BALTIMORE — Ed Tinsley III is a restaurant man.
Three decades ago, the Texas resident quit a promising law career, packed his horse trailer and moved to New Mexico to open a restaurant.
"I had to convince my wife, of course," joked Tinsley, president and chief executive of the Tinsley Hospitality Group. He chatted during a press conference at the Sept. 20-21 Mid-Atlantic Food and Beverage Expo held here. "She said yes. And we've been doing this ever since."
As chairman of the National Restaurant Association, Tinsley is an important player in the foodservice world. The former New Mexico Congressman candidate spends ample time on Capitol Hill pushing restaurant industry causes. Following are some of Tinsley's takes on key issues he's working on.
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Is the NRA working with Pfizer on some kind of drug plan?
Yes. It's a drug plan that is sponsored through the NRA and is available in a test basis. It will allow certain individuals to obtain discounted drugs and prescriptions. It's something that is at no cost. What we are trying to do is establish credible or tangible benefits to our workforce. This is something that is just being rolled out, and we think it will be a great venue for other programs very similar to this.
Are you just working with Pfizer? Or are you working with other drug companies?
At this point, it's just Pfizer.
What's the timeline on this drug plan?
It just rolled out approximately three months ago. And we're really just in the test stages of getting companies to utilize it.
You have been spending a lot of time with state associations. How did your state tour go?
It's very exciting for me. A lot of times, people will say, "What is it like being the face of the NRA?" I'm not the face. The face of the NRA is the people I meet when I'm out in the states. I get to meet a lot of great people.
Do you think the Death Tax is going to get through this year? It seems like it's been dead lately.
That's what I understand. And I was on the Hill a week ago. (I don't think) the Trifecta Bill will make it back to the Senate Floor. This bill includes a permanent repeal of the Death Tax.
There are all kinds of amendments that were offered in an alternative in an outright repeal of the Death Tax. And I'm just not sure there's a consensus yet among any kind of bi-partisan group. I know there's an effort to take exemptions to $2.5 million per individual for a cumulative of $5 million. And there's an effort to tax certain tiers on an estate above a certain amount at long-term capital gain tax rates. There's so many options that are being debated that the outright repeal is truly a challenge ... . Even though we feel like it's very important.
Truthfully, I think a lot of that will be told after Nov. 7 when we see how Congress stacks up and if the leadership remains in the Republican Party.
What if Democrats take Congress?
I don't think the issue will go away. I just think the outright repeal of the Death Tax will be a bigger challenge if the Democrats are in control.
What are some initiatives you are working on to encourage young people?
An initiative we're seriously looking at is a membership base into the National Restaurant Association for younger people. We're looking at making it much more affordable for them to join.
What about at the college level?
We invest a tremendous amount of money that supports the colleges and universities. There's things like the Manage First program that talks about all the different facets from the industry and gets people connected from the academic world to the real world.
What do you think about banning smoking in restaurants?
I've sat on our board for 10 years and remember debating this on private property rights. I think the general consensus is we just want a level playing field. If we're going to go to a smoke-free environment, make it smoke-free for everybody.
What do you mean by a level playing field?
It has to do with geography. I get concerned when I see municipalities or townships taking initiates that impact a particular geographical area. And then once you're outside of that area, it's administered by a different regime. An initiative like that needs to be statewide. To me, those kinds of issues are better debated at the state legislative levels than the city councils. The same with wage and hour mandates. I think those are things that should not be debated at the city level.
