Council of State Restaurant Associations

What Council of State Restaurant Associations does

The Council of State Restaurant Associations (CSRA) is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit trade association serving all 52 U.S. state restaurant associations (50 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia). CSRA's core function is to coordinate cross-state industry collaboration, advocacy, and professional development for these state-level associations, which together represent more than 700,000 restaurant businesses nationwide. CSRA is governed by a Board of Directors composed of state association CEOs and operates in strategic partnership with the National Restaurant Association.

CSRA's product surface is membership-services oriented rather than commercial. Core deliverables include the Member Compass portal (built on Novi AMS association management software) for membership management, event registration, payment processing, and access to the member directory; the CSRA Mobile Events App for conference attendees; the CSRA Awards Program (in partnership with DoorDash) recognizing excellence in advocacy, foundation, marketing, and membership campaigns; and AI Task Force Resources providing educational content on AI trends and best practices. Annual flagship events include a unified Annual Meeting (scheduled for November 16-20, 2026 in Nashville) following the 2026 consolidation of the prior Fall Government Affairs and Summer Membership/Marketing/Foundation conferences, alongside Board Meetings and recurring monthly virtual committee meetings for Business Development, MarCom, Membership, and Ed Foundation staff.

CSRA's business model is dual-stream. State restaurant associations pay recurring membership dues to access the directory, events, legislative updates, and shared resources, while corporate Annual Partners (National Restaurant Association, ECOLAB, Big Red M, Global Payment Systems/Heartland, Novi AMS, plus minor partners HubSpot, Decisely, UnitedHealthcare, and DoorDash) pay annual sponsorship fees for exposure at in-person and virtual events and across CSRA assets throughout the year. Go-to-market is event-driven and member-centric, with 5 employees and a headquarters at 2055 L Street, NW Suite 700, Washington, DC.

Name

Council of State Restaurant Associations

Legal name

Council of State Restaurant Associations

Website

https://staterestaurantassociations.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CSRA is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit trade association coordinating collaboration, advocacy, and professional development among all 52 U.S. state restaurant associations serving 700,000+ restaurant businesses, funded by member dues and corporate partner sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• State restaurant associations
• Trade association membership
• Hospitality industry advocacy
• Restaurant industry events
• Member directory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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: State restaurant associations pay membership dues to be part of CSRA, gaining access to the member directory, event registration, legislative updates, and member resources
2. Annual Partner Sponsorships: Corporate partners pay to become annual sponsors, gaining exposure and connections at in-person and virtual events and throughout the year with CSRA assets

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CSRA is a membership-based trade association that unifies all 52 U.S. state restaurant associations, providing coordination, advocacy support, professional development, networking, and shared resources. It delivers member services including an online member portal (Member Compass), the CSRA Mobile Events App, the CSRA Awards Program, AI Task Force resources, signature annual conferences, and monthly virtual committee meetings for staff across business development, marketing, membership, and foundation functions.

Product overview

The Council of State Restaurant Associations (CSRA) is a trade association serving 52 state restaurant associations. CSRA does not offer a technology product platform; instead, it provides member services including the Member Compass portal (powered by Novi AMS) for membership management, the CSRA Mobile Events App for conference access, the CSRA Awards Program recognizing excellence in state associations, and AI Task Force resources for AI guidance. The association focuses on collaboration, education, advocacy coordination, and professional development for its member state restaurant associations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Member Compass
• CSRA Mobile Events App
• CSRA Awards Program
• AI Task Force Resources
• CSRA Annual Meeting
• SRA Staff Virtual Meetings

Quantifiable outcome

• 700,000+ restaurant businesses supported through CSRA network

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Restaurant AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Restaurant Association is a key strategic partner of CSRA. The organizations work together to support the restaurant industry across the United States. CSRA's 52 state restaurant associations collaborate with the National Restaurant Association on advocacy, events, and industry initiatives.
• Big Red McoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBig Red M is an Annual Partner of CSRA. The company offers high-value, low-lift programs for associations led by expert industry consultants, providing detailed business analyses, sponsorship campaigns, and membership development services. Partners gain exposure at CSRA events and throughout the year.
• ECOLABcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerECOLAB is an Annual Partner of CSRA. Ecolab is a global sustainability leader offering water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company provides food safety and operational expertise to support restaurant members.
• Global Payment Systems (Heartland)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal Payment Systems (operating as Heartland) is an Annual Partner of CSRA. The company provides point of sale, payment processing, and payroll solutions for small businesses, serving restaurant operators.
• Novi AMScoreTechnology or IntegrationNovi AMS is the association management software provider for CSRA and an Annual Partner. The software handles member management, event registration, and member directory functionality. Novi AMS offers CSRA members a $1,000 discount on onboarding.
• DeciselyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDecisely partners with CSRA to provide ICHRA (Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement) health benefits solutions for restaurant operators. The partnership offers flexible, affordable health benefits tailored to the restaurant industry's workforce needs.
• UnitedHealthcareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUnitedHealthcare offers new health plan solutions for NRA and SRA members including Level Funded plans and Surest plans. The partnership provides various health benefit options for restaurant industry employees.
• DoorDashminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDoorDash partnered with CSRA in 2022 to launch the CSRA Awards Program, providing sponsorship for recognizing innovation and excellence in state restaurant association operations across advocacy, foundation, marketing, and membership categories.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Association of Convenience Stores: Trade association for convenience stores, which increasingly overlap with restaurants in foodservice. Comparable in scale, membership model, advocacy role, and event-driven engagement.
• U.S. Travel Association: National trade association representing the broader U.S. travel industry with state-level and industry-member structure, advocacy focus, and annual events — directly comparable to CSRA's role for restaurants.
• American Hotel & Lodging Association: National trade association representing the lodging industry, with parallel structure to CSRA: a national body coordinating state lodging association members, hosting events, and driving industry advocacy. Direct functional analog.
• American Beverage Association: National trade association for non-alcoholic beverage producers — a key supplier segment to the restaurant industry. Similar member-driven advocacy model with corporate partnerships and events.
• International Franchise Association: National trade body serving franchise-based businesses (many of which are restaurants). Operates with a member-association structure, advocacy, events, and corporate partnerships comparable to CSRA.

Broad incumbents

• National Restaurant Association: The national umbrella trade body for the U.S. restaurant industry and CSRA's explicit strategic partner. NRA sits on CSRA's board and operates a broader, more commercial portfolio (training, certification, trade show), making it the closest scaled peer.
• National Association of Manufacturers: Largest U.S. industry trade association by membership. While vertical is different, the operational model (state affiliates, advocacy, conferences, partner sponsorships) is structurally analogous.
• National Retail Federation: Large national trade association for the retail industry with similar advocacy, member services, and conference-led engagement model; structurally analogous to CSRA though much larger.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/council-of-state-restaurant-associations-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/csrasra

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Council of State Restaurant Associations