“Bar Rescue” host and executive producer Jon Taffer warned inflationary policies put in place by Democrats are wrecking the restaurant industry.
Taffer said restaurants and retail stores will begin to shut down as Democratic states, namely California, have increased the pay rate during a high inflationary period and minimum wage increases.
“What we are living through now is a consequence of policies that have caused these inflationary impacts, these payroll impacts,” he told “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade. “So when we vote, we need to think about polices and how does that impact our individual communities as well as our nation. And these policies are gonna devastate many, many communities.”
Bar Rescue host Jon Taffer says Democrat policy will wreck restaurant policy pic.twitter.com/OrYzFCwbwd
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) June 21, 2024
Over 3,000 retail stores are shutting down across the U.S. as a result of inflation, a 24% increase of closures in comparison to 2023, Kilmeade said in the video. These closures include 315 CVS stores, 620 Family Dollar stores and 272 7-Eleven stores, a graph in the video shows. (RELATED: California Restaurants Are In Crisis As Regulations, Inflation Cost Owners)
Arby’s Roast Beef, which has been in business in Hollywood for 55 years, is closing down due to the $20 minimum wage hike, according to Fox Business. The owner’s son-in-law, Gary Husch, told the Los Angeles Times the minimum wage policy was the “nail in the coffin,” along with the pandemic and rising food costs.
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Taffer praised former President Donald Trump’s proposal to make tips tax-free, arguing the tips will benefit the employee and satisfy the consumer knowing that money will truly go to the employee.
The host added there is a “gloom” in the industry due to the rise in insurance, utility, occupancy and food costs.
“This has a consequence that goes far more than just the closing of stores, eliminating of jobs. Communities are losing their services. You know, drug stores are not gonna be there anymore, restaurants are not gonna be there anymore. So, this is consequential not only financially and from a real estate standpoint, but it’s consequential for quality of life, availability of services. This is not a small matter, this is gonna change communities,” he said.
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Taffer has previously criticized California’s new “junk fees” policy signed into law by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, noting the state should not interfere with the restaurant business, Yahoo! Finance reported. He reportedly said the inflationary costs across the U.S. will make products at restaurants more expensive.
“Prices are incredibly high now — a hamburger in some markets cost what a steak used to cost,” he previously said, according to the outlet.
Restaurant owners face serious financial concerns, with a third of their earnings paying for food and beverages, another third for employees and another 10% to 15% to administrative services and other costs, Taffer said, according to Yahoo! Finance. Restaurants across the U.S. have struggled to keep up with the rise of minimum wages, and around 59% of small businesses told The Wall Street Journal that higher labor costs were the biggest contributor to inflation in January.
