MFHA Hosts Virtual Roundtable to Discuss Cultural Impact of COVID-19 in the Hospitality Industry

Roundtable highlighting disparities due to the Coronavirus now available for streaming

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Apr 29, 2020, 14:50 ET

PROVIDENCE, R.I., April 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With the increase of discrimination, health disparities, and emotional stress brought on by COVID-19, restaurant operators have been left scrambling to better understand how to address these challenges now and when restaurants return to full operation. The Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA), in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association, are hosting a roundtable Cultural Intelligence for Restaurant Managers During COVID-19 to discuss the issues and best practices for addressing the issue. This on-demand resource is available online at no charge.

The roundtable brings together cultural experts and industry leaders to discuss how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting communities of color. The dialogue and situational scenario exercises answers some of the most important questions operators are considering.

"As anxiety, stress, and uncertainty continue to grow during COVID-19, now more than ever is the time to have a straight-talk about how to effectively engage with individuals of varying backgrounds," said Gerry Fernandez, founder and president of the MFHA. "By providing on-demand access to a conversation about cultural competencies, discrimination, and wellness disparities in the workplace, we are optimistic that managers can adapt their behavior to include empathy, inclusive practices, and overall a safer working environment."

The roundtable, moderated by Fernandez, features Claire Tse, owner and founder of Tse Solutions LLC; José Gómez, president and chief inclusion officer at Multicultural Solutions, LLC; and Ray Johnson, divisional vice president at Cracker Barrel.

The discussion addresses:

How discrimination and health disparities are impacting communities of color and restaurant management both during and after the pandemic.
Cultural insights and specific recommendations for how restaurant management can best support multicultural employees, customers, and communities with the challenges brought on by COVID-19.
Cultural intelligence best practices to integrate into the process of re-opening restaurants.

Click here to access the roundtable.

About the National Restaurant Association

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 1 million restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 15.6 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We sponsor the industry's largest trade show (National Restaurant Association Show); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF's ProStart). For more information, visit Restaurant.org and find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.

About the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA)

MFHA is an educational 501(c) (3) non-profit with the mission to increase cultural diversity in the restaurant, foodservice, and lodging industry to improve business results. Since 1996 MFHA has conducted, conferences, workshops, and regional roundtables events across the nation and has been recognized as the premier diversity organization in the industry. Based in Providence, RI, MFHA is an affiliate of the National Restaurant Association.

SOURCE National Restaurant Association