Ohio Restaurant PAC

The Ohio Restaurant Association (ORA) advocates for your business every day. Our political action committee (PAC) is made up of restaurant owners, suppliers and friends of the foodservice industry. They band together to help elect candidates from both parties to the Ohio General Assembly who are supportive of the free enterprise system and want to allow businesses like yours to operate successfully in the marketplace.  Minimum wage...mandatory sick leave...menu labeling...and health care. Some politicians think your business is just a tool to solve society's problems.

ORA needs to play a more prominent role in the elections of people who vote on laws that impact our business. Ohio Restaurant PAC is designed to do just that.

Some are able to invest more than others, but all ORA members can contribute something.

To capture the political power of Ohio's second largest private sector employer to elect candidates for public office who support positions on issues critical to the success of Ohio's foodservice industry.

Why a PAC?

There is strength in numbers. A political action committee (PAC) provides a practical and powerful means for the restaurant industry to pool resources to maximize the impact our financial contributions have on the electoral and legislative process. In other words, it makes it more likely that we can help elect pro-business and pro-restaurant lawmakers and that our message and positions on issues will be more effectively communicated to the 132 members of the Ohio General Assembly.

• Some groups want to raise minimum wage to levels that make many restaurant business models unstainable. ORA supports candidates who understand the free enterprise system.

• Mandatory paid sick leave continues to serve as a rallying cry for some labor unions. Most proposals even mandate sick leave for part time employees. Our PAC helps educate candidates about the significant cost this would impose on every Ohio business. 

• However well intentioned, many politicians find it hard to resist raising taxes on businesses to fund programs that help someone else. We support candidates who want to keep your profits so you can reinvest in your business and create jobs. 

• Ohio’s workers’ compensation system has improved, but it remains a significant cost driver for business. Our political action committee helps insure that your voice is heard.

ORA members and others interested in furthering the foodservice industry maycontribute to our PAC. Ohio Law prohibits corporate contributions, so only personal contributions are allowed. However, Ohio law does not consider LLCs, sole proprietorships or partnerships to be corporations for the purposes of the campaign finance laws. Thus, LLCs, sole proprietorships and partnerships are allowed to contribute to the Ohio Restaurant PAC.

The PAC Committee makes campaign contributions on a non-partisan basis. The criteria used to determine which candidates to support and the amount of that financial support includes:

1. Available funds

2. The candidate's voting record on issues impacting foodservice 

3. The degree to which a candidate supports minimal government interference in business operations (may be based on candidate questionnaires 

4. The candidate's relationship with ORA members 

5. Our perception of whether the candidate is approachable and open-minded 

6. The candidate's leadership skills 

7. His or her electability

• Online- CLICK HERE to give a contribution online.

• Pledge Card- CLICK HERE to complete a mail-only card that will allow you to make automatic, monthly contributions through charges to your personal credit card or draft from your personal checking account. Once you've completed the fillable fields, simply print the document and send it to the address on the card. 

• Check- Your personal check can be made payable to Ohio Restaurant PAC and mailed to the address below.

Contact ORA Director of Government Affairs Joe Rosato at 614-246-0130 or email jrosato@ohiorestaurant.org.