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The Minimum Wage Hike Hangover Arrives: Dining Out To Cost 10% More Starting January 1

Tyler Durden's picture




 

One year ago, when the brainwashed economist Ph.D intelligentsia was stampeding over each other to come up with the most hyperbolic terms to dub the recovery that would be unleashed on the economy as a result of plunging oil, and gas, prices - with "unambiguously good" being our personal favorite - we would write post after post explaining just how wrong this is, and how in a hyperfinancialized economy, a 2-year record collapse in oil prices is about as "unambiguously bad" as it gets, and not just only for the hundreds of thousands of highly paid energy sector workers who had been the only source of in the early years after the financial crisis.

Back then US GDP had risen 2.9% over the prior year; it has since tumbled to 2.1% and is sliding, while the rest of the world, especially the oil-producing nations, is gripped in a severe recession which has already spread to the US manufacturing sector and will soon drag down US services into a recession as well, aborting the Fed's rate hike cycle.

And then there was the idiocy with raising minimum wages which was supposed boost overall compensation: in another instance showcasing the real intellectual capacity of career and academic economists and those clueless enough to listen to them, we warned repeatedly that even the smallest of mandatory wage hikes would ripple through the economy and unleash extensive price increases across the board, not to mention countless job cuts as small and medium business, already struggling with keeping profits from plunging, had to find ways to eliminate overhead or raise prices.

As a result of this latest forced governmental intervention into the economy, everyone would be far worse off.

But while we had seen isolated cases of mostly food sector companies push prices higher, so far there has not been a coordinated industry-wide effort that will see a sizable impact on food inflation. This will change for New Yorkers starting on January 1, when the cost of a night out in the Big Apple is about to get even pricier.

As the Post reports, NYC diners can expect their restaurant and bar tabs to rise as much as 10 percent, plus tips, as restaurants seek to protect their profit margins from mandatory wage hikes; some eateries will eliminating tipping entirely - that primary source of incremental wages for thousands of food industry workers - and are hiking base prices by as much as 30%, with the money going toward higher payroll.

As a result even less money will end up going in any one individual worker's pocket; worse those who are ambitious and seek to stand out from the crowd will see their efforts diluted as their outsized contribution is repaid at the same rate as everyone else: easily the worst aspect of socialism.

The reason for the across the board increases: "squeezed restaurateurs face a mandatory increase in wages that is changing the economics of the restaurant business and may result in a seismic shift in how workers are paid and the number of hours they work. New York’s minimum wage will rise to $9 an hour from $8.75, while the wage restaurants pay servers — not counting the tips customers pay — is going up by 50 percent, to $7.50 an hour."

This will have a profound impact on the bottom line, if not on the likes of massive corporations like McDonalds, then certainly on your favorite around the block restaurant.

“Higher wages will cost us $600 a week,” said Jon Goldstein, a partner in Bistro 61, an Upper East Side eatery, which is experimenting with scheduling tweaks before it considers menu increases.

 

 

“We’ll stagger our servers’ shifts so they don’t all come in at the same time or for a full shift, and we’ll make sure we don’t pay overtime,” Goldstein said.

Which means less money for everyone.

Some of the most famous names will be impacted too: P.J. Clarke’s, which operates three eateries in the city, estimates that the wage hikes will cost it $200,000 per restaurant and that its prices will go up nearly 4 percent next year. At one of its locations, the pub will eliminate table-busing positions.

“We’ll make smaller sections for the servers so that, instead of 16 seats, they’ll have 12 seats,” said co-owner Philip Scotti “We’ll try it at one restaurant and see how it works.”

 

At American Whiskey, a cavernous bar and restaurant at West 30th Street, diners can expect to see their tabs increase between 5 percent and 10 percent, said owner Casey Pratt.

 


 

It's not just the food: draft and bottled beers will go up by $1 and $2, to $8 and $9, while some main dishes will tick up by $2.

 

“I don’t think it’ll be enough to keep people away,” said Pratt.

Pratt will find out soon enough just what the price elasticity of New Yorkers for alcohol truly is.

For some hiking prices is not an option so they have to do the only other thing they can: cut costs: smaller and lesser known restaurants don’t feel they have the power to raise their prices enough to eliminate tipping altogether like celebrity restaurateurs Danny Meyer and Tom Colicchio, who are rolling out such changes in their restaurant empires.

“Everyone sells pizza,” said Jason Brunetti, who owns Pizzetteria Brunetti in the West Village. “What’s going to justify me selling pizza for $3 more when you can get a margherita pie at a thousand different places?”

 

 

Instead, Brunetti is trying to eliminate overtime pay by hiring a part-time employee to make up the difference.

 

By ending tipping, restaurants can sidestep the tipped minimum-wage pay hike. That makes the move even desirable for restaurants that would rather pocket the higher revenue while retaining the flexibility to raise prices as well as wages for workers.

And then comes the spin: restaurateur Gabriel Stulman, who owns six restaurants in the West Village, announced last week he’s eliminating tipping on Jan. 4 at Fedora and will consider doing so at his other eateries. “While the prices for individual menu items may seem high at first, the overall cost of the meal will be only slightly greater under the new system,” according to the restaurateur’s site.

Sure, just call it the hedonically-adjusted ObamaWage tax: "it may seem high at first, but once the zombification settles in, it will all fall into place."

 

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Wed, 12/30/2015 - 21:41 | 6980392 Normalcy Bias
Normalcy Bias's picture

There goes all of those wonderful newly created Waiter/Bartender jobs.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:06 | 6980480 NihilistZero
NihilistZero's picture

Nothing happens in a vacuum.  Fucking currency debasement has raised your dining bill far more since 2008 than some meager increase attributed to a wage that makes people's life suck just a little less.

But you know, they're the Free Shit Army, so fuck 'em right?

(While Wall Street RIT charges them bloated rents while they squeeze 8 to a house)

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:19 | 6980511 I MISS KUDLOW
I MISS KUDLOW's picture

i cant even afford to eat in,,,,ten dollars for a small bag of walnuts

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:45 | 6980587 TheDanimal
TheDanimal's picture

Just eat ObamaNuts instead like everyone else. 

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:27 | 6980686 DownWithYogaPants
DownWithYogaPants's picture

Ever eat a pine tree?  I have!  ObamaNuts reminds me of wild hickory nutz.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:04 | 6980783 SuperRay
SuperRay's picture

I'm so fucking tired of waiting for the collapse. I vote to double the minimum fucking wage and bring on the shitstorm.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:37 | 6980854 vollderlerby
vollderlerby's picture

Good call.  Let's get it over with already.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:14 | 6980924 Theosebes Goodfellow
Theosebes Goodfellow's picture

Seeing as no one has said it yet, allow me to bust some chops.

Fuck you, New York City.

Fuck you, Mayor de Blasio.

Fuck you, Gov. Cuomo, (the lesser).

And in case I'm "blocking" and not being clear enough,

Fuck you, New York and your poorer relations, New Jersey.

There is not enough love nor money that would draw me within 100 miles of your borders.

Eat shit. And die.

[Did that come out okay? You sure I wasn't holding back too much?]

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 02:50 | 6981019 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

Had a couple visits back that way.  The latest, 2012, was three days in NYC.

I don't think I'll miss it after it's nuked.

The area of New Jersey I was in was actually pretty. But I've seen better.

 

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 08:15 | 6981218 Scooby Doo
Scooby Doo's picture

Does posting that come with a fine? DeBlasio might get able to raise some cash if he can fine every NY put down. Call a person in NYC by the wrong gender pronoun, get a fine for $250K. Why not fine everything that makes a crybaby run to a safe room?

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 10:21 | 6981441 Antifaschistische
Antifaschistische's picture

You know what I don't understand.....why would anyone making less that $150k p/yr even want to live in NY City?  If you want to live their "JUST because" then you deserve what you get.  What I would love to see is mass migration out of NY by people who can't earn more than $20 per/hour, to cities where they can actually afford to live.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 02:47 | 6981015 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

Showing some age there, Down.  Many parts ARE edible.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 08:06 | 6981209 Surviver22
Surviver22's picture

I must say I don't care anymore...

http://motivationdose.com/the-lost-ways-review/

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 10:24 | 6981448 One of these is...
One of these is not like the others..'s picture

You go to that link and after a teaser there is a down load link.

I expected to find a price, I got a loud video ad. My interest vanished in microseconds.

Why the fuck is NOTHING ever straightforwards anymore??

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:35 | 6980556 Normalcy Bias
Normalcy Bias's picture

Perhaps you read me incorrectly. I've waited many a table and tended the fuck out of some bars. My sympathy goes to the people who're just trying to make ends meet.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:27 | 6980689 DownWithYogaPants
DownWithYogaPants's picture

The job was never meant to be a career.  What part of high school part time do you not understand?

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:38 | 6980726 Normalcy Bias
Normalcy Bias's picture

Cockbreath, I never said it was meant to be a career. Got troll along elsewhere.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:47 | 6980754 Bunghole
Bunghole's picture

Now that's Fight Club.

Save "bitch tits" for when you really get mad.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:05 | 6980789 Normalcy Bias
Normalcy Bias's picture

Thank you, Sir. Just doing my part to put some fight back up in this piece...

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:59 | 6980895 willwork4food
willwork4food's picture

You boys are pussy cats. Why, in my day we had to walk 2 miles to the nearest internet cafe, study ISP protocol codes and algorithims. If someone pissed us off we would have find their email server, dump a bunch of porn pics in, steal their bitcoins and call their mama a whore.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:13 | 6980921 WSMassiv
WSMassiv's picture

Dont forget a dick pic on the screen saver and change the password.  (oooohhh yea.)

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:40 | 6980957 wee-weed up
wee-weed up's picture

Facefuck Suckerberg, is that you?

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 10:23 | 6981445 Antifaschistische
Antifaschistische's picture

But....if you're at the "just trying to make ends meet" point....then NY is NOT where you should live.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:08 | 6980911 sun tzu
sun tzu's picture

I don't think bars and high end restaurants hire highschool kids

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 03:45 | 6981067 DeusHedge
DeusHedge's picture

feed me sempai,.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 02:14 | 6980994 MsCreant
MsCreant's picture

When did he say it was his career? And even if it was, why the disrespect for honest work? 

I have waited tables, tended bar, worked construction, sold and repaired appliances, and more. While I don't do these things now, I know I could lose my job any time and need to do those things again. Is someone supposed to be ashamed if that were to happen? I have never earned this much money as I do now. I do not for a second "assume" I always will. My life has been a series of ups and downs. When I am down, I smile and think of it as a puzzle, a temporary situation. Up can be too. 

God forbid you need to be down for a while. Sucks to be you. Hope you can find compassion for yourself if you are ever in the shit. You may be in it emotionally and spiritually right now to post such a thing as you have posted.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 05:40 | 6981126 Normalcy Bias
Normalcy Bias's picture

Not only does his reading comprehension suck, he's surely a horrible tipper. He's one of those assholes who have no respect for waitstaff, and who think the job is easy - because they've NEVER done it themselves.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 10:29 | 6981459 mccvilb
mccvilb's picture

Bartenders - guidance counselor, payday loan officer, cognitive psychologist, priest, comedian, special needs teacher, MMA fighter, emergency medical technician, advisor to the lovelorn, organic chemist, aenesthesiologist, best friend. An occupation for which so much is expected and so few qualify.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 02:53 | 6981024 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

Yes, I have sympathy for the bar maids that are busting their ass to make shit as wages.  I tip heavily.

To old (and still too butt ugly), these days, to entice any back home, but I still tip heavily.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:44 | 6980744 Jeffersonian Liberal
Jeffersonian Liberal's picture

Zero,

So you don't believe in the market setting prices and wages? You believe in the iron fist of government dictating how much low-skilled workers get paid and how much people have to pay?

You may think your intentions are good, but they stink.

By making their lives stink a little less, you are actually encouraging them to remain in those fairly dead-end, low-paying jobs.

By forcing people to pay these workers more than they think they deserve, you encourage people to stop buying their goods and services. When that customer base drops off, what do you think happens?

I'll tell you what happens. They go out of business and these minimum-waged employees get laid off.

Then their lives really suck...a whole lot more.

And your "good intentions" may also be blinding you to the historical fact that every time the iron-fisted government forces an increase in the minimum wage, usually 18 months later (more or less, but always inevitably) there is a spike in unemployment.

Why is that?

Because many businesses can only afford to pay the minimum wage as it was. They have multiple employees and they can pay them all the lower wage. Most would like to pay more to keep their better workers from leaving, but they can't (because they aren't rolling in dough as the iron-fisted government would have us believe).

The minimum wage gets jacked up and these businesses can't pay all their employers the increased wage, so they let a bunch of them go...just so they can stay in the game.

Also, over 70% of minimum-wage jobs are secondary jobs, meaning they are not the primary source of income, but just a little extra.

As for me, I'd rather the government choke on a chicken bone and let the markets decide not only wages but the value of money (interest rates, etc.).

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:30 | 6980836 NihilistZero
NihilistZero's picture

Another resident of Libertopia chimes in...

This economic system is N E V E R going to stop manipulating money and asset values. Therefore your above essay is moot. And please leave the unemployment arguments aside. Full employment is a TERRIBLE goal. If a company can let go of a 2 workers and keep one and still get by they are keeping the most PRODUCTIVE worker and SHOULD be paying him a higher wage. Those let go can perhaps stay home and raise a smarter generation whose parents aren't working 4 jobs.

Your arguments have no basis in how our economy works as is. In fact if the FED REALLY wanted wage inflation we could increase the EIC so that ALL workers got a raise, it would surely have been a better way to spend the QE billions then on the banks. And do not counter with it shouldn't have been spent at all because we both know that in the wake of the crisis the fiat sight was getting opened one way or another.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 05:08 | 6981116 stacking12321
stacking12321's picture

who the hell are you to say that they "should" be paying a higher wage?

you go start your own business, then you can pay whatever you want.

it's not your place to tell others how much they "should" value any particular good or service, let them decide for themselves.

it's their business, it's none of your business!

Fri, 01/01/2016 - 01:14 | 6984612 NihilistZero
NihilistZero's picture

It's also no business of the FED tto devalue peoples savings but they do it anyway dumbfuck.

The world is an imperfect place.  Send me as postcard from Libertopia when you find it.  Until then shut the fuck up and live in the real world.  There are no markets anymore in this centrally planned nightmare.  To say that raising the minimum wage is even close to the root of our problems is total solipsism.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 12:11 | 6981880 Jeffersonian Liberal
Jeffersonian Liberal's picture

Zero Lover,

No, I won't leave the unemployment issue aside. It is critical to the discussion. Your original point was that central management to raise the minimum wage was a good thing because it made the lives of the lower strata of workers "suck a little less." Well, having no job at all sucks the most to those who don't want to be a slave to welfare. Your counter-argument for "culling the herd" is absurd and ignores the fact that most businesses that are just getting by can't afford to keep any dead weight around regardless what they're being pad. In short, the "god workers" get laid off, too, but they wouldn't if business was not under the iron fist of your allegedly benevolent dictatorial government.

You obviously believe in Keynesian economics, which is failing miserably, and socialism, which is also failing miserably.

It's sad that you have so much passion and so little focus.

The fiat currency you lay all the blame on comes from a central-banking system, which is a fascist banking system (in its economic sense -- a favored corporation chosen by the iron fist of the State to represent and control that industry).

That is, the currency is dying because of a socialist/fascist approach (central management) to our monetary policy.

This is what you seem incapable of seeing:

A free currency cannot be separated from a free market.

For either to work, both must be employed. This means that both must be free to succeed or to fail. You tried to ridicule me by calling me some sort of Libertarian (which I am not). But I do agree with the Libertarians when it comes to getting the State out of our lives.

And that includes not allowing a central state to dictate the value of money or the value of labor.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 03:56 | 6981075 A Nanny Moose
A Nanny Moose's picture

Except that raising min wage does not actually make people's lives suck less. It renders unemployable those to add less value than the wage.

It makes life suck even more.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 10:08 | 6981415 SimplePrinciple
SimplePrinciple's picture

Absolutely right.  I saw a cartoon that summed it up well, with a bunch of people partying and living it up standing atop a high platform.  The cartoon was labeled "The Jobs Club" and the height of the very high step up to it was measured as the Minimum Wage.

So that poor sucker without experience cannot make it into the jobs club.  Plenty of people capable of doing better but with no incentive to give up their cushy living wage displace those who really need that entry-level job.  Typical of our phoney baloney economy, prices and wages no longer allocate labor and other resources to their highest valued uses.  How can this make for prosperity?  The answer is that it cannot.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:10 | 6980491 ebworthen
ebworthen's picture

Nah, the elites and upper classes can afford it.

Raise prices 40%, I cook for myself.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:55 | 6980607 swamp
swamp's picture

The average private industry wage has DECREASED over the past 20 years while the loser minimum wagers GAIN excessively.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:03 | 6980627 junction
junction's picture

It is insane to blame the ills on society to chump change increases in the minimum wage when the real problem, as we know, is that the United States, like everywhere, is run by looters - banksters, lying politicians, thieving fascist corporations and druglords with names like Bush.  In NYC 50 years ago, there was a state program called Mitchell-Lama to build big middle class apartment house projects.  Now the middle class is priced out of many real estate markets, with tax breaks and demolition permits given by crooked politicians to connected developers.  In Manhattan, for over 30 years, Smith & Wolensky restaurants stole tips from waiters and cheated staff out of overtime with not a word from the Labor Department, for much of that time under the Governors Carey and Mario Cuomo administrations.  As bad as things are now, wait until we get the criminal border crossers from overseas flooding into the big cities - rapists, thugs, drug dealers and the like.  Then a two bit raise in the minimum wage will pale into insignificance.       

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:40 | 6980861 vollderlerby
vollderlerby's picture

Bunch of good points.  Shows why so many Trump supporters aren't just pissed off, they're out for blood.  Reading this, I'm with them.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 13:02 | 6982129 Lockesmith
Lockesmith's picture

It's corruption from the bedrock below the foundations right up to the top.

The only reason cities/shitholes like NYC exist is that people are forced to pay for the supporting infrastructure, such as roads, subway, sewerage, electricity etc etc at gunpoint.

I'd say let people bold what they want to build and the middle class will find a solution with more or higher housing, but if you were to do that, these cities/problems wouldn't exist in the first place.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 21:43 | 6980396 surf0766
surf0766's picture

Hangovers is a civil right.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 21:45 | 6980413 Handful of Dust
Handful of Dust's picture

Hangover victims need a Safe Space too; it's their right!

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:40 | 6980958 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

Micro-brew-aggression

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 03:02 | 6981027 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

Carrying home hot barmaids should be a civil right.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 12:47 | 6982057 MayIMommaDogFac...
MayIMommaDogFace2theBananaPatch's picture

Just be sure to wear your oven mitts.  Or I guess you could use one of those pizza transports to make sure the barmaids are still hot when you get home.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 21:44 | 6980404 Bangin7GramRocks
Bangin7GramRocks's picture

Not shedding any tears because some lazy fucks need to pay 10% more for their low grade steak and Bloomin' Onion! Cook healthy food at home you dumb bastard. Crazy thought! If you weren't so damn unhealthy from eating shit and not exercising, you wouldn't need to bitch about the price of healthcare. Merry New Year to you all!

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:18 | 6980509 slyder wood
slyder wood's picture

Haven't eaten at Steakback Outhouse in a while.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:36 | 6980563 Normalcy Bias
Normalcy Bias's picture

Straight from the 'Outback' of Tampa, FL. On second thought...

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:04 | 6980629 bamawatson
bamawatson's picture

reprise; chipolte new year's Blowout

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:11 | 6980645 Normalcy Bias
Normalcy Bias's picture

ASSPLOSIONS!

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:17 | 6980670 lostintheflood
lostintheflood's picture

no shit...who wants to eat out? 

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 03:03 | 6981028 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

Depends on who you're eating out....

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 08:23 | 6981230 Scooby Doo
Scooby Doo's picture

Eat at the right place & you'll have lots of shit.....lots & lots.
Chipotle, anyone?

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 12:49 | 6982068 MayIMommaDogFac...
MayIMommaDogFace2theBananaPatch's picture

The outrageous price of healthcare is not largely due to people's poor health, and everyone should be fucking complaining about it.  Divide and Conquer!

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 21:45 | 6980408 Skateboarder
Skateboarder's picture

After reading this article, I want pizza and beer.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 21:54 | 6980450 Proofreder
Proofreder's picture

And just what is wrong

with steak and wine ???

Philistine

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:22 | 6980518 cheeseheader
cheeseheader's picture

That night's dreams are not nearly as good....

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:36 | 6980560 Tyrone Shoelaces
Tyrone Shoelaces's picture

I want a bloomin' onion with some fuggin HOT SAUCE, man!

 

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:00 | 6980620 Osmium
Osmium's picture

Franks hot sauce?  I put that SHIT on EVERYTHING!

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:46 | 6980738 beemasters
beemasters's picture

I made my own pizza last night for less than half the price and double the quality...and tipped the oven for doing such a great job.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:29 | 6980834 robertocarlos
robertocarlos's picture

If only the IRS could tax your labour. They would.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 07:17 | 6981177 buzzkillb
buzzkillb's picture

Waiting for the oven to go wireless.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 21:46 | 6980415 Handful of Dust
Handful of Dust's picture

Affordable Care Act Hasn’t Made Health Care Affordable, Study Finds

 

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/affordable-care-act-hasn-t-144900928.html

 

“Change you can believe in!”

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:05 | 6980907 83_vf_1100_c
83_vf_1100_c's picture

  Hardly a glowing 'Signature Achievement' for the magic negro is it? Nor a surprise, govt is not known for running anything at a profit, quite the opposite. The pork is too plentiful with that large a program. Scam a mil here, 2 mil there, no one notices, just an accounting error. Next thing you know, it ain't affordable.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 21:48 | 6980422 Raul44
Raul44's picture

"I support minimum wage" - Bernie Sanders

^told you he is an idiot

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:11 | 6980493 ebworthen
ebworthen's picture

Trump/Sanders 2016!

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:16 | 6980808 ebworthen
ebworthen's picture

I love to get down-voted on that comment.

C'mon y'all, think a little!

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:37 | 6980955 new game
new game's picture

captain crunch for prez

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 03:52 | 6981032 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

My write in is Scrooge McDuck, just so there's no question of hanging chads or intention.

Unfortunately, that may be interpreted as a vote for Trump.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 12:56 | 6982095 MayIMommaDogFac...
MayIMommaDogFace2theBananaPatch's picture

KENNETH:  Oh no, Mr. Donaghey, I don't vote -- the Reverend Gary said "Choosing is a sin," so I always just write-in the Good Lord's name

JACK: That's Republican!  We count those.

(30 Rock)

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 02:48 | 6981016 MsCreant
MsCreant's picture

Instant up from me. Amazing. Quite an "independent" move to make that one happen, eh?

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:53 | 6980605 PennilessPauper
PennilessPauper's picture

Minimum wage is a Fucking sick joke!  If we really did live in a free market society the peasants would be demanding $40 an hour just to pay their fucking rent!  Down with Ponzi Scheme fractional reserve banking!  I guess the fluoridated water is working, as most are not?

http://naturalsociety.com/harvard-study-published-federal-govt-journal-c...

 

 

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 21:53 | 6980431 Arthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer's picture

Nuthin' to do butt fuck'n eat out.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 03:53 | 6981073 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

You've just described a porno.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 21:52 | 6980433 Soul Glow
Soul Glow's picture

Here is a great article on the thin margins in the restaurant industry.

POK POK’S TIPPING EXPERIMENT DIDN’T WORK AND CHEF ANDY RICKER BLAMES L.A. -

http://www.playboy.com/articles/pok-poks-tipping-experiment-didnt-work-a...

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:08 | 6980793 mkkby
mkkby's picture

The solution is really simple.  Split the tips equally between the service staff and the chefs.  Then there is wage parity and customers don't feel gyped by bullshit service fees.

Common sense is all it takes.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:04 | 6980906 dot.dot
dot.dot's picture

Greedy servers won't have it.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 03:56 | 6981074 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

No, no, no..think as a progressive.  You split the wages, bonuses, tips and profits between service staff and the chefs.  That's wage parity.

 

Notice I left out the owner?  That's progressive, too.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 21:51 | 6980434 Professor Fate
Professor Fate's picture

Death by a Thousand Cuts.  Every little bit helps to push this country of libs towards the Greater Depression they sorely need and clearly deserve.  Economics is the great and ultimate equalizer.  The "Great Reset" is coming and it's way past time to grab the pitchforks, march on Washington, and chase the vermin out.

Fate the Magnificent
"Push the Button, Max" 

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 21:52 | 6980439 Moe Howard
Moe Howard's picture

I'm not in NYC, but I think I'll cut my very few visits to restaurants down to none next year.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:10 | 6980797 mkkby
mkkby's picture

There are very few places that are worth it.  Most of the food is just mediocre.  People go to restaurants because they never learned to cook, and/or are just plain lazy.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 07:41 | 6981191 Allen_H
Allen_H's picture

That's the proper way, means you also know whats in it, and there will be no surprises in you healthier meal.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:03 | 6980467 TonyRUs
TonyRUs's picture

How do you 'eliminate tipping'? Tipping has always been an individual thing--at least to the amount, which most feel obligated to do. You cannot lower the price by telling people just don't tip. I would rather not eat out than not tip to save myself a buck.   

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:19 | 6980512 WTFUD
WTFUD's picture

Reservoir of Dogs and the Steve Buscemi , fuck them i don't believe in tipping scene. I'm a big tipper , however, the clued up staff serve me up large doubles over a few hours and so i break-even or better. Mind you i'm also more often than not, shit-faced. Shit, just realised i'm fucking over the owner. Nah fuck that, someone's gotta lose out in this menage et trois.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:03 | 6980471 NeedleDickTheBu...
NeedleDickTheBugFucker's picture

Already seeing it in NYC.  Ordered some Mexican food to go from a place around the corner.  The bill seemed high so I asked the waitress if there was a mistake.  She said no and that the owner had raised prices across the board last week.  To the tune of 30% for my order!  Bad move given the economy is heading south.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:03 | 6980472 WTFUD
WTFUD's picture

As if there will not be a correlation between customer 'experiences ' and price hikes.

Just Say NO!

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:07 | 6980483 Who was that ma...
Who was that masked man's picture

I would like to see tipping eliminated across the board.  As a customer, I don't feel it is up to me to pay a server for simply doing his/her job, that is the duty of the employer. I almost never tip especially considering the incredibly low standard of service one generally receives when dining out at most restaurants.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:22 | 6980521 Intoxicologist
Intoxicologist's picture

Plenty like you out there.  Ever wonder why you receive half-assed service? Look in the mirror. Perhaps you should stick to dining in.

 

 

 

 

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:22 | 6980678 Normalcy Bias
Normalcy Bias's picture

They'd just roll it into the tab. Robot waiters aren't far off, but they have to be paid for as well.

True Story: I waited tables at a HUGE restaurant in Charleston, SC while in college. One of my co-workers was a black girl who was damn good at her job. One day, a new hostess inadvertantly seated this black waitress' section with 3/3 black parties. I walked up on the waitress tearing the hostess a new asshole because she knew she wasn't going to any money on those tables. To be fair, I did get a killer tip once from a black dude who'd arrived after we were supposedly closed, but he hooked me up. That was the exception.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:31 | 6980698 Make_Mine_A_Double
Make_Mine_A_Double's picture

True dat - not only the worst tippers but the shittest attitudes - esp. on the white chicks. No fucking class at all.

We'd draw straws / short one got 'the table'.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:44 | 6980743 Normalcy Bias
Normalcy Bias's picture

OH, and they'd have me running for a straw or toothpick or some other bullshit every time I checked on them. They got off on it.

I got to where I could predict their orders: "Fried Shrimps" with Strawberry Daiquiri, or BBQ Ribs with Strawberry Daiquiri. lol

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:33 | 6980952 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

Thank you for. Thank you all.
WTF is it with making a server do stuff every time they see you.
They think of shit too. Napkins, new spoon, more mayo....2 bucks on thirty.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 13:06 | 6982155 MayIMommaDogFac...
MayIMommaDogFace2theBananaPatch's picture

Oooh, when Cass Sunstein reads this...he's gonna be mad.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:08 | 6980912 stormsailor
stormsailor's picture

i bartended summer of 80 in charleston, junior year at the citadel.  worked at east bay trading company.  kate jackson gave me her phone number to show her the charleston nightlife,  she was a little older but still smokin hott.  she went to ashley hall.  ohh the good old days. back then after 2.  most of the partying went on at a private club called swingles,  west ashley

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 16:55 | 6983323 Normalcy Bias
Normalcy Bias's picture

Dude! That's awesome about Kate Jackson, she was hot. I had no idea she went to Ashley Hall. Much of my California Dreaming wages went to a 'private club' in West Trashley although I cannot remember the name (I had a damn good time).

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:09 | 6980486 GRDguy
GRDguy's picture

Just like old Soviet joke:

"They pretend to pay us; we pretend to work."

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:11 | 6980494 1stepcloser
1stepcloser's picture

Great eliminate tipping... service will only get shitter...

 

Oh you didn't get your breadstixs?  Fuck you, I'm busy..and have an A1 day.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:32 | 6980951 yellensNIRPles
yellensNIRPles's picture

I was overseas recently in the UK. No one tips (very rare, usually only Americans). Service was terrible. We'll see how it turns out over here...

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:15 | 6980503 curbyourrisk
curbyourrisk's picture

i ALREADY REFUSE TO VISIT ANY RESTAURANT THAT CHARGES A SURCHARGE TO COVER MEDICAL COSTS FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES AND HAS THE AUDACTIY TO ADD IT TO THE BILL...  

THEY START ADDING THAT SHIT TO THE BILLS FOR THIS AND EVEN LESS RESTAURANTS WILL SEE MY FACE.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:31 | 6980700 Temporalist
Temporalist's picture

With that face they'll be thrilled!

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:22 | 6980516 bookofenoch
bookofenoch's picture

The wheels are really coming off. Expect more bizarre moves like this...

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:25 | 6980527 i_call_you_my_base
i_call_you_my_base's picture

This on top of the fact that real estate costs are crushing the restaurant and retail industries in NY. Many landlords are doubling or tripling the rent.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:06 | 6980528 CTG_Sweden
CTG_Sweden's picture

In the long run doesn´t matter whether there will be a wage hike or not. When robot waiters have become good enough and inexpensive enough not even $7.25 an hour employees will be able to compete with the robots.

http://www.gizmag.com/robo-cafe-restaurant-robot-waiters/13870/

I doubt that halving wages would help.

The big problem is that too few people have savings enough to make sufficient investments in robot manufacturers and similar companies and thereby get dividends that can replace wages.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:28 | 6980535 Government need...
Government needs you to pay taxes's picture

The tax authorities LOVE this, too, since their 8% (in $ terms) gets larger with every menu price hike.  Next will be Manhattan grocery stores.  As the lower cost food providers, they will sense the pricing power and jack their rates on the calorie-equivalent foods.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:31 | 6980543 i_call_you_my_base
i_call_you_my_base's picture

Thought the same. It will probably reduce tips, which many servers don't declare, so the net effect will be pushing non-taxed tips into taxed wages.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:36 | 6980562 My Days Are Get...
My Days Are Getting Fewer's picture

The tavern prices are all the same.  Same formula.  Compared eating at the bar in Grand Rapids, MI, northern NJ and a ski town in Southern Vermont:

2 draft beers @ $7 = $14

1 x bar entree = $16

Subtotal = $30

Tax about    $3

Tip = $5

Total for one person, sitting at the bar and occupying that seat for less than one hour:

$38

Who can afford this much longer

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:37 | 6980567 WTFUD
WTFUD's picture

Innkeeper send me a flagon of rum and a busty wench to warm me cockles.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:09 | 6980915 83_vf_1100_c
83_vf_1100_c's picture

  Cost should be a couple of silver doubloons, depending on the quality of the wench and just how far around your cockles you want her to sail.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:38 | 6980568 Make_Mine_A_Double
Make_Mine_A_Double's picture

Here in Seattle this is already rolling out and - no question - the service at 4 & 5 Star places is worse - significantly - and prices are up.

Waiters & waitresses clearly had more incentive previously.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:17 | 6980668 The Merovingian
The Merovingian's picture

They can make more driving for Uber.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:24 | 6980941 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

In Seattke they make 8 or 9 an hour WITH tips too.
I managed a place in Seward Park. Great gig with great money from the base pay. Used to be you made like 3 or 4 an hour to cover taxes on tips and the incentive was to give good service for the green hand slide.
No more, just Euro style laziness.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:40 | 6980572 headless blogger
headless blogger's picture

Pretty dirty, taking it out on the little peon waiter's tips. I would not knowingly enter a restaurant that did not allow tipping. They are punishing the wrong people.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:23 | 6980680 Make_Mine_A_Double
Make_Mine_A_Double's picture

Totally agree - I tended bar and waited table thru university. The whole idea was getting untaxed folding money on the spot so you could get some coke, go party all night and hopefully bang that cute red head waitress.

That IS THE INCENTIVE to provide superior service. I always tip 20% but lately the service is so shitty I just can't justify it. If I'm dropping 3 or 400 on dinner for 2 it damn well better be a dining experience.

Part of the reason I almost never go out anymore.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 04:15 | 6981084 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

If I went into a restaurant that applied surcharges and denied tipping I would refuse to pay the unannounced surcharge (it wasn't on the menu) and double the tip.

I admire anyone that busts their ass at their job.  I've tipped busboys that were on their game.  I've tipped McDonald's people that were diligent on cleaning tables, and I've tipped a physics professor who was moonlighting as a waitress and pretty much covered the entire Black Angus while her lesser co-workers were still trying to write the fuckin' orders.

If I go to eat somewhere, I'm not stingy with the waitresses.  And when I return, it's nice to have extra attention on drinks and quick service.  And I'm pretty sure I don't have to worry about them spitting on the food.

I think it was in 2000 I took my dad on a trip to NYC and we went to Sardi's on the street where all the theaters are.  There was a guy clearing tables who was quick and clean and efficient at hell.  I called him over and complimented the way he worked and tipped him $10.  For the rest of the night we had every waiter coming by to check our table.

And don't get me wrong, I'm not a big spender.  But i'll often tip 30-40% if someone impresses me.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 09:12 | 6981278 BarkingCat
BarkingCat's picture

The restaurant cannot stop you from tipping. They can only make it their policy and informa the customer.

 

I refuse to eat at any restaurant that calls me a guest. If I am a guest then why the fuck do they charge me for a meal???

Linguistic retards,.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 22:43 | 6980580 Barnaby
Barnaby's picture

Also, thanks to Obamacare, you'll have to pay for a special insurance rider if you continue to eat at Chipotle.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 04:17 | 6981091 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

I'll have the salmonella special with the hershey trots on the side.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:01 | 6980621 Seasmoke
Seasmoke's picture

It's just ANOTHER form of a TAX. Same as Obamacare.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:07 | 6980626 Ben Dover 801
Ben Dover 801's picture

The economy is imploding.. corporations are losing money hand over fist.. and rising prices are due to raising the minimum wage~? I just have one question.. Is Tyler Smoking Crack~? 

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:20 | 6980937 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

The single biggest cost of a restaurant is staff. People want google style click have service and that means bodies on the floor.'it gets expensive.
That cost will be covered by the public.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:24 | 6980683 zerohedgeJUNKIE
zerohedgeJUNKIE's picture

All the loses, fiat paper, fraud these banksters created in the economy will be eaten by the unwashed masses thru inflation and ZIRP it's baked in the cake (mass extinction event in the economy). High paying wages will go the same path of the DODO bird. If you only depend on a minimum wage for suvival you better think fast adapt or die.

Wed, 12/30/2015 - 23:31 | 6980701 baldski
baldski's picture

So Tyler Durden, knows a restaurant owner who's costs went up 3% from a wage hike and raises his prices 30% to scam the public and blame it on the poor wait staff! Tyler you are a scum sucking pig!

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:11 | 6980799 TheReplacement
TheReplacement's picture

This is not the reading comprehension you are looking for.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:16 | 6980930 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

You, sir, are obtuse.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:05 | 6980787 Falling Down
Falling Down's picture

Fuck this.

Long heirloom seeds, grass fed domestic animals, non-GMO, etc.

 

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:17 | 6980811 deerhunter
deerhunter's picture

9 dollars for a bottle of. beer ? I need to move to Manhattan and sell a few dozen bridges that are lingering in my Chicago inventory ! Happy New Year fellow ZH bitchez!!!! N

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:14 | 6980927 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

That's domestic too. The good shit and micros are 12-15.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:22 | 6980820 Baby Eating Dingo22
Baby Eating Dingo22's picture

NY? Who cares?

 

NY is already  in their own world. 20 bucks just to cross into that piss bucket

Triple the prices

Wall Street pricks will have less money for blow

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 04:24 | 6981096 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

On my wife and I's first vacation ever in 2012 (35+ years) we tracked the cost of cigarettes as we toured from Flawed-duh to Maine, hitting all those itty-bitty states on the east coast.  NYC blew my wife's mind. At the time, a pack of Marlboro's in Commiefornia was roughly $5, in NYC the same pack was about $12.80.  We had already had our thrill ride in the subway and asked why wouldn't anyone in NYC ride west a while and pick up smokes for $10 a pack?  Buy a fuckin' case and resell them?  It's not like you had to go 200 miles or so (a normal commute here in Commiefornia).

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 09:58 | 6981387 One of these is...
One of these is not like the others..'s picture

Because the police will strangle you to death in the street when you try and sell them?

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 09:59 | 6981389 BurningFuld
BurningFuld's picture

Someone tryed that once on a street corner and the Police killed him.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:24 | 6980823 Vlad the Inhaler
Vlad the Inhaler's picture

The government forces you to spend a certain amount of money to live here (a lease or mortgage, utilities, health insurance, etc)

If working full time at minimum wage can't cover the basic expenses, then the government needs to either let people live in shantytowns and be banana vendors or scavenge in the dump like they do in the third world, or raise the minimum wage.  Capitalism creates winners and losers, and there needs to be some sort of plan for the losers besides arresting them for sleeping on the street.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:12 | 6980918 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

If they would have raised it incrementally it wouldn't be as rough. Instead these fucks wanna go from 8 to 15. Print ye fucks. Make meat 15 a pound too.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 04:26 | 6981100 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

Been to Costco lately?

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:31 | 6980838 Fred123
Fred123's picture

All my progressive friends tell me that an increase in the minimum wage will NOT result in fewer jobs. I mean, they have masters, PH'ds etc and I only have a BA. What do I know?

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:56 | 6980889 conraddobler
conraddobler's picture

You'd find out what you know if you had to work at a real job together.

I am betting they would suck.

Getting shit done is not that hard, people get advanced degrees too often now to hide from the real world, what's left of it anyhow.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 04:37 | 6981108 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

I have a niece that went through college, got her BS and Masters on Islamic Studies.  Had an internship in Eqypt for nine months but had to return after a month and a half due to the dust, her dislike of being groped, and the onset of revolution.

In her mind, she's an expert on Islam and middle eastern culture.  My son has been in Afghanistan since 2002/04, not sure, it's been a long time.  He's not some peon.  He tired to explain Man Thursday to her.  She completely rejected the idea, it doesn't exist.  He tried to explain the role of goats and sexual gratification.  She completel rejected the idea, it doesn't exist.  He attempted to show her videos of various goat explitations, she refused to even look.

I tried to explain that Islam is a political system wrapped in a death cult and she called me a racist idiot who had no idea of waht the Koran said.  I tried to explain that the 'perfect word of god' had to be explained in the surrahs and haddith and she denounced me as, again, an idiot who had no idea what he was talking about.

I read all that shit, multiple times after 9/11 to see where they were coming from thought-wise.  It's pretty fucking sobering.

Worse, I couldn't prove that I'd actually read them since I burned them all with bacon back in 2011.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 04:38 | 6981109 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

Oh. yeah, now she's a public school teacher.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 05:11 | 6981115 ---------
---------'s picture

 

 

this story made me sad    

the biggest weakness of western society are their woman

 

your niece from 9:00 till 12:17

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obr1XqUPEII

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 09:23 | 6981302 BarkingCat
BarkingCat's picture

You should have told her that he needs to go back to Egypt and continue her personal experience otherwise she is nothing but a trained monkey who is only repeating other people's opinions.

 

Additionally I would ridicule her college. What idiotic institution gives away a SCIENCE degree in Islamic Studies??????????

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 09:18 | 6981293 BarkingCat
BarkingCat's picture

If you think that it is spelled PH'ds then you should ask for a refund for you BA.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 00:32 | 6980840 IridiumRebel
IridiumRebel's picture

I can provide some light on this as I was a bar manager in Midtown for seven years and saw this coming so I went back to school. My last semester is this Spring and then I get to take the front lines of Liberalism on in the education system. I LOOK FORWARD TO IT. 

Anyway, When ACA went into effect, the shifts were curt down. We used to get 5 shifts and full time was preferred by owner and worker, but they cut everyone to 3-4 shifts at 6-7 hours. Do the math. So? Everyone took on a second job. How many part-timers can one city have. The jobs started to dry up in 2012 as everyone became part-time for the most part. Owners in that city have to cut corners and make ends meet due to the incredible rent and utilities to be paid. It is the same here in my large midwestern city. I work two jobs and everyone is very provincial about shifts. Most work two jobs. It used to be great pick up money and flexible. I made around 30 an hour in NYC and here we do about 18-20 but it still is on the decline. So, everyone is becoming a part time employee with high rent, high food cost, high health insurance. Restaurants also used to provide a meal now they don't. You get half off, but still, 5 bucks bare minimum. Many workers are provincial about their shifts. used to be you could pick up for extra money, but no more. 

The business has been getting slower and slower too. People skimp on tipping going 15% now instead of 20% even with great service. I am a pro too. I once served Saakashvili and had to be vetted by Secret Service. I served the Rolling Stones...Barry Gordy, Paul Simon. I work at one of the best restaurants in the city here and the money has fallen precipitously. I make half what I did two years ago. Yes, it's a big shit sandwich and we all gonna take a bite. I'm just thankful I started to see things before others and made life changes. 2011 or so as I was in my Poli Sci degree I found a site called ZeroHedge. Besides the metals ass pounding, the advice has been worth its weight in gold. As for my recent boating accident, If I did still have my precious, I know it would be all good down the road....because on a long enough timeline......

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 01:41 | 6980960 yellensNIRPles
yellensNIRPles's picture

I can confirm this is all stunningly accurate regarding the restaurant industry and what's going down in NYC. Know someone with 7 years of hard work under their belt who just stopped working in the industry in 2015. Literally all the things you mention have happened and been happening on that timeline and we've witnessed it and long seen it coming. When I read your post I just thought 'nailed it'. From boots on the ground, this is the real deal.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 03:09 | 6981035 TheFulishBastid
TheFulishBastid's picture

It's all fun and games 'til the people who have to clean up your shit ask their due.

 

Fuck ya, get your own goddamned water.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 09:49 | 6981359 BarkingCat
BarkingCat's picture

I can get my own water and also my own groceries and make my own meal.

Since I only buy organic the food I make is lot more healthy than that chemically polluted GMO garbage that nearly all restaurants serve.

 

When I do eat out, I tip well but that is likely to change. I normally tip 20% to 25% range but I will now go back to the old standard.

Shitty service gets no tip.

Normal service gets 10%.

Good service gets 15%.

That's how it was when I was growing up. I will still give up to 25% but that will now be reserved for excellent service.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 03:22 | 6981045 PoasterToaster
PoasterToaster's picture

They print trillions to keep their position as our slavemasters, and we're supposed to worry about minimum wage.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 05:11 | 6981118 bkboy
bkboy's picture

I must have missed all the doomstay articles about how restaurants would suffer from skyrocketing rents over the past several years.

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 05:33 | 6981122 dreadnaught
dreadnaught's picture

I remember all the doomsday/Armageddon talk when Smoking was about to be banned from Bars and restraunts-many were ready to close up shop right then and there-many would be forced to raise prices by 20%-since patronage would drop like crazy...i havent seen a bar close-and in fact see a few new ones opening-and they all are very crowded

Thu, 12/31/2015 - 07:16 | 6981175 johnjkiii
johnjkiii's picture

So we should be for fixing oil prices at the old high level in order to protect the economy but not for fixing wages in order to protect the economy? We already fix interest rates so that savers get no return and are in the process of fixing medical care prices among others so it comes down to which socialist policies you prefer and which you don't. 

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