Promoting & Protecting the Industry
The food and beverage industry is a force for good in Texas. Not only is it the second-largest private-sector employer, but it holds a special place in people’s hearts and memories. Restaurants are where people celebrate, debate, and spend quality time with loved ones. For many, it’s where they got their first job or even their second chance. In this way, restaurants are the cornerstone of communities large and small across the state.
As business owners, you give back constantly, even when your own business is hurting. Strong restaurants create stronger communities, and in order to be successful, you need a strong voice. We are your voice.
Through grassroots advocacy and meaningful relationship building, we promote and protect the industry at the local, state, and federal levels. The Texas Restaurant Association approaches advocacy on two fronts: promoting legislation and regulations that will benefit the industry, and working to defeat legislation and regulations that could negatively impact the industry.
Working together, we have created tremendous advocacy wins over the past 85 years, culminating with our best legislative session at the Texas Capitol in memory during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now is our time to build on this progress to ensure the food and beverage industry rebuilds stronger than ever.
| Past |
Present |
Future |
Passed 6/8 priority bills at the Texas Capitol, making alcohol to-go permanent, shielding federal relief dollars from state taxes, creating pandemic liability and delivery protections, and more.
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Secured $180 million in grants for Texas hospitality/tourism businesses.
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Pass a regulatory consistency bill to protect restaurants from conflicting local rules.
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| Developed the Texas Restaurant Promise, creating the industry standard for reopening protocols.
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Preventing unemployment insurance tax hikes on businesses.
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Advocate for pro-growth policies, stopping costly regulations at the local, state, and federal levels.
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| Drafted and passed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act.
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Partnering with Adesso to deliver millions of dollars to 500+ members through the ERTC.
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Reduce supply chain bottlenecks with creative responses to tariffs, workforce shortages, and trade.
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| Established the TX Restaurant Relief Fund--distributing more than $3.5 million in grants to independent restaurants.
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Fighting against burdensome changes to the tax code, the tip credit, and the joint-employer rule.
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Maintain strong relationships with elected officials and regulators.
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| Fed over 100,000+ first responders through special initiatives with BCBSTX, Exxon Mobil, Chipotle, Whataburger, and independent restaurants across Texas.
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Championing pro-growth immigration reform, ProStart, and other innovative workforce development initiatives.
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Develop agenda for the next Texas legislative session, which begins in January 2023.
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NEXT STEPS - GET INVOLVED!
There are always new opportunities and challenges on the horizon, and so your ongoing support is critical to our success. Please explore this website to learn more about our past wins and how you can join our efforts by:
Our voices are stronger together. Please join us as we make Texas the best place to run a foodservice business.
When COVID-19 hit, our voice became a roar.
Working with our lawmakers, regulators, members, and allied partners, the Texas Restaurant Association created critical lifelines to support the industry’s recovery from the economic devastation created by COVID-19. Together, we:
- Assembled a task force of key chain and independent restaurant and bar owners and created the Texas Restaurant Promise and the Texas Bar Promise, which were both used to develop the governor’s minimum standard health protocols that enabled businesses to reopen under one set of statewide rules. Because of this work, Texas food and beverage businesses opened and increased their capacity months before businesses in other states.
- Partnered with Congressman Roy (R-TX) and Congressman Phillips (D-MN) to draft and pass the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act, extending a critical lifeline to all PPP recipients.
- Secured the ability for restaurants to sell alcohol to-go, creating an important new revenue stream to sustain restaurants with closed dining rooms.
- Successfully lobbied alcohol stakeholders and the governor’s office to expand the alcohol to-go waiver to include cocktails mixed onsite.
- Established the TX Restaurant Relief Fund—raising and distributing more than $3.5M to support over 800 independent restaurants and their employees.
- Partnered with TABC to reopen restaurants that were misclassified under the restaurant COVID-19 safety protocols.
- Secured the ability for restaurants to sell bulk retail items—opening the supply chain and ensuring Texans had access to food while creating a new revenue stream for restaurants.
- Secured the ability for restaurants to sell their pre-made meals in grocery stores, again, opening a new revenue channel.
- Partnered with the state to create CARE packages—meals purchased from local restaurants to feed those most in need.
- Fed over 100,000+ first responders through special initiatives with BCBSTX, Exxon Mobil, Chipotle, Whataburger, and independent restaurants across Texas.
- Partnered with the Texas Workforce Commission, Dallas College, and A Closer Look to build and launch the first training, certification, and validation program for restaurants operating in the COVID-19 world—The Texas Restaurant Promise Certification. Provided this program for free to hundreds of restaurants.
- Partnered with TABC to expedite parklet permits and to change two-year fees into one-year fees, helping with cash flow.
- Worked with local officials to keep restaurants open and encourage dining out safely.
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