B.E.S.T. Responsible Alcohol Service (recognition given at All Partner Levels)
B.E.S.T. (Beverage Education and Server Training,) is MHEF’s Responsible Alcohol Awareness Certification Program. B.E.S.T.(sm) is the only program of its kind recognized and endorsed by The Restaurant Association of Maryland and approved by the Maryland Comptroller of the Treasury.
B.E.S.T. provides a comprehensive approach to responsible alcohol service by:
• Enabling operators to meet mandated training requirements
MHEF is committed to providing the highest quality certification training, in the most convenient format, for the lowest possible price.
• Assisting operators in fulfilling their role as good corporate citizens
By broadening the focus of certification curriculum to include realistic role playing and useful tools, B.E.S.T.(sm) gives operators the ability to be effective leaders and stewards of their communities.
• Offering solutions that meet operators’ “opposing” objectives
Understanding the realities of alcohol service and an operator’s marketing objectives enables MHEF to provide much needed and practical training to complement the certification curriculum through courses like “Increasing Check Averages without Over-Serving.”

Seal of Commitment Award™ and Food Safety Initiatives (recognition given to Five, Four and Three Star Partners)
MHEF's food safety initiatives bring together Maryland's foodservice industry, government, media, and consumers in an effort to establish and maintain the highest food safety standards at every type of food service venue from groceries to institutional feeders, to full service restaurants. MHEF accomplishes this by:
•  Fostering relationships with media, regulators, and consumers
The Seal of Commitment Award ™, a first-in-the-nation initiative, offers food safety training options and a credible, effective way to communicate an establishment's investment in food safety to the media, sanitarians, and diners.
• Improving food safety practices
While managers’ food safety training is nominally mandated, MHEF’s home study options and public relations campaign encourages all operators to train their entire staffs in food safety.
• Elevating consumer confidence
MHEF educates consumers about making smart food safety choices including improving their own food safety! Television and state-wide appearances by The Maryland Chefs for Food Safety Team reinforces for the consumer the chef’s dedication to food safety.
• Reducing food safety training costs
MHEF’s competitive pricing allows operators to get the highest quality training at the best value. This policy minimizes the adverse impact of costly food borne illness outbreaks.
• Establishing a food safety resource center for industry
The MHEF website (www.mhef.org), a round-the-clock resource designed by-operators. . . for -operators, answers operators’ food safety questions on their schedule in real-time. This resource minimizes operator error and improves operations. In addition, the MHEF headquarters and training facility houses a library with numerous food safety books and videos available for rent or purchase.

S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M.S.(sm) School to Career Initiative (recognition given at All Partner Levels)
S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M.S.(sm) (Students, Parents, Employers, Counselors, Teachers; Resources United for Maximizing Success) is MHEF’s School To Career Program. It is the only program in the state of Maryland dedicated to addressing hospitality workforce issues. The program addresses several key challenges facing the industry today, and in the future by:
• Supplying the industry with trained and dedicated employees
By preparing a new generation of loyal employees who are choosing hospitality as a career and also receiving the necessary training to “hit the ground running,” this program addresses the industry’s high employee turnover rate.
• Increasing the number of available employees
S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M.S.(sm) is supplying a labor force that will keep pace with the foodservice industry’s projected growth. By promoting hospitality as a viable and exciting career choice, MHEF seeks to maximize the number of students entering the field over other more traditional career paths.
• Contributing to Maryland’s economic stability
The hospitality industry is Maryland’s #1 sales tax generator and one of its largest non-governmental employers. By meeting our industry’s demands for a stable workforce,
S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M.S.(sm) contributes substantially to sustaining Maryland’s economic health.
• Improving our industry’s success rate
S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M.S.(sm) offers state-of-the-art training to today’s students, i.e. tomorrow’s owners, helps them avoid costly mistakes in the future, and improves their chances for success.
• Maximizing the advantages of a diverse workplace
Minorities in management positions have now become the fastest growing segment of the industry’s labor force. In recognizing the talent of all ethnic backgrounds, S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M.S.(sm) helps its students cross cultural boundaries, and become successful in their new careers.

Information Resources and Library (available to Five Star Partners)
Through our websites at marylandrestaurants.com and mhef.org, our headquarters, and our toll-free hotline (1-800-874-1313) RAM and MHEF provide comprehensive information resources with the combined goal of strengthening the industry’s workforce, our educational system, and the industry’s image. This is accomplished by:
• Addressing the needs of multiple audiences that affect our industry
In addition to industry professionals our websites provide valuable information to educators, students and their parents, and the public as a whole.
• Serving as a clearinghouse for information
In the Online Library and by calling our Toll-Free Hotline, operators can find information on topics from Alcohol to Workplace Safety. The websites also provide links to hundreds of other related websites. The "RAM Manual" (available to association members) combines information on all aspects of operations in an easy to reference binder format.
• Serving as a “one-stop-shop” to the industry
In an effort to answer a variety of informational needs, mhef.org has a Product Store, Events Calendar, Industry Newsstand, Guest Speaker Bureau, Class Registrar, and Recipe Book and is integrally linked to the marylandrestaurants.com site which provides sections on Laws and Regulations, Membership Services, Dining and Promotion, and Allied Vendors.

Employment Initiatives (available to Five and Four Star Partners)
The hospitality industry faces numerous employment challenges. One of the ways MHEF seeks to meet these challenges is to provide a conduit between employers and potential employees. This is done by means of:
• Operating a hospitality-specific job bank
The Job Bank, located on www.mhef.org, offers employers and job seekers a state-of-the art (currently) FREE resource. New job postings occur weekly, and the MHEF Job Bank now offers a link to the National Job Posting Site to help bring the best talent in the country to the state of Maryland.
• Enabling employees and employers to improve themselves
MHEF.org also offers information for the job seeker on subjects including career planning, resume writing, and good interviewing skills. It provides help for employers in areas including recruiting, interviewing, and selection; employment forms and checklists; labor laws; tips on working with teenagers; performance reviews; training benefits; and links to government websites and other job banks.

Dining Gift Certificate Program (available to All Partner Levels)
RAM’s Dining Gift Certificate Program, which features an exclusive “universal” gift certificate, gives members a no-cost way to promote their business to the dining public. Its popularity is a result of several factors including:
• Providing the dining public with a gift that is truly “one size fits all”
RAM Dining Gift Certificates can be bought in virtually any denomination and are redeemable at over 700 restaurants throughout the state. Numerous companies and individuals purchase these gift certificates for incentive programs and personal gifts.
• Offering operators a no-lose means of promoting their business
Unlike other promotions that require operators to discount or give away product, this program reimburses the operator for each gift certificate redeemed.
• Increasing dining out in Maryland
RAM sells $300,000 annually in Dining Gift Certificates through word-of-mouth advertising. The development of a marketing plan for this program will mean more business for Maryland restaurants.

Internet Dining Guide (available to Five, Four, Three and Two Star Partners)
RAM’s internet dining guide at marylandrestaurants.com is the official online dining guide for the state of Maryland. Increasing the number of loyal diners that regularly visit the guide has been a function of:
• Featuring information diners love
Recipes from popular Maryland chefs, unique entertainment venues, current specials and offers, as well as periodic contests, give diners a reason to return to the site again and again.
• Creating more than just another restaurant directory
To help diners in their selection, all restaurants on marylandrestaurants.com are linked to either a sample menu (created for them by RAM at no charge) or to their own establishment’s home page.
• Offering multiple search criteria
Whether they are looking for a place to dine this evening or for a caterer to host their upcoming formal affair, the RAM search engine at marylandrestaurants.com provides diners the ability to search for the perfect establishment based on a wide variety of specifications.

Put your Corporate Name in Lights at these Popular Venues

Taste of Maryland Legislative Reception - face time with Maryland’s lawmakers
Over 500 of the hospitality industry’s members and an overwhelming majority of Maryland’s legislators converge annually at this “cocktail” reception featuring the very best in food and drink from restaurants around the state. (available to Five, Four, Three and Two Star Partners)

Annual Industry Awards Gala - THE event to see and been seen
This sold-out annual black-tie Industry Awards Gala draws an audience of over 700 for an evening of celebration and recognition of the Hospitality Industry’s most distinguished individuals and companies. (available to Five, Four and Three Star Partners)

RAM/MHEF Board Thank-You Dinner - rub elbows with top decision makers
The Thank-You Dinner honors all out-going board members and recognizes the leadership of the out-going Chairmen. This event offers a relaxed setting in which to network with board members, and demonstrate a Partner’s gratitude for the leadership offered by the RAM and MHEF boards. (available to Five Star Partners)

Future’s Open Golf Classic - golf with your top clients, and industry and civic leaders
This premier golf tournament supports MHEF’s School-to-Career initiative known as
S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M.S.(sm). Approximately 250 industry professionals and educators gather for a relaxing day of golf and camaraderie. (available to Five, Four and Three Star Partners)

Mid-Atlantic Food, Beverage & Lodging Expo - influence buyers from around the region
The largest trade show in the Mid-Atlantic region, Expo has an audience of over 30,000 industry professionals from the Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and Washington D.C. markets and features over 550 exhibitors. (available to Five and Four Star Partners)(Count as 2 Events)

Annual Holiday Mixer & Election of Officers Membership Meeting - be the first to congratulate our new officers
Members gather every winter at the RAM/MHEF Headquarters and Training Facility to vote on the slate of incoming officers. Mingle with the general membership and meet next year’s Executive Committee at this festive soiree. (available to All Partner Levels)

Allied Breakfast Meetings - plug into a network of industry suppliers
Held bi-monthly, these meetings provide a format for allied members to exchange business contacts. By learning more about what it takes to run a successful hospitality business, allied
members prepare themselves to be of better service to their clients. (available to All Partner Levels)

Select Chapter Events - support operators at the local level and gain public exposure as well
Whether it is our local "Taste of" events, which draw an average audience of over 600 patrons for afternoon-long festivals featuring cuisine samples from local restaurateurs and caterers, or our more intimate "Dine-Arounds" that take guests in a luxury bus for a top-notch progressive meal, or our more member oriented golf tournaments, our Chapter Events offer something to appeal to all Partners. Partners can select a variety of events for year-round exposure. (available to All Partner Levels)