Breaking News: Restaurants Closing All Over Seattle As $15 Minimum Wage Mandate Starts April 1st.

[westwall]

Westwall, we are glad you are back.

You re-establish the basement for stupidity on the Board.

Don't eat there if you don't want to.

We don't eat out very often anyway. When we do it is because we are celebrating something or on the road. I thank you for the acknowledgement though! I will try and live down to your subterranean standards!

 

[JakeStarkey]

You are adorable.

 

[mikegriffith1]

What's really unfortunate about that new law is that many businesses tried to get the Democratic lawmakers to allow all businesses, regardless of size, to count the value of their employee health care plans, but the Democrats decided to only allow small businesses to do so. Their only concession was to give bigger businesses an extra year to reach $15 an hour if they provide employee health care plans.

I remember when I was a teen seeing firsthand the effects of minimum wage laws. When the minimum wage took a rather big jump, the car wash where I was working had to lay off about one-fourth of the workers because the car wash simply did not make the profit margin to pay the new minimum wage to the same number of employees. Luckily, I was one of the ones the bosses decided to keep. But even at that young age, it occurred to me that hiking the minimum wage had a definite downside.

Most liberals seem beyond persuasion on this issue. It goes in one ear and out the other when you try to explain to them that hiking the Earned Income Tax Credit would accomplish the same goal without smacking businesses with a huge labor cost increase. Hiking the EITC would target those who work low-wage jobs as their long-term job and who support/help support children with their low-wage job, while it would leave businesses better able to hire younger people who need temporary or part-time jobs and who will leave such jobs relatively quickly (no more than a few years).

 

[PaintMyHouse]

Creative destruction, and good. A robot should be making the burger as well. It's not rocket science.

 

[Mac1958]

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Well, Westwall, once the lefties start in with the diversionary personal insults, that usually means you have a point.

.

 

[Billy000]

It’s evident that those Demoncrats don’t have a clue about economics. They never think of the consequences of their “feel good policies.” Neither do they have a clue how a business is run and operated. Seems to me this should be a litmus test for elected officials



Seattle eateries closing as 15 minimum wage approaches Hot Air

Um exactly how many restaurants have closed? I'm sure this increase will cause a few closings, however, the economy will do better in the long run because of the increase in consumer spending due to larger paychecks. 70% of the economy is economic demand.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Yup, it does. The good ones get to stay and work harder. Not bad at all.

 

[PaintMyHouse]

Four restaurants closing makes it easier for the other eateries to establish working prices that lead to a profit.

Yes ... because EVERYONE loves going to a ultra crowded, overly priced restaurant.

Stay home then.

Many will do just that. Which will drop the income of the restaurants which leads to more closing which leads to less employees...

See the cycle here?

And the restaurants that can afford to pay will gain customers, and then have to hire more staff. Or they will raise prices, which people will pay because the ones with lower prices are now out of business. Got it now?

Or they take a few extra minutes and go outside the city. That's exactly what I would do.

So, do. If you're that cheap they didn't need your business in the first place.

 

[LoneLaugher]

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Well, Westwall, once the lefties start in with the diversionary personal insults, that usually means you have a point.

.

Do you believe an $8 burger will cost $15 after the minimum wage is raised? Is that what his point was? Yes......yes it was. Do you agree with that point?

 

[JakeStarkey]

.Well, Westwall, once the lefties start in with the diversionary personal insults, that usually means you have a point..

Mac, when the far right attacks and gets in the chops, it's the other guy fault? Typical far right whining, nothing more.

 

[Mac1958]

.Well, Westwall, once the lefties start in with the diversionary personal insults, that usually means you have a point..

Mac, when the far right attacks and gets in the chops, it's the other guy fault? Typical far right whining, nothing more.

"When the far right attacks and gets in the chops".

I don't know what that means, but okay.

I realize that personal insults are important to you, whatever works.

.

 

[boedicca]

It’s evident that those Demoncrats don’t have a clue about economics. They never think of the consequences of their “feel good policies.” Neither do they have a clue how a business is run and operated. Seems to me this should be a litmus test for elected officials



Seattle eateries closing as 15 minimum wage approaches Hot Air

Um exactly how many restaurants have closed? I'm sure this increase will cause a few closings, however, the economy will do better in the long run because of the increase in consumer spending due to larger paychecks. 70% of the economy is economic demand.

The larger paychecks are being eaten up by ObamaCare and inflation, bub.

 

[Iceweasel]

It’s evident that those Demoncrats don’t have a clue about economics. They never think of the consequences of their “feel good policies.” Neither do they have a clue how a business is run and operated. Seems to me this should be a litmus test for elected officials

Seattle eateries closing as 15 minimum wage approaches Hot Air

Whoever wrote your stupid article is full of garbage.

The 15 dollar an hour wage isn't fully implemented in April 2015.

Stupid article full of garbage? LOL. The first sentence quoted: "Seattle’s $15 minimum wage law goes into effect on April 1, 2015."

Put the bong down and give it another go.

The restaurants mentioned in your article don't have 500 or more employees so they won't see wages go up to 15 dollars an hour until 2018. That is IF they go up since tips are counted as part of wages and those tips bring wages above 15 dollars an hour.

Yes, because we all know waitpeople are 100% honest about their tips.

You might want to actually learn about the law before you buy into lies.


Seattle raises minimum wage to $15 an hour

You know the law better than the Restaurant Association then?

“Washington Restaurant Association’s Anthony Anton puts it this way: “It’s not a political problem; it’s a math problem.”

 

[Mac1958]

“Washington Restaurant Association’s Anthony Anton puts it this way: “It’s not a political problem; it’s a math problem.”

Hey, no problem. I'm sure they thought all this through before they came up with this law. They're very business-savvy 'n stuff.

.

 

[thereisnospoon]

It’s evident that those Demoncrats don’t have a clue about economics. They never think of the consequences of their “feel good policies.” Neither do they have a clue how a business is run and operated. Seems to me this should be a litmus test for elected officials



Seattle eateries closing as 15 minimum wage approaches Hot Air

Once again liberal/progressive policies ignore the laws of unintended consequences....

 

[LoneLaugher]

Oh look! An article that states the reasons for many of the closings!! What a coincidence!!

The OP mentioned "Little Uncle". See why they are closing......

Seattle Magazine Restaurants Why Are So Many Seattle Restaurants Closing Lately

 

[Billy000]

It’s evident that those Demoncrats don’t have a clue about economics. They never think of the consequences of their “feel good policies.” Neither do they have a clue how a business is run and operated. Seems to me this should be a litmus test for elected officials



Seattle eateries closing as 15 minimum wage approaches Hot Air

Um exactly how many restaurants have closed? I'm sure this increase will cause a few closings, however, the economy will do better in the long run because of the increase in consumer spending due to larger paychecks. 70% of the economy is economic demand.

The larger paychecks are being eaten up by ObamaCare and inflation, bub.

Um if inflation "ate up" consumer spending, then our economy would have collapsed a long time ago. ObamaCare has not at all interfered with consumer spending.

 

[boedicca]

It’s evident that those Demoncrats don’t have a clue about economics. They never think of the consequences of their “feel good policies.” Neither do they have a clue how a business is run and operated. Seems to me this should be a litmus test for elected officials



Seattle eateries closing as 15 minimum wage approaches Hot Air

Um exactly how many restaurants have closed? I'm sure this increase will cause a few closings, however, the economy will do better in the long run because of the increase in consumer spending due to larger paychecks. 70% of the economy is economic demand.

The larger paychecks are being eaten up by ObamaCare and inflation, bub.

Um if inflation "ate up" consumer spending, then our economy would have collapsed a long time ago. ObamaCare has not at all interfered with consumer spending.

The Labor Force Participation Rate is "back to the 70s". Job creation in this fake recovery is less than half of what it was in the 80s. We have record numbers of people classified as being in poverty. These aren't exactly hallmarks of a Robust Economy, bub.

 

[Stephanie]

Well the people can thank THEIR GOVERNMENT for the lose of jobs...many of them cheered it...so there ya go...enjoy unemployment

 

[Missouri_Mike]

Oh look! An article that states the reasons for many of the closings!! What a coincidence!!

The OP mentioned "Little Uncle". See why they are closing......

Seattle Magazine Restaurants Why Are So Many Seattle Restaurants Closing Lately

Right in the middle of your article you fucking moron.

And for Seattle restaurateurs recently, there is also another key consideration. Though none of our local departing/transitioning restaurateurs who announced their plans last month have elaborated on the issue, another major factor affecting restaurant futures in our city is theimpending minimum wage hike to $15 per hour. Starting April 1, all businesses must begin to phase in the wage increase: Small employers have seven years to pay all employees at least $15 hourly; large employers (with 500 or more employees) have three.

Since the legislation was announced last summer, The Seattle Times and Eater have reported extensively on restaurant owners’ many concerns about how to compensate for the extra funds that will now be required for labor: They may need to raise menu prices, source poorer ingredients, reduce operating hours, reduce their labor and/or more.

Washington Restaurant Association's Anton puts it this way: “It’s not a political problem; it’s a math problem.”

He estimates that a common budget breakdown among sustaining Seattle restaurants so far has been the following: 36 percent of funds are devoted to labor, 30 percent to food costs and 30 percent go to everything else (all other operational costs). The remaining 4 percent has been the profit margin, and as a result, in a $700,000 restaurant, he estimates that the average restauranteur in Seattle has been making $28,000 a year.

With the minimum wage spike, however, he says that if restaurant owners made no changes, the labor cost in quick service restaurants would rise to 42 percent and in full service restaurants to 47 percent.

“Everyone is looking at the model right now, asking how do we do math?” he says. “Every operator I’m talking to is in panic mode, trying to figure out what the new world will look like.” Regarding amount of labor, at 14 employees, a Washington restaurant already averages three fewer workers than the national restaurant average (17 employees). Anton anticipates customers will definitely be tested with new menu prices and more. “Seattle is the first city in this thing and everyone’s watching, asking how is this going to change?”

Reading comprehension, you suck at it.