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Up From Dish Washer to Franchise Owner — and Now, Regulation Target
Wall Street Journal ^ | 04/29/2015 | Amir Siddiqi

Posted on 04/29/2015 12:16:18 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

I’m an immigrant who has realized the American dream. But Washington’s new labor rules are a nightmare.

In 1985 I left my home in Pakistan at age 19 and came to the United States with the help of an uncle. I considered this my best chance to start a life away from the government control and corruption that troubled my country. That proved true. Through hard work, I learned to run restaurants and I now own dozens of stores as a franchisee. But the National Labor Relations Board is threatening to upend my business model by muddling the distinction between local franchisees like me and the national brands affiliated with them.

First, some personal history. When I arrived in southern California, I enrolled in Pasadena City College, an area community college. To help pay the bills, I took one of those often-derided minimum-wage jobs at a Carl’s Jr. restaurant across from the school. I washed dishes at night, working my way up through management first as a shift leader and eventually becoming an executive vice president.

In 2005 I became president of a 100-restaurant brand called La Salsa, then owned by CKE Holdings, the parent company of Carl’s Jr. When La Salsa was sold off in 2007, CKE offered me a chance to purchase three Carl’s Jr. restaurants and become a franchisee.

I invested all my savings and borrowed what I needed to buy the restaurants. That was eight years ago. I now own 38 Carl’s Jr. restaurants, with a commitment to build 10 more, and three Pieology pizza stores, with plans to build 35 more, all in California and Arizona.

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: business; franchise; government; regulation
WHAT's HAPPENING:

The NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) has decided that his franchiser, CKE Holdings, owner of Carl's Jr., who has zero say in the hiring, firing or managing of his staff, could now be considered their “joint employer.” Should this standard prevail, his franchiser could be held jointly liable for any labor-law violations in restaurants that carry its brand.

The franchiser might feel the need to protect itself from liability by exerting control over his restaurant's employment decisions.

Perhaps his franchiser will now want to review every job applicant and compensation package before he can make someone an offer.

The franchiser might feel that it needs to be present in every restaurants to monitor the workplace, dictate or even administer employee training, and increase staffing as it, rather than his general managers and himself, the franchise owner, deem necessary.

Suddenly, franchisees like his might find themselves unable to control labor costs, one of the most significant aspects of running a restaurant.

1 posted on 04/29/2015 12:16:18 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
Suddenly, franchisees like his might find themselves unable to control labor costs,

Labor costs will go down, automation costs will go up.
So will unemployment.

2 posted on 04/29/2015 12:24:22 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (BINGO!)
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To: SeekAndFind

He left Pakistan to escape a government dead set on damaging and destroying any personal work ethic and choking entrepreneurship with heavy handed rules, restrictions, fines, costs and taxes.

Only to come to the US and face a government dead set on damaging and destroying any personal work ethic and choking .....


3 posted on 04/29/2015 12:30:19 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (With Great Freedom comes Great Responsibility.)
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To: SeekAndFind

The entire Federal Government is a grouping of agencies looking to justify their budgets. After having taken power, they want more.


4 posted on 04/29/2015 12:32:49 PM PDT by PGR88
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To: SeekAndFind
with plans to build 35 more, all in California and Arizona.

Oh, just what CA needs, more fast food slop joints...

Hey, lets put up some more strip malls and 7/11 greedymarts while they're at it. Then build more civilian barracks, call them apartments and condos, if they can find a vacant lot...Who gives a damn if the roads are choked and jammed with traffic and water is at a premium.

We need more slop joints!

5 posted on 04/29/2015 12:40:17 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: dragnet2

He probably did a market study and found out that there is indeed a demand for these slop joints.

If not, it would close on its own.


6 posted on 04/29/2015 12:43:31 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Market study? Of course, the Pakistanis and mid-easterners put up chicken lickens across from taco hells, next to jackballs and down the road from McWhopper’s...

But more fast food slop joints is what America needs...Gak


7 posted on 04/29/2015 12:49:45 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: SeekAndFind

Oh yes, and they’ll need to import even more illegals and low wage green carder’s to work at foreign owned slop joints which are now found on nearly every corner.

It’s a win win America.


8 posted on 04/29/2015 12:59:18 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: dragnet2

Why don’t you buy 30 or 40 restaurants yourself, and operate them differently?


9 posted on 04/29/2015 1:01:01 PM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: dragnet2

Is it safe to say you’re pro-business, but only if you personally approve of their business plan or menu?


10 posted on 04/29/2015 1:06:41 PM PDT by SquarePants (Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time)
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To: 1rudeboy
How about I don't and say I did boyrude?

BTW, ya have any idea what a fast food slop joint franchise runs? Why do ya think McWhoppers fall all over themselves to cater to those from Muslim countries coming in with wheel barrels full of oil soaked cash? Ya think aunt bitty and uncle hehaw in Kansas are buying these up?

11 posted on 04/29/2015 1:12:49 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: SquarePants

I’m tired of the utter fraud and wholesale sellout of this country by big and little biz.

How about you Mr. Pants?


12 posted on 04/29/2015 1:14:28 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: SeekAndFind
The war on free enterprise continues...

5.56mm

13 posted on 04/29/2015 1:20:51 PM PDT by M Kehoe
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To: M Kehoe
"You didn't build that!" "Somebody else made that happen!"

- Baraq Hussein 0bama, mmm mmm mmm.

5.56mm

14 posted on 04/29/2015 1:22:28 PM PDT by M Kehoe
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To: PGR88

The agencies are run by those seeking perfect, yet undefinable social justice. What the nation will get is perfect tyranny.


15 posted on 04/29/2015 1:35:32 PM PDT by Jacquerie (To shun Article V is to embrace tyranny.)
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To: DUMBGRUNT

All this complaining about the poor fast food joint owners.

If they can’t deal with the endless pool of low wage foreign laborers, why not just automate everything? This is not complex.

Make it like a bank, ya drive up, the automated voice tells ya to push the language preference button, then push some menu buttons and the drawer opens up full of burgeritos, all bagged up and ready to chew. That way you don’t need inside dining and all the messy liability that goes along with it.


16 posted on 04/29/2015 1:37:54 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: SeekAndFind

Meanwhile over in any democrat run town you have the whiners saying they cannot get a job or get ahead.


17 posted on 04/29/2015 3:22:32 PM PDT by minnesota_bound
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To: dragnet2

Mickey ‘D’ app for your phone and with Apple pay no cash to misplace.

Like the the Automat, only drive through, plus new and improved!


18 posted on 04/29/2015 5:00:54 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (BINGO!)
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To: dragnet2
We need more slop joints!

Do you have a coherent point to make?

19 posted on 04/29/2015 5:15:14 PM PDT by gogeo (If you are Tea Party, the eGOP does not want you.)
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To: gogeo

Are you a McWhopper investor? Hot tip....All the illegals and foreigners your favorite fast food slop joints hire, all want to move from late 1980s wages to 2008 wages. Those aren’t high school teens serving your slop for weekend spending money anymore gogo. They’re adults from El Salvador and Lord knows where. They want more moola goge.


20 posted on 04/29/2015 6:21:55 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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