Meet Sonia Riggs | Colorado Restaurant Association President and CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sonia Riggs, president and CEO of the non-profit Colorado Restaurant Association, and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sonia, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The Colorado Restaurant Association (CRA) has served as the leading trade organization for the state’s dynamic restaurant industry since 1933; I joined the CRA as President and CEO in 2014. My own professional success is thanks to perseverance and strong communication and association leadership skills, as well as a passion for the good people that operate and work in Colorado’s restaurants. Helping them thrive is a daily challenge and I love it.

As far as the CRA’s success, it lies in the engagement and support of our members and the dedication of the CRA staff, who has worked tirelessly over the past two years to support the restaurant industry through the worst crisis in living memory. Colorado restaurants have lost billions in revenue, been forced to lay off staff twice through no fault of their own, and are now battling a severe labor crisis, rising costs, and insufficient federal assistance. Since March 2020 alone, through the CRA’s amplified and informed communication, membership services (think: discounts on insurance, access to legal and compliance resources, educational programming), and advocacy at all levels of government, we succeeded in extending alcohol to go for takeout and delivery from restaurants and bars for four more years; created patio extension programs and distributed outdoor dining grants; lobbied to defer state and local taxes; offered free legal support; hosted more than 60 webinars; launched a hospitality-specific job board (corestaurantjobs.com); and much, much more.

The CRA’s philanthropic arm, the Colorado Restaurant Foundation (CRF), works in tandem with the CRA on behalf of restaurant employees, providing financial and wellness support as well as workforce training and development programs and scholarships. Since the pandemic hit, the CRF has granted more than $4 million in assistance grants to thousands of hospitality workers through its Angel Relief Fund; offered free mental health workshops and counseling to all industry employees; hosted industry vaccine clinics across the state; continued to manage and support Colorado ProStart® management and culinary arts training for local high school students; and launched the Restaurant Youth Registered Apprenticeship (RYRA) program for 17 to 24 year olds. Workforce development is crucial to creating a robust pipeline of talent populated by future local hospitality leaders.

What should our readers know about your business?
The CRA supports and advocates for all restaurants – independents and chains alike. What most people don’t know is that more than 85% of our dues-paying members are independently owned and operated restaurants; national chains appear on the CRA member roster if they have Colorado locations, but they don’t pay dues. Also, our membership dues span a sliding scale based on a business’ revenue, so smaller businesses have access to the benefits of joining the association, too.

Our daily goal is to help local restaurants not just survive, but thrive, no matter what obstacles (or pandemics!) are thrown in their path. The past two years have been incredibly challenging, but this resilient community and my staff at the CRA have banded together to fight for restaurants every single day. One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is that our communication program is the key to our success; if our members are informed and inspired to take collective action, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish together.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Naturally, I’d take any visitor out for a whole range of delicious restaurant meals at spots across the state. Colorado has everything you could ever want to eat and drink, from homegrown wine on the Western Slope to Mexican, Korean, and Ethiopian specialties on the Front Range. There are James Beard Award-winning restaurants and outstanding takeout-only spots, too. I can’t play favorites. I love them all!

Apart from food, visitors should always take a drive into the mountains – I especially love Vail, Breckenridge, Winter Park, Steamboat Springs – and go mountain biking, hiking, skiing, or snow shoeing. The Georgetown Loop Railroad is also a family favorite. Red Rocks Amphitheater is a cannot-miss spot, too, and Denver’s newly renovated art museum is gorgeous. There are so many great places in Colorado!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First, I’d like to give a big shoutout for the Colorado restaurant community, which includes restaurants and bars both big and small, and the many vendors who support them with their services. Prior to the pandemic, restaurants employed 10% of the state’s workforce, giving hundreds of thousands of Coloradans jobs and opportunities in a vibrant industry. For the rest of us, restaurants continue to host us as we celebrate some of life’s most precious moments. Our communities wouldn’t be home without them.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also give thanks to my amazingly supportive family and the dedicated staff that I work with who help keep me going strong every day.

Website: www.corestaurant.org

Instagram: @corestaurants

Twitter: @corestassoc

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoRestaurantAssociation/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Y_0bGfwo-7qwvzxhOV65Q

Other: www.corestaurantjobs.com

Image Credits
From the Hip Photo