Testimonials

What our Members say about the Missouri Restaurant Association …

What is an MRA Membership Worth?
I was asked recently by two restaurant operators, “Why should I be a Missouri Restaurant Association member?” One was a new owner that had never been a member; the other was a long standing member that had let his membership expire and hadn’t renewed. I informed them of the MRAs’ legislative victories with dram shop, tort reform, workers compensation reform and others. I told them about the Pro-Start program and the scholarships for young people coming into our industry. We talked about how the MRA gives support on local issues around the state such as health department regulations, smoking ordinances and the like. But as both these conversation continued, what both these operators really wanted to know was “How much money will my MRA membership save me or make me? Will my bottom line be positively affected? I didn’t know the answer; but I told them I’d find out. I went back over our P&L statements and other records for the last year and here is what I found. I have had my bank and two other companies do comparisons for my credit card processing business. The closest any of them could come to the MRA endorsed Heartland Payment Systems was about 1\8 of one percent (.00125). It doesn’t seem like much but that is $625.00 per $500,000.00 of credit card processing. With more customers using credit cards these days this can be quite a savings. I just renewed my Property and Casualty insurance with Great Central Insurance, and my premium went down for the second year in a row. This year my savings was about $800.00, last year was even more. I know there are a lot of variables in the insurance premium equation, but our sales are up and my food to liquor ratio has remained constant. The association is close to an agreement with the Lawing Financial Group Inc. Lawing is a statewide business and personal financial advisor. The MRA agreement with Lawing would include a free evaluation for MRA members. I had this evaluation done for us and it is very thorough and includes a valuation of your company. I had a valuation done for our company four years ago at a cost of $400.00 and it was not as complete as the one Lawing did for free. At a recent MRA luncheon the new state supervisor of the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, Dale Hardy, spoke. He gave those in attendance his phone number and encouraged us to call if we had problems. It so happens that our company was having a problem that was going to require us to get two additional liquor licenses annually. I contacted Dale and after reviewing our situation he ruled that new license would not be needed, saving us $500.00 every year. I also have called the Labor Law hotline a couple of times this past year. I spoke with Jim Foster for about 15 minutes each time, getting invaluable advice; free. An MRA membership is like a tool box filled with great tools; but if you never open it you’ll never get anything built. What’s an MRA membership worth? For us about $3,500.00 in real savings.
Lou Garesché - Dierdorf & Hart's

The MRA has been a part of my life for over 30 years. It is an organization that has many factions. The 45 most important to me are: it is educational, legislative social and service oriented. If a member takes advantage of the services that the MRA provides the benefit will exceed the dues.
Mike Gadell, President – RLB Franchises (Lion’s Choice)

Association keeps me informed on the most important political issues regarding our industry. My membership allows me to be part of a collective voice that is closely listened to in Jefferson City and Washington, D.C. MRA's lobbying platform is one of the most influential in Jefferson City and helps prevent bad legislation that would have a negative effect on my business.
Vic Allred, Jazz, A Louisiana Kitchen

The Missouri restaurant Association is the single most important organization an independent restaurant company can be affiliated with. Providing education and training, lobbying our Legislators on Capitol Hill to protect our industry and the many cost saving programs, not only allow us to survive in a tough business, but actually are the reason we survive.
Greg Hunsucker, V’s Italiano Ristorante

Back to Top