National Restaurant Association

The National Restaurant Association is a restaurant industry business association in the United States, representing more than 380,000 restaurant locations. It also operates the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The association was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

The National Restaurant Association/NRAEF mission is: "We will lead America’s restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence, and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve." The National Restaurant Association's mission is: "We exist to help our members - the cornerstone of their communities - build customer loyalty, rewarding careers and financial success."

Dawn Sweeney is president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. The 2012 Chair of the Board is Roz Mallet of PhaseNext Hospitality. Recent association chairs included Sally J. Smith of Buffalo Wild Wings, and Edward R. Tinsley of New Mexico, the franchiser of K-Bob's Steakhouse restaurant chain, who served from 2006-2007.

The National Restaurant Association, widely referred to as "the other NRA" (to distinguish itself from National Rifle Association, which shares the initialism), is a powerful lobbying force in Washington and state capitals. It is very active in fighting efforts to raise the minimum wage, as well as laws requiring paid sick leave. In July 2013, it boasted that it had successfully lobbied against raises in the minimum wage in 27 out of 29 states, and blocked paid sick leave legislation in 12 states. It also takes credit for halting any increase in the federal minimum wage for tipped employees, which has remained at $2.13 per hour since 1991.

The NRA supported the Fighting Hunger Incentive Act of 2014 (H.R. 4719; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend the Internal Revenue Code to permanently extend and expand certain expired provisions that provided an enhanced tax deduction for businesses that donated their food inventory to charitable organizations. The NRA argued that "the deduction for charitable donation of food inventory is a critical tool in alleviating hunger" because it "encourages donating the food to charity, by helping to offset the costs associated with preserving, storing and transporting the extra food."

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