Welcome to our May edition of the Massachusetts Asian Restaurant Association newsletter! We're excited to bring you a selection of opportunities and events designed to inspire, educate, and connect. Inside this issue, you'll find exclusive information on upcoming events, details on grant opportunities that could support your business, and much more!

Join us on September 10th for the 2024 Massachusetts Asian Restaurant Association (MARA) Annual Gala in collaboration with the Massachusetts Restaurant Association (MRA)!

 

This special evening is dedicated to celebrating our industry professionals, supporters, and friends, and raising funds for the upcoming year. Let's come together for a night of fun, networking, and community spirit!

 

We will announce more details about the event so please stay tuned

Stay tuned for next month's member highlight features an interview with Yummy Steakhouse in Worcester, MA! 

The August Moon Festival is a momentous holiday in many Asian cultures. It celebrates the harvest and the moon as symbols of prosperity, happiness, and unity.

Grant & Program Opportunities

(Rolling Deadline) Amber Grant - Women's Net gives away at least $30,000 every month in Amber Grant money. In recognition of the diversity of businesses owned by women, they've also expanded their grant-giving to include Marketing Grants, Business Category Grants, as well as two $25,000 Year End Grants.

 

(Rolling Deadline) Free LLC Formation for Moms - Zenbusiness is giving every mom in America the ability to start an LLC for free, plus the cost of your state fee.  

Let your Legislators know that 

Credit Card Fees are out of control!

Please email your legislators and let them know that credit card fees are out of control. Massachusetts is one of two states that does not allow a business to add a convenience fee to consumer purchases to cover the cost of processing payment by credit or debit card. And while it has been like this for many years, the pandemic has exacerbated the issue as more and more consumers rely on credit cards. While 2% to the customer only amounts to a few dollars, 2% on all credit card transactions is a large expense for the business owner.

A class-action lawsuit against the credit card duopoly recently reached a settlement. The Payment Card Settlement is the biggest antitrust class-action settlement in history. It sets aside at least $5.54B and a maximum of approximately $6.24B for millions of U.S. merchants who, for years, paid artificially inflated Visa and Mastercard interchange fees, which are also called swipe fees. If a restaurant operator accepted Visa and/or Mastercard at any time between Jan. 1, 2004, and Jan. 25, 2019, they are likely a member of the class settlement and entitled to a share of the settlement. The settlement ends a 2013 lawsuit in which the National Restaurant Association and the Restaurant Law Center played leading roles. The lawsuit alleged merchants paid excessive fees to accept Visa and Mastercard, while these two companies violated antitrust laws by price-fixing interchange fees.

Founded in 2018, Massachusetts Asian Restaurant Association (MARA) is a non-profit corpo­ration registered at Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It formed a partnership with Massachu­setts Restaurant Association (MRA) in 2020. MARA provides Asian restaurant businesses the resources and guidance needed to advance in the industry. MARA is a platform connecting Asian restaurant members with professional service providers as well as relevant governmental entities to enhance the communication collaboration and mutual benefits. Visit ma-ara.org to join or learn more.