Advocacy in Action | October 16, 2025
Legal Boot Camp - in partnership with Pullman & Comley
Introducing the Legal Boot Camp, a new webinar series, presented in partnership with Pullman & Comley. This four-part series will cover essential legal topics every restaurant owner should know.
Each session offers the opportunity to hear directly from subject matter experts and get your questions answered, gaining practical insights to protect your business.
As a CRA member, you unlock an exclusive discounted rate of $25: a $50 saving per webinar!.
Pullman & Comley is a valued Prime Partner of the Connecticut Restaurant Association. Their attorneys represent many of the region’s most recognized and established restaurants, hotels and tourism-related businesses on a multitude of matters including a full range of labor and employment issues, complex regulatory proceedings, the acquisition or sale of liquor licenses, as well as litigation. Visit Pullman & Comley.
National Restaurant Association: Growing Penny Shortage
The National Restaurant Association joined a coalition of national retail and foodservice groups urging Congress to act on the growing penny shortage, which is disrupting cash transactions across the country. The U.S. Mint stopped producing pennies in June, and Federal Reserve coin distribution centers are already running out, leaving businesses without the ability to make exact change.
The coalition is urging lawmakers to:
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Allow rounding to the nearest nickel for cash transactions nationwide, currently prohibited in multiple states
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Clarify SNAP rules to ensure rounding doesn’t violate equal treatment provisions for food assistance recipients
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Support check cashing flexibility at retail locations, especially for unbanked customers
Connecticut Economic Update from the State Comptroller
Read the October edition of the Connecticut Economic Update from Sean Scanlon, State Comptroller.
Key indicators include:
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2.4% growth in consumer spending (higher than previously estimated)
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Connecticut added 900 jobs in August, with the private sector adding 1,200 positions, both seasonally adjusted. The unemployment rate remained steady at 3.8% despite the U.S. rate rising to 4.3%
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The average occupancy rate at Connecticut hotels is up 1.3% year-to-date through August, with revenue per available room rising 3.2% over the same period. Hotels in eastern Connecticut saw strong year-over-year improvement in occupancy and revenue in August, while Fairfield County saw lower demand than last year in July and August
Read October's Economic Update
Latest on Tariffs
New tariffs are taking effect this week on a range of imported products. Restaurant operators, particularly those who are planning new locations or considering remodelling and renovation of a current location, are most likely to be impacted by:
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10% tariffs on softwood lumber
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25% tariffs on select furniture such as kitchen cabinets, vanities and upholstered furniture
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The tariff on upholstered furniture increases to 30% in 2026; the tariff on kitchen cabinets and vanities increases to 50% in 2026