Workforce, Culture, and Tipping: Shifting Dynamics in Restaurant and Hospitality Industry

Jeanne Cretella (00:00:00 to 00:01:01)

You know, I always felt it was really important to belong to an association because we're in the business of, you know, serving food and drinks, but yet we need to really be aware of what's happening legislatively. And the association, the Restaurant and Hospitality Association, allows that to happen really easily by staying on top of new bills that are coming out and being introduced and making sure that something that is passed is kind of filtered down to everyone. So, if they have to change something, they can to be in compliance. So, I really recommend that business owners, especially small-business owners, look at participating in an association. Certainly for restaurants, there's no other choice. You go right to the Restaurant and Hospitality Association.

 

Announcer (00:01:04 to 00:01:16)

Welcome to Paychex THRIVE, a Business Podcast, where you'll hear timely insights to help you navigate marketplace dynamics and propel your business forward. Here's your host, Gene Marks.

 

Gene Marks (00:01:20 to 00:01:49)

Hey, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of the Paychex THRIVE podcast. My name is Gene Marks. Thank you so much for joining us. Whether you're listening or you're watching us on YouTube, we're really glad to have you here today. I have Jeanne Cretella. Jeannie is the president of Landmark Hospitality in New Jersey. She is also on the board of the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association and the National Restaurant and Hospitality Association, as well. So first of all, Jeannie, thank you so much for joining. I'm really thrilled that you're with us today.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:01:49 to 00:01:51)

Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here with you.

 

Gene Marks (00:01:51 to 00:01:58)

Yeah. So, you're a Jersey person. I can tell. You're in Plainview, correct? Is where you guys ...

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:01:59 to 00:02:01)

Our home base is Plainfield.

 

Gene Marks (00:02:01 to 00:02:15)

Plainfield. Got it. Okay. I should know that being from Philly. Tell us, first of all, a little bit about yourself and about how, what does Landmark do? And, also, how did you ultimately become president of the organization?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:02:15 to 00:03:27)

So, my husband and I actually formed Landmark Hospitality about 23 years ago when we opened up our first New Jersey restaurant, the Liberty House, inside Liberty State Park. Liberty House was and still is our flagship. It encompasses both fine dining inside, very large outdoor area looking out onto the New York City skyline, and event spaces for private events to take place totally separate from any of the restaurant guests. Our business model kind of grew with that, always having restaurants and event spaces. And then probably about seven years ago, we added in hotel rooms, boutique hotels. So, today we are definitely a multifaceted group. We operate boutique hotels, the largest of which is currently under renovation and opening in just early spring of this year with about 100 rooms.

 

Gene Marks (00:03:28 to 0:03:36)

That is awesome. So, I've got here so you got that Liberty House restaurant, which is also hotel, as well. Stonehouse at Sterling Ridge. Is that also ...

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:03:36 to 00:03:40)

Stonehouse at Sterling Ridge is restaurant and event space.

 

Gene Marks (00:03:40 to 00:03:41)

Cool.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:03:41 to 00:04:08)

The Ryland Inn in White House Station is boutique, small, very small boutique hotel, as well as event space and restaurant. And then we've got a few other restaurants and event space only throughout New Jersey and in Pennsylvania. Again, mostly multifaceted with hotel rooms as well as restaurant and events.

 

Gene Marks (00:04:08 to 00:04:23)

I cannot imagine the stresses and the challenges that you have. Like, I don't even know what you do on a Saturday night, but I really hope you just go home and just veg in front of the TV and not talk to anybody for a few hours, because you got a really busy week, don't you?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:04:23 to 00:04:37)

That doesn't happen. Saturdays are our busy part of the week. Maybe you'll see me at home and maybe in front of a TV on a Monday, on a Saturday night, I'm at our restaurants and our events.

 

Gene Marks (00:04:38 to 00:04:40)

That is crazy. Do you have any other family members that work in the business?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:04:41 to 00:05:02)

So, I do. My husband is still very involved, and we have one daughter, Maddie, who is now totally involved in the business. She heads up all of our social media, marketing, public relations, and helping to develop culture.

 

Gene Marks (00:05:02 to 00:05:10)

Yeah, that's really cool. And I guess you were probably a real source of jobs for a lot of her friends and high school kids and all of that back in the day, right?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:05:10 to 00:05:55)

Well, restaurants. Yeah. I mean, typically, restaurants in New Jersey, restaurants are a second-largest employee, only second to the state. So, we offer a lot of jobs and a lot of opportunities to a lot know people who are either entering the workforce for the first time or have decided that they want to reenter the workforce after being home raising children or away at military. So, it's a great source for people to kind of create a foundation that allows them to be in an industry where they can really grow just based upon their work ethic and their talent.

 

Gene Marks (00:05:55 to 00:06:10)

Yeah. Don't you? I feel the same way. I know a lot ... my kids are all in their late 20s. They all worked in restaurants when they were in high school and college. And what you learn working in the service industry, I think, is such a preparation for life. Don't you agree?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:06:10 to 00:06:45)

It really is. I mean, the skills that people learn working in a restaurant are skills that they can take with them no matter what they do in life. Learning how to, one, work with the team, learning how to be able to read people, right? Because every guest is different, and certain guests need to be treated differently, how to prioritize really important in a restaurant. So, some really great foundation to skills that people can use anywhere.

 

Gene Marks (00:06:45 to 00:07:04)

Yeah. Do you feel that you do a good job at promoting that to prospective employees? I mean, sometimes people look at a restaurant job or even working in a hotel as just being a job. It's a way to make money, and I kind of view it as a lot more than that. And I'm wondering if you use that when you recruit people.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:07:04 to 00:08:24)

Yeah, we don't look at it as just a job. We really don't. For us, everyone that is hired has the ability to start a new chapter in their life and create a career for themselves because it really is. There's very few industries where you can go from being a bus boy who walks into a restaurant with no experience and then one day owns that restaurant. You can't do that. If you want to be a doctor, you have to have formal training. If you want to be an attorney. So, many careers require specific training.

 

I think the restaurant industry gives people the opportunity to get that specific training on the job and to grow with it. And in our restaurants, we have a lot of full-time career service. They're not just looking to fill some time or put some money in their pocket while they're in college. They're people who recognize that they can really have a great career, one that's flexible and allows them to do what they love to do and to make a really good living.

 

Gene Marks (00:08:24 to 00:09:06)

Yeah, yeah. It's funny. So, my wife and I, we live in Center City, Philadelphia, and we do happy hours on the weekends. I'm not know. Don't judge. And there's, like a bar right around the corner. It's like a neighborhood bar. It's really great. It's a bar-restaurant. There's, like, a young woman who's, like a bartender there, and she's fantastic as a bartender. You watch her in action, and she's just really great. And we talk to her and she's like, this is like my life. This is going to be. I love this. I love this work and whatever.

 

Whether you're a bartender, there's a career path, right, in your organization? You can move up to management, but even if you stayed completely in service with customers, you can still make a fairly good living, right? And like you said, with a lot of flexibility. Am I correct?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:09:06 to 00:10:02)

Absolutely. I mean, typically tipped employees are the highest paid employees in the restaurant. Higher paid than someone who works in the kitchen as a line cook or a sous chef, even. So, yeah, tiptoed employees do really well for us, having a really concrete path for people to follow that allows them to move up within our organization is something we're really committed to. We actually started a nonprofit foundation back in 2019 called the Art of Hospitality Workers Alliance,  and it is a program that allows people who either work with us or looking to get into this industry to take valuable courses that will allow them to grow.

 

Gene Marks (00:10:02 to 00:10:16)

That's great. Yeah, that is great. The industry itself, you've been doing this for 23 years, so it's a long time. What's changed in the past 23 years? Is it that much different?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:10:16 to 00:11:21)

This industry is always changing. I think restaurants change not only every year, they change typically seasonally, right? Yeah. And there's been a lot of changes. I think there's been a few things that have … One is with reality TV, people have a really bird's-eye view into what it's like to work in a kitchen, to be a celebrity chef. Everyone wants to be a celebrity chef. People have really grown when it comes to what their expectations are when they dine out. I'm sure when you dine out, your bar is raised a whole lot higher than I'm sure it was 10 years ago. So, as a restaurant group, it's our responsibility to keep raising that bar so that guests will come back time and time again.

 

Gene Marks (00:11:21 to 00:11:48)

Right. I have found, again, as a consumer of restaurants, somebody who covers small businesses, sometimes I go into restaurants that are, the people there have an amazing attitude. You can tell they work hard. They've got the right sort of outlook. And to me, it all comes down from management. It's all what the managers are doing to set the tone in their location. How do you train your managers to be really good?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:11:49 to 00:11:52)

You're right. I mean, it's culture.

 

Gene Marks (00:11:52 to 00:11:53)

Yeah, it's culture.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:11:54 to 00:12:46)

And it's one of the biggest responsibilities that I feel that I have is to instill culture into every one of our people, and we have programs in place that allows us to teach our culture at every level. But really focusing on the managers that will then be with the hourly employees day in and day out is absolutely essential. And it's just something that you can nibble of sight of. It's something that has to be at the top, to me, of your priority list, because if somebody understands your culture, they'll always make the right decision.

 

Gene Marks (00:12:46 to 00:12:47)

Right.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:12:47 to 00:13:16)

Or at least they'll try to make that decision. Keeping what it is, your company culture, is in mind. So that's a focus that I think every business owner is challenged with. And it becomes harder as you continue to grow, because then you're not the mouthpiece in the restaurant kind of preaching day-in and day-out. You're now relying upon others to do that for you.

 

Gene Marks: (00:13:17 to 00:13:55)

I hear from a lot of my clients, and I know you hear it as well, because it's the narrative. Like, oh, the younger generations don't work as hard as we did, and those Millennials or those Gen Zers aren't the same. They don't appreciate the value of a hard day's work. And I don't buy into that, because I do think that every generation has got their great people and other people that could improve, but I'm curious. I'm assuming the majority of your employees are either millennials or younger than that, like Gen Z or people in their 20s. I'm assuming a lot of your hourly workers. You're kind of shaking (your head) a little bit.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:13:55 to 00:14:08)

I think because of the mix of our business with events and even some of the smaller hotels, probably our average age employees a bit higher.

 

Gene Marks (00:14:08 to 00:14:09)

Interesting.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:14:09 to 00:16:02)

Maybe more in the 30s, but, yeah, I think especially after COVID, and I hate to get into COVID, but certainly COVID changed a lot of perspective for us as a society. And one thing that was realized is that when it comes to hospitality, we're there to serve you, and we're there to allow you to enjoy your weekends and your holidays, which means that we're working. I think creating an atmosphere that does allow people to have that work-life balance is really important. Trying to just be really aware of scheduling and scheduling with purpose, so that people can feel like, yes, I have my two days off, and they're two days in a row, so that I could plan just like somebody who always has off Saturday and Sunday. Maybe my day off is Monday, Tuesday.

 

But it is a different workforce. Those that are coming into the workforce now, they have different priorities. They want to align themselves with a company who they believe in, a company who they believe shares some of the same values. Whether those values include helping out the community where you do business, whether the values include using a product that's sustainable, hiring people with disabilities. I think your workforce today really needs ... It's not just. They're not just not looking for a job with good pay.

 

Gene Marks (00:16:02 to 00:16:03)

Right.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:16:04 to 00:16:09)

It's a job with a company that aligns with their values.

 

Gene Marks (00:16:09 to 00:16:11)

Where do you find people, Jeannie?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:16:12 to 00:17:24)

All over, wherever you can. Everywhere and anywhere. Yeah. And we love to. Like this time of year, we'll be know quite a few of the colleges and recruiting colleges really involved with the ProStart program that the New Jersey Restaurant Hospitality Association runs. That's actually a national initiative that, know, we don't really have a lot of tech schools, tech high schools anymore. But the ProStart program, which is throughout the state, in New Jersey and throughout the country, allows students to participate in a program that really teaches them about front of the house and back of the house. And then those students - college is sometimes not for everyone - but those students who decide that they want to go directly into the workforce, they've got great foundation of culinary and front-of-the-house training that will allow them to walk into a restaurant and get a great job.

 

Gene Marks (00:17:25 to 00:17:39)

What do you look for in somebody? I mean, you go to the recruiting fairs or even from the association's programs. But when it comes time to interview a prospective employee, what are you looking for?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:17:40 to 00:18:21)

I think the first thing that's important is you need somebody who's upbeat and seems to honestly like people. Somebody who likes to be challenged, wants to learn. We can teach anyone our steps of service, but you need somebody who's got a heart that is happy with making serving others. Not everybody can do that, but you find someone who, yes, is happy opening the door for someone, pulling out a chair. That's the person that you want to hire.

 

Gene Marks (00:18:21 to 00:18:58)

It's funny, I was speaking to a guy a few months ago who runs, like, a windows and doors company, and he steals your employees ... not yours specifically, because he's, like, in Michigan. But he always says that when he's looking for good people, he says exactly what you just said. He's looking for attitude, and when he's out eating at a restaurant or in a store, and he's served by somebody with a good attitude who wants service oriented and smart, you get these people that can memorize the whole order without writing it down, like those kinds of things. He looks at those people because he says, like you said, I can teach anybody how to sell and make windows and doors.

 

Gene Marks (00:18:58 to 00:19:02)

It's not rocket science, but I can't teach them that. That's what they.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:19:03)

Very true.

 

Gene Marks (00:19:03 to 00:19:06)

Yeah, and I guess you've learned that over the years, as well.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:19:07)

Absolutely.

 

Gene Marks (00:19:09 to 00:19:21)

Let me go through a couple of other workplace sort of trends, and I'm just kind of curious to get your thoughts on them. Right, like four-day work week. What are your thoughts on a four-day work week? Do you guys use it?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:19:21 to 00:19:46)

So, when we came back and opened the restaurants after COVID, many of our restaurants were open four days. We've since gone, we've gone back to five and six. Pre-COVID, we were always six. We always had a dark day on Monday. But now for a good portion of our restaurants, we are closed Monday and Tuesday.

 

Gene Marks (00:19:46 to 00:19:57)

No kidding? Wow. Okay, fair enough. So, the people that work there can expect to almost have a four-day - and how long are the shifts? Are they more than 8 hours?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:19:57 to 00:20:14)

It depends. If it's a lunch shift, it's probably 8 hours. Same thing with dinner. If we do a brunch, it could be a little bit less. One thing that's great about this industry is that you have so much flexibility.

 

Gene Marks (00:20:14 to 00:20:15)

Yes.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:20:15 to 00:20:40)

So, that you could be flexible with having an early shift or a late shift, even if it's still dinner shift. But some come in early, some come in later and stay till later. So, flexibility is key. And we find that that's really a huge selling point in people who are looking for work. They want flexibility.

 

Gene Marks (00:20:41 to 00:21:22)

Yeah, that is, and that is also one of the biggest. I mean, there are three big benefits that businesses have to provide. I mean, health care and retirement are two big ones. But flexibility, particularly after COVID, has become an essential that businesses need to provide. And it's very important.

 

What are your thoughts on tips? Let me give you my thoughts on tips before you even give me your thoughts on tips, I feel that I'm not the most charitable person in the world, far from it, but I tend to over-tip when I go to different places. And because again, I cover small businesses, I do feel like the more that customers can help a business's employees with a tip, if it's deserved, obviously. I don't know,

 

Gene Marks (00:21:23 to 00:21:37)

I feel like it takes a little bit of pressure off the business owner to have to increase their compensation levels, as well. I don't know if you're willing to even admit that or not. But I'm just curious, do you think ... there's a lot of backlash to tips nowadays?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:21:37 to 00:22:11)

People think over-tipping and unfortunately, maintaining the tip credit and maintaining the tipped environment, absolutely crucial to this industry on a statewide and a national level. It's absolutely impossible. First of all, some people will come across and say that, well, we think everyone should make minimum wage. Well, any tipped employee has to make minimum wage.

 

Gene Marks (00:22:12)

Right.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:22:13 to 00:22:33)

And the truth of the matter is that industry standards show that tipped employees typically earn much higher than your minimum wage. In our restaurants, our tipped employees are the highest-paid employees. Many times they'll make more money than a manager.

 

Gene Marks (00:22:33 to 00:22:33)

Yes.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:22:34 to 00:25:15)

And transitioning a tipped employee to a manager is always tough because of that. For a restaurant, the tip policy that's in place, and that is to have a tip credit, which means the employer can pay a sub-minimum wage rate with the understanding that if they do not earn minimum wage with their tip, then you have to make up the difference. And that business model has been in place since the beginning of time. To change that business model around and now, say restaurant owner, you are going to have to pay each one of your people in excess – like in New Jersey, it would be $10 more per hour per employee – would just put restaurants out of business.

 

There's not that margin of profit that would allow a restaurant to just absorb that kind of increase to their payroll. Just something would have to change. Prices would have to go up substantially. There would have to be some sort of a service charge that's added to the check. But most importantly, and what would hurt this industry the most is that there's no way that restaurants who currently have tipped employees earning $40, $50, $60, $75 an hour, they would never be able to pay them that.

 

So, this whole atmosphere of customers enjoying really professional service, they'd be gone because they would not be able to be paid at that rate by their employer. So, listen, the tipping process works. It's worked forever. It does vary. Listen, you get a high school kid who's out looking for their first job or someone in college who walks into a very casual dining restaurant where steps of service is probably not that important. Their tip average is probably not going to be as high as if they walked into one of my restaurants or fine-dining restaurant. But it's a different demographics. Also, I tend to attract professional service who are supporting families based upon their tips.

 

Gene Marks (00:25:15 to 00:25:40)

Don't you also think that because of the tipping system the way it is, you're motivated to make sure that your restaurant is bringing in customers? Because you know that if customers aren't coming in and people are not getting the tips that they need to get, they're going to leave you. They're going to go to some other business where the action is a lot more than that. So, it provides an incentive for the business, as well, correct?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:25:40 to 00:25:58)

For the business and for the actual employee, because it's almost like a server is their own entrepreneur. This is their business. So, they reap the rewards at the end of every table by the tip that's given them.

 

Gene Marks (00:25:58 to 00:26:22)

In California, in a small portion of the state, the fast-food industry, I'm assuming you're familiar with that. They're changing a lot of the rules there, and they're increasing the minimum wages for those fast-food restaurants now to as much as $20 an hour. Give me your thoughts on minimum wage. What would happen if something like that spread to New Jersey?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:26:24 to 00:26:48)

I think it would be really catastrophic. I mean, there's only so much that a business can absorb. I'm not sure why one industry should be chosen to have a higher minimum wage. What's the difference if your child decides for their first-time job to get a job in a McDonald's versus a Gap?

 

Gene Marks (00:26:48)

Sure.

 

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:26:50 to 00:28:14)

Why should the rate of pay be different, and I just think that a lot of initiatives start in California and in New York and spread throughout the country. And I think it's really the responsibility for business owners to talk about sometimes what the unintentional consequences could lead to, which is more and more fast-food places will turn to technology and replace that human being with technology. So, now there's less jobs for high school seniors, and that's something that we're going to start seeing a lot more of. There's robotics being used in restaurants to help bring food to the table, to bring dirty dishes back to the kitchen.

 

We all have visited Newark airport and know, know you've got iPads instead of people at some of the terminals. And it's interesting because that has switched now because the newest terminal that opened up at Newark airport has not one terminal, because people like that face to face ...

 

Gene Marks (00:28:14 to 00:28:17)

They do. There's been a backlash.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:28:17 to 00:28:34)

… that interaction. But unfortunately, push comes to shove, and if you're a fast-food establishment, technology really could be used to replace people without it having an effect on the guest experience.

 

Gene Marks (00:28:34 to 00:29:31)

It's definitely a balance. Okay, I have a couple more questions, then I'll let you go. In New York state, as we're recording this, and during the month of February, there's now going to be new law that is forcing businesses that charge a surcharge for using a credit card to disclose what that surcharge is, and then also to make sure that that surcharge is not more than the finance fee that the credit card company is charging. So, I guess the question I have for you is, first of all, do you do that in your restaurants? Like, if I go to eat in one of your restaurants, I think I told you before you started recording, I go down to Margate restaurants in New Jersey, and they all seem to do this and they're, "It's just for cash, but if you don't use cash, you're going to pay 3.5% more for credit card surcharge." Do you do that? And I'm curious what your thoughts are on what New York is doing if you haven't.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:29:31 to 00:30:17)

Well, I think one thing that's really important to us on a national level for restaurants, and it's not just restaurants, it's other industries, is to get our credit card swipe fees in line to a place where we can afford to pay the fee without passing it on to the guest. Credit card swipe fees are one of restaurant's highest expenses. Other than labor and cost of goods, they are absolutely through the roof, and it's unfortunate that they are blind fees because we don't know when we take your credit card, if you have a credit card that comes with miles or points. So, the credit card company doesn't pay.

 

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:30:20 to 00:30:27)

The credit card company doesn't absorb the cost of what they're giving you in points or rewards.

 

Gene Marks (00:30:27 to 00:30:28)

Sure.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:30:28 to 00:30:30)

That cost gets moved on to the merchant.

 

Gene Marks (00:30:31)

Yes.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:30:32 to 00:31:24)

And those fees are absolutely exorbitant. So, yeah, many restaurants have felt that they've had to either turn to giving a cash discount or passing on to the guest. It has to be the exact amount that you pay. What ends up happening is that the restaurant is still paying substantially higher because so many cards have rewards or points attached to them. And again, that's never the rate that the merchant has agreed to. So, you agreed for one rate, but you're paying much higher every time one of these cards is presented to you. So, even though they're charging one rate, chances are they're still paying out much more.

 

Gene Marks (00:31:24 to 00:32:10)

Jeannie, you know what I don't understand, and I'm a CPA, and if you were to take those credit card, those financing charges and assuming that you're tracking them separately in your accounting system, and maybe that's a big assumption, but let's assume that you are. So, you know what they are. Why wouldn't a restaurant just spread those charges across all of the products that they sell and increase the products? So, instead of there being $12.50 for a hamburger, I'm paying $12.75 for a hamburger. So, I'm not noticing it really as the customer. Whereas when you have a separate charge that three and a half percent, like there's a percentage of customers, they notice it and then it annoys them. Do you know what I mean? Why wouldn't a restaurant do that?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:32:10 to 00:32:26)

Well, I think I can't speak for everyone. I can just say that I know that a lot of restaurants feel that especially pre-COVID prices have already skyrocketed, and you can only raise your prices so high.

 

Gene Marks (00:32:26 to 00:32:27)

Right.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:32:27 to 00:32:40)

So, to have a line item that is specifically there and very clearly states what it's for, they may feel that that's actually clearer and fairer to the guest.

 

Gene Marks (00:32:41 to 00:32:51)

Got it. Fair enough. All right. That's a good answer. Final question. I'll let you go. You're running these businesses in New Jersey. You mentioned you have restaurants in Pennsylvania.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:32:51 to 00:32:58)

Yeah, we do. We're in New Hope and we're right outside of Philly as well, with an event space.

 

Gene Marks (00:32:58 to 00:33:20)

All right, cool. So, I guess my final question mean you're on the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association. Jersey person. Do you think it's harder running a restaurant in New Jersey compared to Pennsylvania or even other states? Do you feel sometimes Jersey gets this rap of being an overtaxed, overregulated state?

 

Gene Marks (00:33:20 to 00:33:21)

Do you think it's harder?

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:33:22 to 00:34:48)

It is. It's more expensive to do business in New Jersey than it is in Pennsylvania. It's probably easier than California, and certainly ... But yeah, it is harder. There's a lot of moving parts. But I think that's why I always felt it was really important to belong to an association, because we're in the business of serving food and drinks, but yet we need to really be aware of what's happening legislatively. The association, the restaurant and hospitality association allows that to happen really easily by staying on top of new bills that are coming out and being introduced and making sure that something that is passed is kind of filtered down to everyone. So, if they have to change something, they can to be in compliance.

 

So, I really recommend that business owners, especially small business owners, look at participating in an association. Certainly, for restaurants, there's no other choice: You go right to the restaurant and Hospitality Association.

 

 

 

Gene Marks (00:34:49 to 00:35:14)

Jeanne Cretella is the president of Landmark Hospitality with restaurants and boutique hotels located and event spaces in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Jeannie is also a board member of the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association and the National Restaurant and Hospitality Association. Jeannie, thank you so much for joining me. I've learned a lot about your business and the industry, and I know our listeners and our viewers will feel the same way. So, thank you.

 

Jeanne Cretella (00:35:14 to 00:35:15)

Thank you. It's a pleasure.

 

Gene Marks (00:35:15 to 00:35:35)

It was a lot of fun. Everybody, you have been listening and watching to the Paychex THRIVE podcast. My name is Gene Marks. Thanks so much for spending the time with us. We'll see you again soon. Take care.

 

Do you have a topic or a guest that you would like to hear on thrive? Please let us know. Visit payx.me/thrivetopics and send us your ideas or matters of interest.

 

Gene Marks (00:35:35 to 00:35:59)

Also, if your business is looking to simplify your HR, payroll, benefits, or insurance services, see how Paychex can help, visit the resource hub paychecks.com/ worx. That's W-O-R-X. Paychex can help manage those complexities while you focus on all the ways you want your business to thrive. I'm your host, Gene Marks, and thanks for joining us. Till next time, take care.

Announcer (35:59 to 36:04)

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