Posted on 01/02/2025 7:58:00 AM PST by Angelino97
The owner of a popular waffle shop in West Seattle said she had no choice but to shut down her business after the city’s new minimum wage law went into effect on New Year’s Day — hiking hourly pay to $20.76.
Bebop Waffle Shop, which was founded by a former New York City resident more than a decade ago, closed its doors for good on Monday.
“I’ve cried every day,” Corina Luckenbach, the waffle shop owner, told Fox 13 TV.
Luckenbach, who founded Bebop more than 10 years ago after relocating from New York to the Emerald City, said that her business had already been suffering from high inflation which caused the price of food to spike.
The waffle shop has also been hamstrung by lower foot traffic in the city — a result of many people working from home.
The minimum wage increase was the last straw, she said.
“This is financially just not going to make sense anymore. Because, just for me, the increase would cost me $32,000 more a year,” Luckenbach told Fox 13 TV.
Luckenbach, who named the cafe after her late dachshund, said that while in theory she supports workers earning a higher minimum wage, in practice she has been unable to keep up with the change...
Luckenbach, who is gay, said “the hardest thing” about shutting down her business is that it “takes away a safe space for people.”
“The stories of like what it meant to people to come in and feel safe and to feel welcomed — I just, I didn’t know,” she said, wiping away tears.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
They should pass another law making it illegal to shut down your business. I don’t see why that wouldn’t fix the problem.
Leftist-driven economic serfdom is working.
Because we live in an idiotic society.
In any event the minimum wage at that level is inflationary insanity.
Explains why packing up and selling waffles in a reasonably wage-stable flyover state is not a realistic solution to her
And Kamala says they are price gauging, so they should mandate that they lower their prices by 10+%
“Why is it relevant that’s she’s gay? Or that the store was a “safe space”?”
Makes me feel less sorry for her, she was pushing her own agenda by even bringing it up period. I don’t care what you are, just leave it alone unless there is a specific reason to mention it.
Didn't they pass an ordinance in San Francisco (or were considering it) that partially addressed this? Something along the lines of requiring at least six months notice of a business shut down and documenting the reasons why to City Hall.
In other words, she voted for this and still supports it “in theory”. Under Communism all the serfs are equal in their poverty and destitute living conditions.
Didn’t they do that in Atlas Shrugged?
Exactly.....this was designed to do just this, shut down independent small business.....if it’s anything democrats hate, it’s self sufficient businesses that don’t need federal government for anything.
They absolutely HATE freedom.....obama was notorious for this.
Do WA politicians know that the minimum wage for the now unemployed waffle flippers is now $0.00/hour?
What the reporting news buffoons fail to mention , is that many union contracts are written with the minimum wage as a baseline for other jobs in other industries. A $5 increase in the minimum wage can equal a bump up for other union workers under existing contracts from say, $35 per hour for a machine operator, to an instant $40 per hour. Postal worker union contracts used to be written this way.
> Why is it relevant that’s she’s gay? <
It was probably done to keep Laz from making suggestive comments about her.
Directive No. 10-289:
“Point Two. All industrial, commercial, manufacturing and business establishments of any nature whatsoever shall henceforth remain in operation, and the owners of such establishments shall not quit nor leave nor retire, nor close, sell or transfer their business, under penalty of the nationalization of their establishment and of any and all of their property.”
Ayn Rand—Atlas Shrugged
The biggest problem is that it will only get worse, as you cannot tax, spend and regulate yourself into prosperity!
“And Kamala says they are price gauging,”
Actually, Kamala, world-renowned economist, said, “price GAGEING”. She must’ve missed that day in Econ 101 when they covered “Industry Lingo”.
Economic reality trumps feel good Progressivism again. I wonder if this woman voted for the policies and politicians who created the economic disaster area that forced her out of business.
More liberal ‘do gooders’ crap ruining people lives... must be nice to be an out of touch liberal ‘elite’ who loves to ‘help the people’ by destroying their lives and businesses. Eff ‘em.
I was gonna offer a no-interest loan until this:
Luckenbach, who is gay, said “the hardest thing” about shutting down her business is that it “takes away a safe space for people.”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.