized at the 2011 Stars of the Industry Awards hosted by the Restaurant Association of Maryland at Martin’s West on May 16^th. 

The Maryland ProStart Student Invitational is made possible by Platinum Scholarship Sponsor: McCormick and Company, Inc., Awards Dinner Sponsor: Centerplate, Culinary Competition Sponsor: Saval Foodservice, Management Competition Sponsor: Anne Arundel Community College, Scholarship and Official Seafood Sponsor: Whole Foods Market.  Baltimore International College is the National Team Sponsor and will help pay the expenses necessary to send both teams to the National ProStart Invitational.

Restaurant Industry in Maryland Expected to Experience Strong Growth in 2011

Yesterday, the National Restaurant Association announced it's 2011 Restaurant Industry sales Forecast for 2011 revealing that restaurant industry sales are expected to reach a record $604 billion after three years of a negative outlook.

Maryland is expected to see some of the strongest growth, with a projected growth of 3.9%, totaling in at $9.4 billion. Right now, the Maryland restaurant industry employs 226,900 people. The Baltimore Business Journal  states that by 2020, the State's restaurant industry is expected to grow 8.3% and created over 18,000 new jobs.

With the release of the National Restaurant Association's forecast, we have something great to look forward to in 2011!

 

Governor O’Malley Requests Small Business Feedback about Burdensome Regulations

If you have been frustrated by burdensome state regulations, you now have an opportunity to share some of your concerns with the Governor as part of an initiative to improve Maryland’s regulatory environment.  The Governor recently sent a letter to the business community making the following request:

On January 28, 2011, Lieutenant Governor Brown and I will be announcing a "Maryland Made Easy" campaign aimed to make it easier to do business in Maryland.  Included in the announcement will be my plan to streamline Maryland's regulatory system.  I want your specific ideas to help shape that plan.

 Therefore, I am asking you to respond to this message with specific feedback and ideas on State regulations affecting your industry.  Please let us know which regulations you believe should be repealed entirely and which regulations should be amended.  When suggesting a regulation for amendment, specifically state how it should be modified.  Let us know which particular regulations are restricting businesses' ability to grow and create jobs.  If you feel a particular regulation is applied in an ambiguous and unpredictable manner, please identify that regulation and describe your experiences.  If you feel a specific agency's regulations are particularly complex or unpredictable, please identify that agency and explain.  You are encouraged to provide examples and specific suggestions in all cases.

 While the Lieutenant Governor and I believe that many of the state's regulations are critical to our Administration's goal to make Maryland a safer, cleaner, greener and more sustainable State, we acknowledge that improvements can and should be made to simplify and streamline our systems to help business create jobs.  I urge you take advantage of this opportunity to help re-shape our State's regulatory environment. Please respond by Thursday, January 20th to MDMadeEasy@choosemaryland.org.   Thank you in advance for your participation and I am eager to incorporate your suggestions into our plan for a more effective and efficient government.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Martin O'Malley, Governor