The 2024 legislative session is over: Get the recap now 📰

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That's a wrap: The 2024 legislative session is over

The 2024 legislative session adjourned “sine die” for the year on March 7. This was a short 60-day session, so lawmakers mostly focused on making adjustments to the two-year state budgets and revisiting legislation that failed to pass during the 2023 session. We also saw several new issues emerge this year.

You can read the full 2024 wrap-up by clicking the button below.

Please reach out to statega@wahospitality.org if you have any questions or comments.

Are your wages competitive?

If you are wondering if your wages are competitive for certain positions in your business, check out our new wage reports on our members-only site, all specific to your geographic location.

Furthermore, explore our industry snapshots which offer an extensive range of graphs, reports and data for both lodging and restaurant operators.

Three ways you can improve customer loyalty

What makes a customer keep coming back? In the highly competitive hospitality industry, loyalty is key to long-term success. Acquiring new customers is also much more expensive than maintaining your existing ones.

To keep customers coming back there are a few key points to consider.

Regain control of your payment processing

When you process payments through the association's Payment Solutions, you are in control. We don't force you to use certain equipment or lock you into a multi-year contract.

Claim the FICA gratuity tax credit this year

If your employees make tips and you pay the appropriate taxes on them, you can get that money back with the FICA gratuity tax credit. Taxes are due on April 15 - don't miss this tax credit. On average, restaurants are seeing an IRS credit of $40,000.

For an educational session on this credit and to learn how it can benefit your business, join us for our live webinar with Adesso Capitol at 10 a.m., March 20.

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Toolkit of the Month

Celebrate St. Patty's Day by Going Green🍀

March is the month of green. This makes it a great time to turn our attention to our Going Green toolkit. This toolkit is a collection of pages designed to assist you in being compliant with sustainable initiatives.

Within these pages you will find different resources to help you meet mandatory requirements as well as voluntary options if you are seeking to integrate environmentally friendly operations in your business.

Webinars and Podcasts

Live webinar: The Hospitality Profit: P&L management for front and back managers

P&L management is critical at the manager level yet financial training is often little and far between. Please join Rick Braa for a session focused on the most important financial report card in the restaurant at 10 a.m., March 27.

[Ask a Lawyer] Salary transparency unveiled: Navigating new job posting policies

A recent Seattle Times article highlighted the increasing number of class action lawsuits filed against business owners for alleged non-compliance with the state’s pay transparency requirements for job postings. We have heard from members experiencing this.

Join Catherine Morisset, an employment attorney from Fisher Phillips, in this members-only webinar to learn the rules of pay transparency at 10 a.m., April 3.

ServSafe Manager is ANSI certified and satisfies the new Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) requirement in the state food code that went into effect in 2023.

Ellensburg
May 14

Registration deadline
April 30

Everett
May 17

Registration deadline
May 3

Seattle
April 5
Registration deadline
March 22

Spokane
April 12

Registration deadline
March 29

Tacoma

May 13

Registration deadline

April 29

Vancouver
May 13
Registration deadline
April 29

In Case You Missed It

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Washington Hospitality Association
510 Plum St SE
Olympia, Washington 98501
United States

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