Not-Too-Happy Meal: Diners Miffed Over Obamacare Surcharges

newsmax ^ | 10/7/14 | j blosser

[bestintxas]

Next time you eat out at a fancy restaurant, don't be surprised if, at the end of your meal, you spot an unfamiliar item on your tab — a surcharge to pay for Obamacare.

Diners at high-end restaurants such as Melisse, AOC, and a dozen others in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas have noticed a 3 percent surcharge for employee healthcare tacked on to their bills, and the Los Angeles Times reports that some of the customers are none too happy about it. One diner complained in an online blog, "It's basically management saying 'Obamacare made me do it.' If you want to offset costs, try turning up the thermostat. There's your 3%! Now please pay your workers' health insurance and hush."

Better get used to it. "Once it starts you are going to see other segments in the industry, whether coffee shops or ice cream shops, dip their toe in if they see it's manageable and customers do not revolt," Jot Condie of the California Restaurant Association told the Times.

Josh Loeb, co-owner of Milo & Olive and Rustic Canyon, told the Times, "We want our staff to have healthcare. It's not because we support Obama or don't support Obama, or are Democrats or are not Democrats."

Restaurants have considered increasing the price of menu items to pay the cost of providing healthcare, but this would not take into account rent and liability insurance, which would require increasing menu costs by more than 3 percent to make the same amount of money as a simple surcharge

[bestintxas]

Did you even read the article?

Here’s the very first sentence

“Next time you eat out at a fancy restaurant, don’t be surprised if, at the end of your meal, you spot an unfamiliar item on your tab — a surcharge to pay for Obamacare.”

Did this sound like it was expected upfront?

[for-q-clinton]

No you missed the point of Free Markets and capitalism.

[for-q-clinton]

You do realize that raising the prices 3% is the same as telling you to pay 3% more to cover obamacare taxes.

Honestly I can’t believe a conservative website can be this ignorant.

[for-q-clinton]

And where do you eat that isn’t passing on the increased cost to consumers? I want to eat there. Oh wait fantasyland doesn’t count.

[for-q-clinton]

But you would eat there if he raised prices by 3% and never told you. Just don’t call it an obamacare tax and you’re good.

Very odd.

[SoConPubbie]

The only gripe you could possibly have is that you weren’t told, before you ordered, about the surcharge.

Boy you are slow.

The other point you missed, was that I am being asked to, in effect, pay more tip, because that is what it is, a MANDATORY TIP, because the insurance cost can only be looked at as part of that employee's salary.

So spare me the hyperbole.

It is wrong, anyway you stack it, whether I know about it or not, to be asked to pay an extra 3% to the server, because some group of jackass Socialists decided to pass a law against the wishes of the electorate to GIVE that server health insurance.

You can wrap it up in whatever emotional reason you want, but in the end, that extra charge, whatever it is, is going directly to that employee, most of whom, were not receiving health insurance before.

[for-q-clinton]

BTW: I’m not griping about this policy at all so you must have me mixed up with someone else.

[for-q-clinton]

So just reduce the tip by the amount of the tax and call it even.

[SoConPubbie]

You do realize that raising the prices 3% is the same as telling you to pay 3% more to cover obamacare taxes.

Honestly I can’t believe a conservative website can be this ignorant.

And what post of mine led you to believe that I was not aware of that?

It is not my responsibility to pay that 3% to cover the health insurance costs of somebody who was not getting health insurance before, whether or not it is mandated by law. I have options which I have stated over and over again.

If the Restaurant wants my business, they'll do what many of them have done and find ways around this tax like lowering the number of hours below the 32 hour threshold.

Let me be clear, since you seem to be so ignorant yourself, I won't help them implement socialism. I will not comply.

If it means not eating at another restaurant or not eating out anymore, so be it.

[SoConPubbie]

So just reduce the tip by the amount of the tax and call it even.

Try to keep up Sherlock. Already posted that up-thread.

[SoConPubbie]

And where do you eat that isn’t passing on the increased cost to consumers? I want to eat there. Oh wait fantasyland doesn’t count.

OK Mr. Fantasyland, how about those restaurants that have reduced the hours worked by their wait staff to fall below the mandated # hours that require health insurance.

[1010RD]

That is also a means of passing the cost on to customers. It is a reduction of service. Even if PT workers cover one for another, America is a meritocracy. So instead of merit being the driver, it’s Democratcare or the avoidance thereof. This deprives me of the best, most meritorious labor.

[BunnySlippers]

Where did I say I wasn’t eating where the cost wasn’t passed on? I said I am not eating at the establishments who have adopted the new policy. Many other restaurants have rejected it.

[Professional Engineer]

Why? You are going to pay it regardless. Better to be transparent about it. Truth in advertising.

[for-q-clinton]

Rejected what? They can’t reject the increased costs that Obamacare forces on them. It will be passed on to the consumer. Econ101.

[for-q-clinton]

There are still more costs. Adding employees coats money too. By reducing hours they have to hire more people.

[for-q-clinton]

Yes I did.

[for-q-clinton]

So you’ll buy more groceries from companies that implement Obamacare? You better start your own farm.

[SoConPubbie]

There are still more costs. Adding employees coats money too. By reducing hours they have to hire more people.

Why?

If they are working the same number of hours for the same rate of pay, the company is putting out the same amount of money.

There maybe a slight increase, but small in comparison to the amount spent on maintaining the cost of health insurance.

[SoConPubbie]

So you’ll buy more groceries from companies that implement Obamacare? You better start your own farm.

Thank you for providing another example of another option I have.