Posted on 03/24/2007 6:27:46 PM PDT by SmithL
San Francisco's restaurateur-turned-mayor Gavin Newsom cast doubt Friday over the viability of a threat made by restaurant owners who said they might shut down for a day to highlight the rising cost of doing business in the city.
Newsom, who sold his interest in such popular San Francisco spots as PlumpJack Cafe and Balboa Cafe before his 2004 swearing-in, said he could sympathize with recent concerns raised by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, but said that a one-day closure would only hurt the restaurants and that a majority of them would probably not participate.
"It's against their best interest," Newsom said. "These restaurants are predominantly mom and pop restaurants and small businesses. ... For many, it's not going to work. For those that can afford to do it, they'll do it, but I would argue that the vast majority of establishments cannot afford to shut down even for an afternoon, let alone a day."
Kevin Westlye, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, has said shutting down restaurants for a day would capture diners' attention and alert them to increasing costs stemming from City Hall-sponsored measures on worker pay and benefits. He gave no timetable for the threatened closure.
In November, San Francisco voters approved a measure placed on the ballot by Supervisor Chris Daly requiring all businesses to provide paid sick leave to workers. Voters also backed a measure sponsored by former Supervisor Matt Gonzalez that increased the city's minimum wage in 2004, making it one of the highest in the nation. And come January, a plan by Newsom and Supervisor Tom Ammiano to require health care for uninsured residents kicks in for businesses that don't already provide that coverage -- that is, if the portion of the ordinance requiring employers to pay survives a legal challenge
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
It's time for Atlas to shrug in Sad Freaksicko.
In the fantasy minds of these politicians, who exactly pays for all of these wonderful and progressive social policies?
Like he knows anything about business.
"to highlight the rising cost of doing business in the city."
May I suggest... Move to Orlando.
How this city even manages to operate with so many freaks living there continues to amaze me.
So the fact that they're getting the screws put to them is a little bit of karma.
Yes, Orlando could use a good shot of culture :)
Here's a WTH suggestion for the restaurant owners: if the shutdown is to be on Day X, either sell gift certificates at half off valid only on Day X+1 (but that might conflict with "no expiration date allowed on gift cards" laws), or just run ads saying every meal is half off on Day X+1.
The patrons will pay and the wealth will be redistributed (artificially, by gov't interference), to the delight of the libs.
Gee, Gavin, if the majority of the restaurants are "mom and pop" operations that "cannot afford to shut down even for an afternoon, let alone a day", maybe THAT"S THE FREEKIN" POINT! It costs so much to run the business as it is that they are on a razor thin margin, which you and the clueless taxgrabbers want to just add to.
The culture mostly supplied by san fran can best be handled by a good shot of ampicillin.
Thanks for the info. Rest assured they will NEVER get one tourist dollar out of me.
That's why they are going to get new mandates, a raise in the minimum wage, and increased taxes.
Can you imagine being a waitron in one of those places? (unless you are there to hook up). My experience is that such people tend to be very high maintenance customers.
The rich.
Screw the restaurant owners. They should have packed up (no pun) and left San Fransicko years ago. As a matter of fact, every civilized, non-infected human should have fled long ago. No sympathy for anybody still there.
Why not add a "fuel surcharge" of sorts?
"Added cost of business due to excessive SF governance surcharge" should help owners make up the difference and push the point accross to patrons and officials much more effectively than shutting down for a day.
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