Woman says legacy restaurants are closing because nobody will work for them

[sun rise]

Guess why.

‘I’ve gotten $0 checks’: Woman says legacy restaurants are closing because nobody will work for them

'Call me evil but theyre getting what they deserve.'

www.dailydot.com

“And it’s hilarious,” Queen Tay continues. “People are literally commenting, ‘I’ll work for you for $16 an hour’; ‘Give me $18 an hour, and I’ll start tomorrow.’ Do you want to know the gag? Every single one of these restaurants pay $2.13 an hour—servers are getting paid $2.13 an hour.”

“People were already going through poverty here,” she says. “Imagine. This is the poorest state in the country. When the recession hits, we were already at the bottom. We’ve been at the bottom for 30-plus years; we went lower. Everybody’s fed up here. So these managers and owners who are owning generational wealth-building restaurants that are very big names in the South and are 80-plus years old are willing to let that company die at 80 years old because they want to cry from their BMW and mansion and get a friend to go crying for them on Facebook saying, ‘No one will work for us for $2.13 an hour, boo hoo.'”
...
One viewer wrote, “I made $2.13 an hour plus tips as a server…back in 1999. The fact it’s still the same in 2024 is insane!!!”

 

[Stevicus]

Guess why.

‘I’ve gotten $0 checks’: Woman says legacy restaurants are closing because nobody will work for them

'Call me evil but theyre getting what they deserve.'

www.dailydot.com

“And it’s hilarious,” Queen Tay continues. “People are literally commenting, ‘I’ll work for you for $16 an hour’; ‘Give me $18 an hour, and I’ll start tomorrow.’ Do you want to know the gag? Every single one of these restaurants pay $2.13 an hour—servers are getting paid $2.13 an hour.”

“People were already going through poverty here,” she says. “Imagine. This is the poorest state in the country. When the recession hits, we were already at the bottom. We’ve been at the bottom for 30-plus years; we went lower. Everybody’s fed up here. So these managers and owners who are owning generational wealth-building restaurants that are very big names in the South and are 80-plus years old are willing to let that company die at 80 years old because they want to cry from their BMW and mansion and get a friend to go crying for them on Facebook saying, ‘No one will work for us for $2.13 an hour, boo hoo.'”
...
One viewer wrote, “I made $2.13 an hour plus tips as a server…back in 1999. The fact it’s still the same in 2024 is insane!!!”

So, what are the owners of these restaurants going to do? Shut down operations and work for Walmart instead? Are capitalists simply going to go on strike out of resentment over paying higher wages?

"Well, we'll show them! We'll shut down and won't make any money at all! See how they like that! Oh wait..."

 

[sun rise]

So, what are the owners of these restaurants going to do? Shut down operations and work for Walmart instead? Are capitalists simply going to go on strike out of resentment over paying higher wages?

"Well, we'll show them! We'll shut down and won't make any money at all! See how they like that! Oh wait..."

That's exactly what is happening. They close restaurants rather than pay a living wage.

 

[rocala]

Are capitalists simply going to go on strike out of resentment over paying higher wages?

A very good point and one that illustrates the use of language in such situations.
When workers withdraw their labor, they are on "strike". From my British experience harsher language is often used. Especially by the media. "Wreckers" and "holding the country to ransom" were popular headlines at one time. When the bosses withdraw their labor it is a "business decision". So much more respectable and sensible.

 

[Revoltingest]

Guess why.

...
One viewer wrote, “I made $2.13 an hour plus tips as a server…back in 1999. The fact it’s still the same in 2024 is insane!!!”

That's hard to believe.
Since 1999, restaurant prices have risen sharply,
which increases tips. And tipping has risen from
10% to 20% (more or less). So their income
has indeed risen.

Tipping.....it's a system imported from Europe in the 1800s.

The History of Tipping: How Tipping Came to America

Most people don't know the complex and controversial origins of tipping. How did gratuity become integral to North American restaurant culture?

www.7shifts.com

 

[Revoltingest]

So, what are the owners of these restaurants going to do? Shut down operations and work for Walmart instead? Are capitalists simply going to go on strike out of resentment over paying higher wages?

"Well, we'll show them! We'll shut down and won't make any money at all! See how they like that! Oh wait..."

Businesses will respond, likely not as you expect or want.
Increased labor costs will inevitably have consequences,
eg, raising prices, changing staff, reducing staff, adding
automation, changing hours. It could be one or a mix
of those.
On occasion, businesses will shut down, as you joke about.
It happened to a foundry I know of. Employees unionized
& demanded more money. They owner anticipated losing
profitability, so he closed the business.

 

[Stevicus]

Businesses will respond, likely not as you expect or want.
Increased labor costs will inevitably have consequences,
eg, raising prices, changing staff, reducing staff, adding
automation, changing hours. It could be one or a mix
of those.
On occasion, businesses will shut down, as you joke about.
It happened to a foundry I know of. Employees unionized
& demanded more money. They owner anticipated losing
profitability, so he closed the business.

If they shut down, then they don't own a business anymore. If they don't own a business anymore, how do they make a living? They become workers like everyone else.

 

[Brickjectivity]

They charge so much for food, but they cannot pay people a decent hourly wage? They must think their workers are garbage. I wouldn't trust the food to be safe to eat anyway. Its why I'm not hitting Subway. I don't understand why they ask for tips when I have no idea what the workers are paid. If its 2$ then of course I'll never eat there.

 

[metis]

That's exactly what is happening. They close restaurants rather than pay a living wage.

And new ones will undoubtedly emerge to replace them, and we see this happening all the time.

 

[Revoltingest]

If they shut down, then they don't own a business anymore.

I've known many who shut down their
businesses for various reasons, eg,
unprofitability, retirement, seeking other
opportunities.

If they don't own a business anymore, how do they make a living?

You'd have to ask the owners.

They become workers like everyone else.

So little imagination you have.
Options....
- Retire.
- Run a different business.

 

[Twilight Hue]

So, what are the owners of these restaurants going to do? Shut down operations and work for Walmart instead? Are capitalists simply going to go on strike out of resentment over paying higher wages?

"Well, we'll show them! We'll shut down and won't make any money at all! See how they like that! Oh wait..."

Businesses like that who dont pay their workers deserve to be closed in the first place.


Good riddance to bad businesses.

 

[Stevicus]

I've known many who shut down their
businesses for various reasons, eg,
unprofitability, retirement, seeking other
opportunities.

You'd have to ask the owners.

So little imagination you have.
Options....
- Retire.
- Run a different business.

Sure, they can retire if they're old enough and/or have enough saved up.

Or, as you say, they could start another business, as long as they're willing to abide by minimum wage and other labor laws, which (in this scenario) is the reason they're shutting down their business in the first place. But it would be the same either way, so they may decide they may not want to start any business, if they believe the government and politicians to be so anti-business.

 

[Revoltingest]

Sure, they can retire if they're old enough and/or have enough saved up.

Or, as you say, they could start another business, as long as they're willing to abide by minimum wage and other labor laws, which (in this scenario) is the reason they're shutting down their business in the first place. But it would be the same either way, so they may decide they may not want to start any business, if they believe the government and politicians to be so anti-business.

Does that post say anything?

 

[Stevicus]

Does that post say anything?

What would you like it to say?

 

[Revoltingest]

What would you like it to say?

It's really up to you to express your thoughts.
I just didn't see any in that post.

 

[Stevicus]

It's really up to you to express your thoughts.
I just didn't see any in that post.

I was making a general comment about the scenario which was being presented here. Businesses are closing because they can't offer higher wages and no one wants to work for them anymore. This was similar to other recent threads where the discussion of minimum wage hikes, painting a picture of businesses closing and employees out of work. It implies some kind of gloom-and-doom scenario of businesses shuttering and unemployment to the point of economic collapse due to government interference.

So, I guess my question is: Is that what's being implied here? What is the end game here? Where is all this leading?

It seems like this would hit harder on the smaller businesses, whereas the major corporations would be large enough to absorb the incurred losses from having to pay higher wages.

 

[sun rise]

Businesses are closing because they can't offer higher wages

I would put it as "don't want to" offer higher wages that would minimally keep up with inflation.

 

[Estro Felino]

Well...if they need so much help, it means they have so many customers.
So they can afford them to pay at least the minimum wage.
From that onward.

Or maybe they are so greedy, that they want all the profit for themselves?

 

[Stevicus]

I would put it as "don't want to" offer higher wages that would minimally keep up with inflation.

Yes, that's probably more accurate.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Well...if they need so much help, it means they have so many customers.
So they can afford them to pay at least the minimum wage.
From that onward.

Or maybe they are so greedy, that they want all the profit for themselves?

All a business has to do is show their profit margin that they can't afford it, but most know the truth most of those businesses , the successful ones , can most certainly afford it and absorb living wages without raising prices or altering wages and salaries including the owners.

If an owner wants to raise prices , let them do it. It's their problem in the end if people don't want to go anymore and patronize them.

I don't know what it is but I know people do have limits on what they're going to spend on something.