There are far too many people out there who think that businesses are just bottomless pits of money, and that employers keep wages and benefits low simply because they don’t want to share.
Here’s a tip for the outraged lefties — if you think these business owners are doing so wrong, why don’t you start up a business to compete with them and pick up the customer base you believe they’re shedding? Prove that your way works better by actually doing it, not by bitching about the people who actually have a bottom line to look after.
Living in a rural area, we have only 3 fast food joints. The food is overpriced and ranges from disgusting to awful.
The 2 best take-away options are fried chicken from the convenience store chain or a rotisserie chicken from Walmart. The Chinese restaurant is so-so, but they do well w/portions large enough to share and a buffet (from which you can takeout, paying by the pound) both at an affordable price.
There is an increase in small mom & pop restaurants. I don’t know their politics, but given the voting patterns here, some must be owned by 0 voters. They offer everything from American diner fare to pizza and wings, plus a couple of trendy, more up-scale places that compete w/the one large traditional family-owned restaurant. Some have made a living for the past 4 years. Not mega bucks, but a family living.
It may be the end of the national chain of standardized frozen and microwaved offerings. The model just no longer works and the food has deteriorated in quality over the last 10 years. When McD’s for 2 averages around $16, there is room for local competition. However, the real bottom line killer, from what I am told, isn’t health insurance, since these places only have a few waitstaff, it is property, accident and liability insurance. It has already put one place out of business that I know of.