NJ Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher & Chef Peter Fischbach

SECRETARY FISHER: SEAFOOD CHEF’S JERSEY SCALLOPS RECIPE ‘SHORE’ TO PLEASE IN NATIONAL COMPETITION (TRENTON) – New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher declared the Barnegat Light scallops recipe prepared by chef Peter J. Fischbach a winner in his book, after sampling the dish, along with Jersey Fresh root vegetables, on Monday, June 15 at the New Jersey Restaurant Association’s Trenton office. Fischbach, the executive chef and Food Service Director for Gourmet Dining Services at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark and a Toms River resident, held a practice session for the Great American Seafood Cook-off in New Orleans on July 18. Fischbach will represent New Jersey in the competition. “Scallops are the top species of seafood caught by New Jersey fishermen, so it’s appropriate that Chef Peter will be showcasing our local scallops in his dish at the national cook-off,” said Secretary Fisher. “Peter’s dish also includes Jersey Fresh vegetables to highlight the best New Jersey has to offer. ...
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Through a customized training grant from the NJ Department of Labor & Workforce Development, the New Jersey Restaurant Association has trained almost 4000 people in 30 months. The training in “in-demand skills” that are awarded an industry recognized certificate covers ServSafe Foodsafety, ServSafe Responsible Alcohol Service, Guest Loyalty and More Americanized Pronunciation for Spanish Speakers. “During this challenging economy, we are able to offer workers a credential that can help them move up the career ladder, increase their wages and in a tough economy, have the competitive edge to retain their jobs,” commented Deborah Dowdell, president of the NJ Restaurant Association. And, according to grant-writer, John Avella of EQ International and a consultant to the NJ Restaurant Educational Foundation, “because our courses are structured as ‘train-the-trainer’, there is a forced multiplier effect with those taking the class and qualifying being able to train their employees in these key areas.” 17% of the classes are taught in Spanish. ...
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Are You Over Authorizing When Your Customers Pay by Credit or Debit Card? By P. Gayle Hoskinson, Director of Merchant Compliance and Interchange and Betsy Boland, Program Implementation Coordinator — Heartland Payment Systems® Are your terminals or point-of-sale (POS) systems automatically programmed to add an estimated tip of 20% or more to your customers' credit and debit transactions? If the answer is "yes," you are over authorizing — estimating the transaction to include a tip and ensuring the cardholder has funds available. This makes customers unhappy, especially because over authorizations can appear as unexpected — and unwelcome — charge amounts. Over authorizations show up as unrecognizable "holds" on customers' debit accounts. This is confusing and irritating — especially for those patrons who choose to tip less than 20% or leave a cash tip at the table or with the server. Plus, over authorizations may reduce a customer's available funds. All of this adds up to dissatisfied diners who may decide to no longer patronize your restaurant — which means lost revenue for your business. ...
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National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Performance Index

Restaurant Industry Outlook Improved as the Restaurant Performance Index Rose for the Third Consecutive Month Operators’ economic outlook turned positive; Capital spending plans hit a 9-month high April 30, 2009 Contact: Mike Donohue (202) 331-5902, Annika Stensson (202) 973-3677 (Washington, D.C.) The outlook for the restaurant industry improved in March, as the National Restaurant Association’s comprehensive index of restaurant activity rose for the third consecutive month. The Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 97.7 in March, up 0.2 percent from February and 1.3 percent during the last three months. “Although the RPI remained below 100 for the 17th consecutive month, which signals contraction, there are clear signs of improvement,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of Research and Information Services for the Association. ...
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NJRA Members Pictured with NJ Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells

TRENTON, NJ (April 8, 2009). – Governor Jon Corzine has proclaimed April 20-27, 2009 as New Jersey Restaurant Week. In conjunction with the New Jersey Restaurant Association (NJRA), the state is actively encouraging residents to “dine out” and help rebuild the economy. New Jersey’s restaurant industry comprises nearly 16,000 full, casual and quick service restaurants, employing a labor force of more than 205,000. “This is a great opportunity for residents to dine out and experience the diverse dining pleasures available throughout the state,” said Deborah Dowdell, NJRA president. “We’re gratified Governor Corzine has issued this proclamation to recognize the contributions of one of the state’s most vital industries.” NJRA provides training in food safety, alcohol server responsibility, guest loyalty and language training, and has trained more than 4,000 people over the past two and half years. In addition, NJRA has launched its “Dine Out Often” campaign earlier this year to highlight the tremendous array of dining choices for every taste and budget, emphasizing the diversity that characterizes our state. ...
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Gov't Delays New I-9 Until April 3 USCIS continues to accept comments on new I-9 form January 30, 2009 — The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today that it will extend until April 3, 2009, the requirement that businesses begin using a new employment eligibility verification form. Employers use the form, known as the I-9, to document that employees are authorized to work in the United States. The new I-9 (see informational copy here) changes the list of acceptable documents for proving identity and employment authorization. Although the USCIS announced last month that it would require employers to start using the new form Feb. 2, 2009, today the agency delayed the effective date to April 3, 2009. The USCIS will continue to accept public comments on the regulation until March 4. Once the revised I-9 takes effect, businesses will be required to use the new form for all new hires as well as for employees who must be "re-verified" because their work authorization expired. ...
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New NJRA Chairman Encourages the Public to Dine Out Often

The New Jersey Restaurant Association (NJRA) announced that Jimmy Thornton, director of catering at The Grand Summit Hotel/Hunt Club Grill, Summit, N.J., has been named 2009 chairman of the board & association. Thornton previously served as vice president. “I look forward to helping the NJRA’s efforts in Trenton on public policy issues such as taxes, lowering the cost of healthcare, and immigration concerns,” said Thornton. The NJRA represents owners and operators of full-service restaurants, catering facilities, taverns & pubs, brew pubs, diner restaurants, hotel restaurants, coffee shops, limited & quick service restaurants, institutional feeders, delis pizzerias, country clubs, culinary students and schools. Today, the New Jersey restaurant and hospitality industry includes 23,000 eating and drinking establishments generating $12 billion in annual sales and employing 311,000 people. The newly elected Chairman of the New Jersey Restaurant Association has announced the launch of a Dine Out Often Advertorial on 101.5 NJ Radio Station. ...
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Board Meeting/Mega Meeting *Mandatory Meeting at Perona Farms in Andover, New Jersey on Tuesday, January 27, 2009. Keynote address by the Chairman of the National Restaurant Association, Michael Kaufman and special guest speaker Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-36) to disucc the NJ Healthcare Choice Act. Other topics include money saving and sales promotion tips, and what it's like to be a private indepedendent restaurant undergoing union organizing. Attend this meeting which is followed by the Inaugural Dinner for our Chairman-elect Jimmy Thornton of The Grand Summit Hotel/Hunt Club Grill. The meeting is free. The dinner is $125 per person for members, $150 per person non-members. RSVP by emailing JRICHARDS@NJRA.ORG or calling 800.848.6368.

Contact: A Papp

NEW JERSEY RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION OFFERS MANDATORY FOOD SAFETY TRAINING The New Jersey Restaurant Association (NJRA) is offering state-mandated training classes for the hospitality industry, free to current and new restaurant members until April 2009. The ServSafe training being offered by the NJRA fulfills state requirements of mandatory food safety training for each establishment. The training seminars, made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Department of Labor Office of Customized Training, are held at a variety of NJRA member establishments. All restaurants are mandated to have at least one staff member trained in food safety training, according to NJRA president Deborah Dowdell, who also suggests each establishment have more than one trained staff member due to employee turnover and higher professional standards. Mandatory food safety training covers key principals such as cleanliness, hand-washing, cross contamination, temperature and holding controls protecting against food-borne illnesses and allergic reactions. This training, recognized by the N.J. ...
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NEW JERSEY RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION WELCOMES PAN GREGORIAN ENTERPRISES, LARGEST DINER RESTAURANT PURCHASING GROUP FOR GREEK-AMERICAN RESTAURANT OWNERS SPONSORSHIP WILL AID LEGISLATIVE BATTLES IN TRENTON The New Jersey Restaurant Association (NJRA) announced that Pan Gregorian Enterprises, Inc., a diner restaurant purchasing cooperative with about 850 members, has joined NJRA as a Super Allied Partner. ...
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