Welcome to our August 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!

 

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!

 

All attendees will be receiving our MARA Signature Mooncakes as well as Restaurant Coupon Books. 

Introducing our host and speakers for this year's MARA gala! MARA is deeply appreciated our host and speakers for their invaluable contributions.

 

Host:
Tiffany Chan（Reporter | WBZ-TV | WSBK-TV | CBSBoston.com）

Speakers:
Steve Clark （President And CEO of Massachusetts Restaurant Association）
Vanna Howard（State Representative）
Diana DiZoglio（State Auditor）
Norman Eng（Public Affairs Specialist at the Massachusetts District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration）
Guoliang Yu （State AAPI Commissioner）
Christian Doan（Boston-based food blogger and advertiser）
Loretta Chin（Food Safety Consultant） 

Thank you to our current sponsors, your support has been instrumental in the progress of this year's MARA Annual Gala so far! Your generous contributions are vital to our mission, and we greatly appreciate your partnership. As we continue to receive confirmations from additional sponsors, we look forward to welcoming even more partners in making a lasting impact together. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to celebrating with you all at the Gala! 

Gold sponsors and above will have the opportunity to become a MARA Endorsed Partner
 

Sponsors who own a restaurant can gain priority brand exposure through our coupon booklet. (For MARA members who are restaurant owners, they all have the opportunity to include their own coupons in our coupon book.)

This month's highlight features an interview with Yummy Steakhouse in Worcester, MA! Yummy Steakhouse, located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is a unique restaurant that blends traditional Hibachi teppanyaki with exquisite Japanese sushi.

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.  

 

Women of Color Sixth Cohort - Apply by September 30th, 2024

Vote No on Question 5!

California activists have collected enough signatures to bring a question to the November ballot. All legal options have been exhausted and this question will appear on the November ballot as Question 5. This question seeks to fundamentally change the way restaurants operate in Massachusetts and will have a devastating impact on employees, operators and restaurant guests. Fortunately, we have had a campaign team in place for several months working on messaging, strategy and organizing. Polling shows that we can win and win convincingly if we spread our message.

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.