Utah Restaurant Association

What Utah Restaurant Association does

The Utah Restaurant Association (URA) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1943 that represents the restaurant industry across the state of Utah. The organization serves independent operators, chain restaurants, and industry vendors through a combination of advocacy, workforce development, certification, and member-service programs. Its core activities include administering state-recognized food-handler and alcohol-service training (notably ServSafe at $135 per certification), running the ProStart secondary-education pipeline that develops future industry talent, and operating recurring events such as an annual gala and golf tournament that generate both revenue and member engagement.

URA's revenue model is diversified across four streams: tiered membership dues for both restaurant and vendor members ($250–$1,500/year), paid training and certification programs, product sales (industry books, branded merchandise), and event sponsorship and participation fees. Strategic vendor partnerships—with Global Payments, United Healthcare, RestaurantOwner.com, and most recently WCF Insurance (announced 2025-12-29)—extend the value proposition beyond advocacy into back-office services, while the Taste Utah television program on CW30 provides consumer-facing visibility for member brands. The association is staffed by 1–10 employees and operates primarily from Utah, positioning itself as the official collective voice for the state's restaurant industry on regulatory and legislative matters.

Name

Utah Restaurant Association

Legal name

Utah Restaurant Association

Website

https://utahrestaurantassociation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1943

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Utah Restaurant Association is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1943 that serves Utah's restaurant operators and vendors through membership dues, state-approved food and alcohol certification training, workforce development, advocacy, and member service partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Accreditation & Oversight Bodies for Food Safety Certification (ABs/Scheme Owners) (AFALACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Restaurant & Foodservice Operations Management (EDAOAKAE)

Keywords

• Restaurant industry association
• Food safety training
• Alcohol certification services
• Trade association membership
• Food handlers permit

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for restaurant operators and vendors, tiered by gross annual revenue or number of employees. Restaurant memberships range from $250 to $1,500/year; vendor memberships range from $250 to $1,500/year based on employee count.
2. Training and Certification Programs: Revenue from ServSafe Food Safety Manager Certification classes ($135), alcohol training courses, and food handlers permit training. Includes lunch, training, exam, and certificate in the class fee.
3. Product Sales: Sales of ServSafe books ($60), event tickets, and merchandise including Vivamus ($200) and Etiam Ante ($300) items. Golf tournament participation is free but sponsorships are available.
4. Event Revenue: Annual URA Restaurant Industry Awards Gala tickets and sponsorships, Annual Golf Tournament & Summer Social sponsorships, and table sales at industry events.
5. Vendor Application Fees: One-time or annual vendor application processing fees categorized by business type including beverage suppliers, credit card processing, insurance, marketing companies, POS providers, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Utah Restaurant Association is a nonprofit trade association serving Utah's restaurant and food service industry. It delivers state-approved food safety certification (ServSafe Food Safety Manager, ANSI-CFP accredited), Food Handlers Permit training, alcohol service certifications, and restaurant/vendor membership programs. Additional offerings include legislative advocacy, insurance partnerships (workers' compensation with WCF), surety bonds, annual industry events (Awards Gala, Golf Tournament), the ProStart culinary education program, and the Taste Utah marketing program.

Product overview

The Utah Restaurant Association (URA) operates as a membership-based trade association offering a portfolio of training, certification, and business support services for Utah's restaurant and food service industry. Core offerings include ServSafe Food Safety Manager Certification and Food Handlers Permit training (accredited by ANSI-CFP), plus Alcohol Training & Management Certifications for bartenders and servers. The association runs the ProStart culinary education program for high school students. Membership programs include restaurant member and vendor applications with tiered pricing. Additional offerings include annual events (Restaurant Industry Awards Gala, Golf Tournament & Summer Social), the Taste Utah marketing program, Surety Bonds service for liquor licenses, and a Workers Compensation insurance program. The association provides online class registration and payment through its e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ServSafe: Food safety training and certification program offered by the association
• ProStart
• Taste Utah
• URA Workers' Compensation Program

Products and services

• ServSafe Food Safety Manager Certification

Quantifiable outcome

• Members receive 5% workers' compensation premium discount through WCF Insurance partnership
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WCF InsurancecoreOthers · 29 December 2025URA has endorsed WCF Insurance as the exclusive carrier for URA members' workers' compensation coverage. Members receive a 5% premium discount and access to free industry-specific safety seminars. WCF provides claims management, EPLI, and data breach coverage. Account service teams develop custom service plans for members. Contact: Katie Whited, Account Executive, 100 West Towne Ridge Parkway, Sandy, UT 84070.
• Arthur J. GallagherminorOthersPartnership with Arthur J. Gallagher and Old Republic Surety to provide liquor surety bonds required for Utah restaurant operations. Quick and easy online application process through URA website links.
• Old Republic SuretyminorOthersPartnership with Arthur J. Gallagher and Old Republic Surety to provide liquor surety bonds required for Utah restaurant operations. Quick and easy online application process through URA website links.
• Global PaymentsminorOthersListed as an Industry Partner on URA website, providing payment processing services to restaurant members.
• United HealthcareminorOthersListed as an Industry Partner offering membership benefits including health insurance programs for URA members.
• RestaurantOwner.comminorOthersListed as an Industry Partner providing complete solutions for independent restaurants includingPoint of Sale, online ordering, and restaurant management tools.
• Sysco IntermountainminorOthersProvides $10,000 scholarship to ProStart Student of the Year as part of URA's culinary education program. Sysco is the food service distributor sponsor for URA's ProStart competition.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Restaurant Association: The national umbrella trade association for the U.S. restaurant industry. Operates the same membership/advocacy/certification model as URA, owns the ServSafe program URA delivers, and sets the strategic playbook state associations follow.
• New York State Restaurant Association: Large-state peer operating the same trade-association model — membership dues, certification training, advocacy, and ProStart delivery. Directly comparable on revenue model and customer base.
• Illinois Restaurant Association: Mid-size state peer running the same trade-association model — tiered dues, ServSafe and food-safety training delivery, ProStart, legislative advocacy, and annual industry events.
• Texas Restaurant Association: Major state-level trade association operating the same membership/training/advocacy model as URA. Comparable in scope, with overlapping ServSafe delivery and ProStart program operations.
• Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association: State-level hospitality trade association combining the membership, training, and advocacy model with the additional lodging component. Operationally analogous to URA in core restaurant/membership revenue.
• California Restaurant Association: Largest U.S. state restaurant trade association; runs the same membership-tier, advocacy, training, and event model as URA in a much larger market. Closest direct functional peer for benchmarking operating model and revenue mix.
• National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF): Operates the ProStart program that URA delivers in Utah under partnership. Direct upstream/downstream operating partner and the source of curriculum, scholarship funds (e.g., the $10,000 Sysco Intermountain Student of the Year award distributed via URA).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tasteutah
• Facebookfacebook.com/UtahRestaurantAssociation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Utah Restaurant Association