FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2022
Contact: Sharokina Shams ▪ 916-431-2749 ▪ sshams@calrest.org

SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Restaurant Association (CRA) has released a video overview of the things restaurateurs and their employees need to keep in mind if ever they are faced with an active shooter. The brief video, which is free and accessible to anyone, is a new component of a more robust online learning platform for restaurateurs and their employees. It was produced by Train 321, a nationwide provider of training for restaurant employees. 

“With the number of active shooter incidents rising, no public place can think of itself as immune,” said the CRA’s President and CEO, Jot Condie. “We hope to never hear about it, but if this can happen at school or church, it can certainly happen at a restaurant. Our neighborhood restaurants are places of hospitality that keep their doors wide open to guests – unfortunately, that also makes them vulnerable to people who may mean them harm.”

The video consists of a 9-minute slide presentation, which offers busy restaurateurs a helpful starting point if they are considering enrolling themselves or their store teams in formal active-shooter training courses.

“Being prepared for these scenarios is an unfortunate reality for today’s pubic facing workplaces,” said Alden Parker, Co-Chair Hospitality Industry Group, Fisher & Phillips, LLP. “While no restaurant wants to invite these types of situations, if it happens, the employer’s actions long before the active shooter arrived will be reviewed by many in likely subsequent litigation. It brings to mind the old adage, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” 

The CRA’s online Learning Management System (LMS) has been under development for several years and is being introduced as restaurants are working to bring back employees who left during the pandemic and hiring employees who are new to the industry. 

The LMS offers more than 60 courses, including the active shooter awareness presentation added this week, giving employees valuable knowledge even before their first day on the job.

Courses include:

• Safety basics including workplace safety, kitchen safety, and sanitation
• Bar Basics
• Human resources basics such as workplace diversity and ethics

“We have designed these trainings to give restaurant employees the tools they need to make their establishments safer and more efficient, and to be prepared to handle every aspect of the customer experience,” said Train 321 CEO Dean Carras. 

Train 321’s LMS platform enables easy access and adoption across a dispersed restaurant audience. To learn more, restaurants can visit https://www.calrest.org/restaurant-employee-development-training-0