Hallelujah, it’s 2021! While flipping the calendar to January won’t magically make the woes of 2020 go away, it is nice to have them in the rear view member with renewed hope in a new year. Who ever thought we’d be excited about January, a notoriously bad restaurant business month! My pledge to you is to continue telling your stories and fighting for Kentucky restaurants. While my “fighting” has often fallen on deaf ears during the past 9+ months, it has never wavered. We chose not to ask for renewal dues from restaurants most of last year, and I’m excited to announce a new offer. If your restaurant is not a KRA member, fill out and submit our membership application (you can find it here: https://securepayment.link/kyra/membership-application-pay-with-check/) and we won’t bill you for dues for 6 months. We will make the usual 12 month membership an 18 month membership. We will honor this until July 2021. My hope is that many restaurants will become a member and we’ll finish 2021/start 2022 even stronger than when we entered 2020.
You will receive an email from me soon about Dining Alliance, the nation’s largest GPO for independent restaurant operators. Dining Alliance plays a vital role in solidifying a competitive position for local restaurants through their program which we, along with many other states, offer. Their DirecTV program alone has saved many restaurants thousands of dollars.
Also be on the lookout for specifics on a webinar about COVID19 vaccines. There are a lot of questions around when and how the vaccine will be offered and implemented. The webinar will be conducted on Wednesday, January 20th at 2 p.m. by Fisher Phillips attorney Emily Litzinger – I hope you’re able to watch and get your questions answered about getting and having employees vaccinated .
I don’t have a crystal ball into the future, but I have faith that 2021 will be better. Let’s get through the tough first quarter and keep working together so restaurants emerge stronger than ever! The key to strength in Associations is numbers – the greater number of voices and members we have, the louder our collective voice is. KRA and I will always advocate for every restaurant in Kentucky, and it is my hope that you will engage with us in 2021 so our voices are heard loud and clear!