Massachusetts Restaurants United

Massachusetts Restaurants United, or MRU, is a coalition of restaurant professionals advocating for independently owned restaurants across the state. It stepped forward when the pandemic pushed independent restaurants to the edge, and its focus remains protecting the businesses that define neighborhoods and sustain local economies. Its stated pillars are to educate, elevate, inspire and advocate, and it works with state and local leaders on licensing fees, outdoor dining and resources for owners.

The group points to a record of concrete wins. It secured the ability for restaurants to sell mixed drinks to go, caps on third-party delivery fees, and the Distressed Restaurant Fund and other grant programs. It also moved permanent outdoor seating licenses out of emergency processes, supported a 2025 law letting qualified immigrants serve as alcohol license managers, and helped defeat a ballot question to abolish the tipped minimum wage.

What to Know

• MRU is the Massachusetts affiliate of the Independent Restaurant Coalition and works with the state’s Congressional delegation.
• Jen Ziskin of La Morra serves as executive director, and Ryan Lotz of Traveler Street Hospitality is president.
• Other officers come from Highland Kitchen, Mezze Bistro and Wood’s Hill.
• It advocates for relief that reaches immigrant-owned, women-owned and Black- and Brown-owned restaurants.
• It has secured grant funding from organizations including DoorDash, MCC and the IRC.