Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) met with local restaurant owners on Tuesday to discuss tax policies, energy regulations, and the economic challenges facing the hospitality industry. The roundtable, hosted with the WNY Restaurant Association, centered on the Trump Administration’s tax cuts and ongoing legislative efforts to support small businesses.
Attendees included representatives from several Western New York restaurants and catering businesses, including Angry Buffalo, Johnson’s Landing, Magruders Pub and Banquet Hall, Anderson’s Custard, Glen Park Tavern, Symposium Wine Bar, Buffalo’s Best Catering, and Lancaster Coffee Company.
The discussion focused on the impact of tax policies such as President Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and the No Tax on Tips Act, both of which Langworthy supports. He also highlighted his Energy Choice Act, which would prevent states like New York from banning natural gas use in restaurants and other businesses.
“Our service industry is vital to the local community, and restaurants are the heart of our small business economy,” Langworthy said. “The first step to finding common-sense solutions to the problems these businesses are facing is having a conversation, and that is exactly what we achieved here today.”
The restaurant industry is a major economic driver, and representatives from the New York State Restaurant Association stressed the importance of addressing policies that affect small business owners. “As the nation’s second-largest private-sector employer, the hospitality industry is vital to the national economy and our local communities,” the NYSRA stated. “We welcome conversations like today’s about how national policies impact real small business owners trying to keep their doors open.”
New York ranks last in the nation for tax competitiveness, according to the Tax Foundation’s 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index. A 2024 study by the National Federation of Independent Business found that the biggest concerns for New York small business owners include high state taxes, burdensome regulations, and federal tax policies.
Langworthy’s roundtable provided an opportunity for business owners to voice these concerns and discuss legislative efforts that could support the restaurant industry moving forward.
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