Memphis Restaurant Association

What it reported doing in 2025

The memphis restaurant association (mra) continued its mission in 2025 as the leading support organization for the memphis hospitality community. Throughout the year, we remained dedicated to providing impactful tools, education, advocacy, and connection to strengthen our members and elevate the restaurant industry across the mid-south. Our commitment to fostering collaboration, advancing workforce development, and championing local operators was reflected in every program, meeting, and event we hosted. In 2025, our board met regularly for in-person meetings and strategic planning sessions focused on membership growth, legislative updates, and expanding the value of mra programming. We continued to strengthen communication with our members through consistent email updates, social media outreach, and targeted messaging that ensured operators remained informed about regulatory changes, industry trends, and community initiatives. This year, mra introduced or enhanced several key initiatives to better support our members. We expanded our membership monday outreach to highlight restaurants, share operator stories, and encourage community engagement. We strengthened our partnerships with local organizations including the university of memphis kemmons wilson school of hospitality & resort management, welcome to memphis, tnhta, and the junior league of memphisto support workforce development and educational opportunities. We also increased our presence at community events such as 901 day, zoo rendezvous, and local hospitality gatherings throughout the year. Our in-person networking events continued to grow, including the associate coffee club, which rotated through member locations and encouraged valuable conversations between operators, vendors, and hospitality professionals. Member engagement remained strong, supported by transparent communication, accessible educational resources, and a continued focus on advocacy and community connection. Additionally, 2025 included the continued development and promotion of our signature events, including early planning for the 2026 mra food festival, which will celebrate memphis through a vibrant and immersive culinary experience. This long-term vision reflects our dedication to innovation, hospitality excellence, and meaningful opportunities for member involvement and visibility. Throughout 2025, mra remained responsive to the changing landscape of the restaurant industry. We provided timely updates and guidance on evolving regulations, including health department policies, beverage laws taking effect in 2026, and workforce-related legislation. Our goal remained consistent: to ensure every member has the support, representation, and information needed to thrive in a competitive and ever-changing environment.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: Limited
• Program expense ratio: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 11.5%; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.93; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 37%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: Limited
• Revenue growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 20.6% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings