True, of course.
Obviously, the point I was attempting to make is that across-the-board cost increases do not create a competitive imbalance.
Compare this to one of the industries I used to be in, janitorial services.
Company A hires illegal aliens. Their costs are considerably lower as a result. The industry is considered a commodity service, decisions of who to hire are based primarily on price. It’s also a very labor-intensive industry, much more so than restaurants.
Company B, which for ethical reasons chooses not to hire illegal aliens, is faced with Company A being able to undercut their pricing by 20% or more.
Unless Company B abandons its moral principles, it will soon lose massive market share to Company A and other companies operating the same way. In fact, Company B will soon be out of business.
BTW, many years ago I worked for Company B.
As a consumer, I may be the outlier, but my spending habits are firmly rooted is “What is best for me”. This has many facets to it.
When I NEED something I read packaging labels.
Brand, Country/State of origin, and ingredients. I absolutely refuse to consume Chinese anything... for health reasons and for the reason that it SHOULD BE able to be produced domestically, or by myself at less cost.
It maybe “only be” a $3.79 manual can opener... but the Made In USA label means the employees of that company are paying taxes, as opposed to collecting SNAP benefits. I CHOOSE the “premium” price over the Ding Dong one knowing that the one I picked is most likely not made by slave labor using Chernobyl scrap steel, recycled medical instruments, and ground up aborted fetuses.