Maryland (MD)

In 1927 a small group of Baltimore area restaurateurs met to deal with some of the challenges facing the economy and the Foodservice Industry. They believed that, once united, they could accomplish more for the Industry and their respective businesses than if each wrestled with the problems alone.

These men put up their own money to get the Association started and offered prospective members a “money back” guarantee of satisfaction. A few years later, in 1935, the group was chartered as The Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM) whose mission was to Promote, Protect and Improve the restaurant industry in Maryland.

Since those early days RAM has done all this and much more. Run by a 30-40-member board of restaurateurs and suppliers the Association has been working not only for the benefit of dues paying members but also for the Industry as a whole including creating and offering a variety of money-saving group purchasing opportunities that go directly to RAM members’ bottom line.

There are many in the Foodservice Industry who say that if it had not been for RAM in their early days, they would not be in operation today. Because the Association is run by the Industry, for the Industry, RAM has continued to find new and innovative ways to “Promote, Protect and Improve” the Foodservice Industry since 1935.

Local Owners Restaurant Association (LORA), is a group of locally owned restaurants residing in Wicomico County, MD that have banded together to address common goals and interests. Our primary focus is to heighten awareness of the local support our association gives the community in regards to charitable and noteworthy donations and the use of local dollars supporting local businesses.