Bowser repealing minimum wage increases. What

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PP who noted MANY other states have no tipped wage and still have successful restaurant industries including plenty of locally owned restaurants had a good point. Let's engage with it honestly.

What makes DC different that might make this harder here?

I think a major issue is rents. Much of DC's commercial real estate is owned by developers and landlords who are insufficiently motivated to rent to restaurants at a rate that would enable them to both pay their employees a standard wage AND turn a profit (or even break even). DC does not penalize landlords for letting storefronts go empty for extended periods. So they can charge high rents and wait for someone willing to pay it. Restaurants who want to survive rely on the ability to pass the cost of labor into customers. I-82 gets in the way of that.

(Note this problem impacts other industries in DC -- there is a reason DC often lacks enough daycares or auto shops. Ever needed something and quickly realized you have to go to the burbs for it? This is a major reason why.)

But even though DC is very friendly to commercial landlords and barely regulates empty commercial spaces, it regulates the crap out of restaurants themselves and navigating that regulatory framework is expensive. Licensing in particular is really hard and many restaurants have to hire experienced staff just to make sure they can obtain their liquor license in a timely manner. ANCs can also be a hold up, and some are egregiously bad.

Other places that have eliminated tips have friendlier environments for the restaurant industry. DC is hostile to the industry so eliminating the tipped wage winds up being the straw that breaks the camels back. But it's not really the source of the problem.

Notice that there is no concern among commercial landlords about the restaurants closing. No WaPo stories of landlords lamenting losing good tenants or being unable to afford to own these spaces anymore? They barely care. Tax write off. It will now sit vacant for 10 years and they won't feel it at all.

We had a thriving restaurant scene for a *very* long time before I-82 came along.

Oh yes, things were so great way back for the restaurant industry in 2021 and 2022.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because servers don't want it.

My brother is a professional bartender in DC who routinely makes tips that equal out $50-$60/hr. A slow night for him is leaving with only ~$250 in tips. He makes $600-$800 per night Thur-Sat.

People aren't going to tip with a high hourly wage in place, and no one who has been in the service industry as a career is going to keep doing it for $17.95/hr.

Service industry workers and restaurant owners tried to tell TPTB that a higher minimum wage would not work for all establishments. For a McDonald's? Sure, but at Le Diplomate, Zaytinya, or The Hamilton, nope. They can't keep their skilled workers at that rate.

That is simply false. People who eat out still tip 20%+. Read Tom Sietsema's WP chat. The anecdata is universal.

What happened was that restaurant owners got greedy and thought they could dupe the public into paying a ton of made-up fees. And so a lot of us stopped eating out.

Not true. The new line items for “service fees” that never really indicate if that is a tip or covering the general increase in business costs. When I see that fee already tacked on I’m not tipping on top of that. Theee needs to be more transparency.

As for people whining that businesses should just pay the higher minimum or “they shouldn’t be in business” are idiots. How much are you willing to to pay for burger and beer? That cost is paid for in the following ways: lay off staff or pass along cost to customer. If you are fine paying $25 for a burger at a neighborhood joint go right ahead.

I'm fine paying what I would have paid otherwise plus 15-20% to cover the cost of the tip because the total amount of money that is coming out of my pocket doesn't change. In fact, I greatly prefer eating at restaurants which have the full cost of the meal - including tips and taxes - in the menu price. Do you enjoy doing all the math in your head before you sit down to order, are you rich enough not to care, or do you get annoyed when the meal ends up costing more than what you thought it would?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PP who noted MANY other states have no tipped wage and still have successful restaurant industries including plenty of locally owned restaurants had a good point. Let's engage with it honestly.

What makes DC different that might make this harder here?

I think a major issue is rents. Much of DC's commercial real estate is owned by developers and landlords who are insufficiently motivated to rent to restaurants at a rate that would enable them to both pay their employees a standard wage AND turn a profit (or even break even). DC does not penalize landlords for letting storefronts go empty for extended periods. So they can charge high rents and wait for someone willing to pay it. Restaurants who want to survive rely on the ability to pass the cost of labor into customers. I-82 gets in the way of that.

(Note this problem impacts other industries in DC -- there is a reason DC often lacks enough daycares or auto shops. Ever needed something and quickly realized you have to go to the burbs for it? This is a major reason why.)

But even though DC is very friendly to commercial landlords and barely regulates empty commercial spaces, it regulates the crap out of restaurants themselves and navigating that regulatory framework is expensive. Licensing in particular is really hard and many restaurants have to hire experienced staff just to make sure they can obtain their liquor license in a timely manner. ANCs can also be a hold up, and some are egregiously bad.

Other places that have eliminated tips have friendlier environments for the restaurant industry. DC is hostile to the industry so eliminating the tipped wage winds up being the straw that breaks the camels back. But it's not really the source of the problem.

Notice that there is no concern among commercial landlords about the restaurants closing. No WaPo stories of landlords lamenting losing good tenants or being unable to afford to own these spaces anymore? They barely care. Tax write off. It will now sit vacant for 10 years and they won't feel it at all.

We had a thriving restaurant scene for a *very* long time before I-82 came along.

Oh yes, things were so great way back for the restaurant industry in 2021 and 2022.

Sounds like you haven't been here very long, if your memory only goes back to covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The PP who noted MANY other states have no tipped wage and still have successful restaurant industries including plenty of locally owned restaurants had a good point. Let's engage with it honestly.

What makes DC different that might make this harder here?

I think a major issue is rents. Much of DC's commercial real estate is owned by developers and landlords who are insufficiently motivated to rent to restaurants at a rate that would enable them to both pay their employees a standard wage AND turn a profit (or even break even). DC does not penalize landlords for letting storefronts go empty for extended periods. So they can charge high rents and wait for someone willing to pay it. Restaurants who want to survive rely on the ability to pass the cost of labor into customers. I-82 gets in the way of that.

(Note this problem impacts other industries in DC -- there is a reason DC often lacks enough daycares or auto shops. Ever needed something and quickly realized you have to go to the burbs for it? This is a major reason why.)

But even though DC is very friendly to commercial landlords and barely regulates empty commercial spaces, it regulates the crap out of restaurants themselves and navigating that regulatory framework is expensive. Licensing in particular is really hard and many restaurants have to hire experienced staff just to make sure they can obtain their liquor license in a timely manner. ANCs can also be a hold up, and some are egregiously bad.

Other places that have eliminated tips have friendlier environments for the restaurant industry. DC is hostile to the industry so eliminating the tipped wage winds up being the straw that breaks the camels back. But it's not really the source of the problem.

Notice that there is no concern among commercial landlords about the restaurants closing. No WaPo stories of landlords lamenting losing good tenants or being unable to afford to own these spaces anymore? They barely care. Tax write off. It will now sit vacant for 10 years and they won't feel it at all.

We had a thriving restaurant scene for a *very* long time before I-82 came along.

Oh yes, things were so great way back for the restaurant industry in 2021 and 2022.

Sounds like you haven't been here very long, if your memory only goes back to covid.

I-82 implementation began in 2023.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because servers don't want it.

My brother is a professional bartender in DC who routinely makes tips that equal out $50-$60/hr. A slow night for him is leaving with only ~$250 in tips. He makes $600-$800 per night Thur-Sat.

People aren't going to tip with a high hourly wage in place, and no one who has been in the service industry as a career is going to keep doing it for $17.95/hr.

Service industry workers and restaurant owners tried to tell TPTB that a higher minimum wage would not work for all establishments. For a McDonald's? Sure, but at Le Diplomate, Zaytinya, or The Hamilton, nope. They can't keep their skilled workers at that rate.

That is simply false. People who eat out still tip 20%+. Read Tom Sietsema's WP chat. The anecdata is universal.

What happened was that restaurant owners got greedy and thought they could dupe the public into paying a ton of made-up fees. And so a lot of us stopped eating out.

Not true. The new line items for “service fees” that never really indicate if that is a tip or covering the general increase in business costs. When I see that fee already tacked on I’m not tipping on top of that. Theee needs to be more transparency.

As for people whining that businesses should just pay the higher minimum or “they shouldn’t be in business” are idiots. How much are you willing to to pay for burger and beer? That cost is paid for in the following ways: lay off staff or pass along cost to customer. If you are fine paying $25 for a burger at a neighborhood joint go right ahead.

I'm fine paying what I would have paid otherwise plus 15-20% to cover the cost of the tip because the total amount of money that is coming out of my pocket doesn't change. In fact, I greatly prefer eating at restaurants which have the full cost of the meal - including tips and taxes - in the menu price. Do you enjoy doing all the math in your head before you sit down to order, are you rich enough not to care, or do you get annoyed when the meal ends up costing more than what you thought it would?

Can people seriously not mentally add 20%?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because servers don't want it.

My brother is a professional bartender in DC who routinely makes tips that equal out $50-$60/hr. A slow night for him is leaving with only ~$250 in tips. He makes $600-$800 per night Thur-Sat.

People aren't going to tip with a high hourly wage in place, and no one who has been in the service industry as a career is going to keep doing it for $17.95/hr.

Service industry workers and restaurant owners tried to tell TPTB that a higher minimum wage would not work for all establishments. For a McDonald's? Sure, but at Le Diplomate, Zaytinya, or The Hamilton, nope. They can't keep their skilled workers at that rate.

That is simply false. People who eat out still tip 20%+. Read Tom Sietsema's WP chat. The anecdata is universal.

What happened was that restaurant owners got greedy and thought they could dupe the public into paying a ton of made-up fees. And so a lot of us stopped eating out.

Not true. The new line items for “service fees” that never really indicate if that is a tip or covering the general increase in business costs. When I see that fee already tacked on I’m not tipping on top of that. Theee needs to be more transparency.

As for people whining that businesses should just pay the higher minimum or “they shouldn’t be in business” are idiots. How much are you willing to to pay for burger and beer? That cost is paid for in the following ways: lay off staff or pass along cost to customer. If you are fine paying $25 for a burger at a neighborhood joint go right ahead.

I'm fine paying what I would have paid otherwise plus 15-20% to cover the cost of the tip because the total amount of money that is coming out of my pocket doesn't change. In fact, I greatly prefer eating at restaurants which have the full cost of the meal - including tips and taxes - in the menu price. Do you enjoy doing all the math in your head before you sit down to order, are you rich enough not to care, or do you get annoyed when the meal ends up costing more than what you thought it would?

Can people seriously not mentally add 20%?

It's not 20%. It's 10% (tax) x 20% (or 15% if the service sucks) = 32% (26.5%). No, I cannot mentally add 32%, 26.5% or whatever.

Any restaurant that presents me with a menu with what I actually have to pay has my business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because servers don't want it.

My brother is a professional bartender in DC who routinely makes tips that equal out $50-$60/hr. A slow night for him is leaving with only ~$250 in tips. He makes $600-$800 per night Thur-Sat.

People aren't going to tip with a high hourly wage in place, and no one who has been in the service industry as a career is going to keep doing it for $17.95/hr.

Service industry workers and restaurant owners tried to tell TPTB that a higher minimum wage would not work for all establishments. For a McDonald's? Sure, but at Le Diplomate, Zaytinya, or The Hamilton, nope. They can't keep their skilled workers at that rate.

That is simply false. People who eat out still tip 20%+. Read Tom Sietsema's WP chat. The anecdata is universal.

What happened was that restaurant owners got greedy and thought they could dupe the public into paying a ton of made-up fees. And so a lot of us stopped eating out.

This is why we’ve cut back considerably on going out or only frequent small town restaurants. I’m not paying $20-30 for watered down drinks, $50-75 for bland entrees and $15-20 for uninspired desserts, then be expected to pay 10% tax and 30% gratuity on top of that???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because servers don't want it.

My brother is a professional bartender in DC who routinely makes tips that equal out $50-$60/hr. A slow night for him is leaving with only ~$250 in tips. He makes $600-$800 per night Thur-Sat.

People aren't going to tip with a high hourly wage in place, and no one who has been in the service industry as a career is going to keep doing it for $17.95/hr.

Service industry workers and restaurant owners tried to tell TPTB that a higher minimum wage would not work for all establishments. For a McDonald's? Sure, but at Le Diplomate, Zaytinya, or The Hamilton, nope. They can't keep their skilled workers at that rate.

That is simply false. People who eat out still tip 20%+. Read Tom Sietsema's WP chat. The anecdata is universal.

What happened was that restaurant owners got greedy and thought they could dupe the public into paying a ton of made-up fees. And so a lot of us stopped eating out.

Not true. The new line items for “service fees” that never really indicate if that is a tip or covering the general increase in business costs. When I see that fee already tacked on I’m not tipping on top of that. Theee needs to be more transparency.

As for people whining that businesses should just pay the higher minimum or “they shouldn’t be in business” are idiots. How much are you willing to to pay for burger and beer? That cost is paid for in the following ways: lay off staff or pass along cost to customer. If you are fine paying $25 for a burger at a neighborhood joint go right ahead.

I'm fine paying what I would have paid otherwise plus 15-20% to cover the cost of the tip because the total amount of money that is coming out of my pocket doesn't change. In fact, I greatly prefer eating at restaurants which have the full cost of the meal - including tips and taxes - in the menu price. Do you enjoy doing all the math in your head before you sit down to order, are you rich enough not to care, or do you get annoyed when the meal ends up costing more than what you thought it would?

Can people seriously not mentally add 20%?

It's not 20%. It's 10% (tax) x 20% (or 15% if the service sucks) = 32% (26.5%). No, I cannot mentally add 32%, 26.5% or whatever.

Any restaurant that presents me with a menu with what I actually have to pay has my business.

Uh, are you tipping on the taxes?

[Anonymous]

I'm sure restaurants will find a reason to increase prices over this too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure restaurants will find a reason to increase prices over this too.

You have a very strange view of how economics works. Do you think restaurants are like monopolies and they have vast power to raise prices and there's nothing anyone can do about it? Restaurants are pretty interchangeable. If one place raises its prices too much, everyone will just go somewhere else and the first one will go out of business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because servers don't want it.

My brother is a professional bartender in DC who routinely makes tips that equal out $50-$60/hr. A slow night for him is leaving with only ~$250 in tips. He makes $600-$800 per night Thur-Sat.

People aren't going to tip with a high hourly wage in place, and no one who has been in the service industry as a career is going to keep doing it for $17.95/hr.

Service industry workers and restaurant owners tried to tell TPTB that a higher minimum wage would not work for all establishments. For a McDonald's? Sure, but at Le Diplomate, Zaytinya, or The Hamilton, nope. They can't keep their skilled workers at that rate.

That is simply false. People who eat out still tip 20%+. Read Tom Sietsema's WP chat. The anecdata is universal.

What happened was that restaurant owners got greedy and thought they could dupe the public into paying a ton of made-up fees. And so a lot of us stopped eating out.

Not true. The new line items for “service fees” that never really indicate if that is a tip or covering the general increase in business costs. When I see that fee already tacked on I’m not tipping on top of that. Theee needs to be more transparency.

As for people whining that businesses should just pay the higher minimum or “they shouldn’t be in business” are idiots. How much are you willing to to pay for burger and beer? That cost is paid for in the following ways: lay off staff or pass along cost to customer. If you are fine paying $25 for a burger at a neighborhood joint go right ahead.

The cost does not change.

Whether something is $20 + tax and tip or $24 + tax makes no difference to me.

[Anonymous]

I say keep initiative 82, but remove all local meal taxes. This will encourage people to eat out and support their neighborhood establishments. Portland famously has no meals tax and it’s a veritable food haven.

[Anonymous]

DC is stupidly expensive and 10000% not worth it.

Entrees run $50+ now for thoroughly mid food. $21+ cocktails or $18 wine. Appetizers all now costing like $20+. Then they want 20% service fees and try to claim "they don't go to the waiter", trying to subvertly pressure you into paying 20% more on top of all of that. They also are sneaky MFers and try to do all of the percentage charges AFTER taxes have been added in too.

Dining out in the US sucks overall. We only do it once or twice a year now because of how awful it is.

[Anonymous]

Have they considered that there are more restaurants in DC than the city can support?

[Anonymous]

Bowser also supports trump’s draconian RTO he rammed through, plus trump-stadium.

Bowser has turned 100% MAGA / MAHA.