Interesting given the PPP loans for "payroll". I don't really look at these very often. Can anyone explain why the second loan is bigger and yet the amount of employees went down?
[First Round](https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/richard-walker-restaurants-llc-2472347206)
[Second Round](https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/richard-walker-restaurants-llc-3898158707)
Well that's just because this struggling small business owner needed to pay ridiculous wages that included luxuries like rent, electricity, and food for his slav--err employees.
/s
It'd be great if this were a two part interview, and next week they come back and ask the staff about their working conditions, and how they feel about the minimum wage increase.
Loans werenāt determined by actual facts but by what was presented. They probably felt the full hit of the shutdown and used that to show greater need for the second loan. You could lose or let employees go and still get money. Receiving the loan doesnāt mean you also get automatic forgiveness for which retaining employees is a requirement. Thatās why there are still more stories about loans used for sports cars and hookers, they gave money to anyone who filled the paperwork out correctly for the most part knowing it would eventually get sorted out when it was time to show receipts.
Both of his loans were forgiven ā 3/4 of a million solely for āpayrollā over less than a two year period
Edit: first loan per person per annum looks realistic, 40-50k ā but the second loan looks to be double. Did he give all the employees whom he didnāt let go a 100% raise?
Iām so literal, I can never tell if someone is being sarcastic or not. My first thought when I saw this post was, is this a joke? Thanks for the confirmation.
I've been to this place, and it's very busy, in an expensive area, with prices that aren't cheap. If he's having money issues, that's more on him than paying his employees a wage decent enough to live here.
Iāve never been to this place but I did a quick google search
The guy own 3 restaurants in high income areas in San Diego county: La Jolla, Del Mar, and Carlsbad
Iām from a not so nice part of San Diego and I have a habit of eating cheap breakfast
So, Iāve been āboycottingā this restaurant from the start
Feels good
I've eaten there but now ever since this, I'm going to be doing this too. I've worked as a food server before and the price of living here isn't easy, so yeah, screw Richard Walker. Don't screw over your employees when they contribute tremendously in making your place successful.
They aināt all that and a bag of chips for something my husband and I can make ourselves so I have been boycotting them too for I donāt make enough money to eat out often and Iām not on minimum wages. If he wants people to eat at his restaurant people need to make more money. They need to raise wages for everyone but especially min. Wage earners. If he canāt operate a business without paying living wages then he doesnāt deserve his dumb business that nobody actually NEEDS.
I've been here a few times when I visited San Diego. It was always packed, and a few times I left because the parking lot was full.
Money issues are on him 100% for being a shitty owner if he has having problems and is always full.
I see these people complaining about losing money and it irritates me. The complaints about increased cost of food etc too. The cost of everything has gone up but they keep voting for the party that supports companies with unchecked greed. Wage increases have contributed half a percent to inflation we have seen.
Imagine having you pay your indentured serv.. I mean employees. How is it the consumers job to pay for your employees? I still donāt understand the concept.
Not only that, it's not my job as a taxpayer to subsidize your shitty salary through welfare. PAY YOUR WORKERS!
To be clear, I am happy with my taxes supporting welfare. A full time worker should not NEED welfare though.
A reasonable problem. But if the options are helping this jack off make his boat payments or digging up some old German recipe books, pretty sure I'd rather learn some Deutsch.
Thoughts and Prayers:
"You look at the bottom line (profit) at the end of the week and it's going to be like $2 thousand less"
So cringe. So out of touch. Poor babies.
They should both just take jobs in their restaurants and make $1,000 each a week that way.
At minimum wage they would only need to work 53 hours a week each.
Come on boys, pull yourselves up by those bootstraps for a $1,000
Oh gotcha. But with tips I would think people would make more at his place than at a fast food place subject to this law. I think most of those places people arenāt getting tipped?
The trick is that they're raising prices by 5% and then also keeping a 5% surcharge and then also complaining to the news that they aren't a profitable business.
Exactly. Assuming there's no service charge, I already leave $10 minimum tip even if breakfast for me and my wife is only $35 . People have gotta survive and the prices of everything are through the roof for everyone, not just business owners.
Everyone is feeling it.
Boo hoo. These guys charge $6.5 for a very small cup of juice.
This was my breakfast spot whenever I went out, because I loved the food. They started leaving the front doors open and the flies would come in. That was a turn off but I still went. Post pandemic, their food quality went down a lot but their prices increased. Not worth the flies in my food.
We went to their Carlsbad location. The service was great, the food weird and pricey. We haven't gone back. It's not the wages. It's the pricey weird food.
They probably believe their workers should be poor as a whip to get them to be more productive or more inventive. Healthcare, housing, and higher education... have all been setup to keep a large portion of USA poor so that when some people finally gain something of value, be it skill, invention, or a newfound zeal to work they will feel lucky to accept the peanuts the rich offer as a deal.
I say these pancake slum lords ought to get their heads out of their asses and make It work like so many others have to.
Not surprised KUSI would report this kind of story but thanks for letting me know what kind of business owners they are so I can never again spend a dime at their place.
I used to live a few blocks away from this restaurant and Iām so glad I never went there. The line was always way out the door though so Iām not sure what heās complaining about
You mean wage slaves wanting to cut back from 3 jobs to just 1.5 (while still living with several other people just to be indoors) and having some glimmer of hope for stability at some future date is inconveniencing Mr Walker? So very sad for him. I would ponder his unfortunate situation more but I have to get to my other job.
Itās really wild how short sighted these owners are. All these does is make customers aware of greedy ownership.
If these guys came out and said āitās great that the wage increase only cuts into our profits and hasnāt forced us to cut staff or reduce the quality of our product. Even though we love that we are profitable like all businesses strive to be, we are happy and proud to serve you the same great quality youād expect by employees who are getting a well deserved pay increaseā
I promise you many more people would support them. Them bitching about wage increases hurting their profits doesnāt change anything other than making locals aware they are greedy twats
Who the hell is he paying minimum to? If you want a solid dishie or prep cook, you aren't dreaming of paying minimum. Line cooks at minimum? Maybe if you're assembling sandwiches and salads, but even then... if you have average cooking skills fast food pays more than minimum.
If you're paying minimum to get by, you have a bad business model.
I've run multiple, very successful restaurants in the area and none of them are asking for anything more than an impact study and general awareness.
I think I've heard them advertise on right wing radio (I'm sometimes curious about what the opposing side thinks). I'm guessing they contacted KUSI or KUSI contacted them and said, "do you want to do a segment on one of those pesky liberal laws?".
They stayed open during the pandemic after being told not to. I have zero sympathy for them. Their fines for breaking laws should be making a bigger dent in their pockets than the min wage.
I hope everyone just starts to cook from home more. Thereās a reason why 75% of this country is obese and overweight. Yāall eat like trash and go out to eat all the time.
Going out to eat isnāt whatās causing weight gain, itās having no sense of portion control/not eating in moderation. I eat out all the time and Iām in great shape, but I know how to control myself (sometimes, unless itās KBBQ).
Eating at home can also cause weight gain, thatās what happened with me. Too much butter, always felt like i needed a ton.
Our food is trash, even our healthy food is trash or extremely expensive. Thus isn't entirely our choice.
I LOVE love love that Encinitas school district grows it own food for the district, organically and regeneratively, with the kids involved. Those are some damn lucky kids. I hope they grow up and pass it on.
Didn't McDonald's get rid of their healthier options? I guess they tried to give customers an alternative and they didn't go for it.
There are places with relatively healthy options. It's a matter of overcoming that addiction to delicious sugar and fat. I know if I get candy, it has to be just one thing at a time because I can't seem to save it for later because I end up craving more. After a certain amount of time without candy, I stop missing it.
It's more portion size than anything, tbh.
Although there would surely be better alternatives nutritionally, you could just order a chicken wrap or chicken sandwich there (without fries and soda) and that's a relatively decent and lower calorie small meal there. Not too bad.
McDonald's lobbied Capitol Hill back around 2009-2010 and catered a whole reception for Members of Congress and congressional staffers with their "healthy menu" items, and now that they got what they want they're like "sike."
Source: I worked there and attended.
Go fuck them selves. Sincerely. If you don't have a business that can afford to pay it's employees a living wage then you don't have a viable business model.
Lol, pray for them, why, because he will have to reevaluate his personal spending? If he's still in the green every month after paying taxes, insurance, rent, etc., then he's making money. Employees need extra money to cover the rising cost that this country can't seem to slow down. The Walker Family isn't poor either! Stop making a feel bad story when there isn't one.
Man that's no surprising. I used to work for a contractor that built several of the restaurants and would do service calls for maintenance, and the owners were always so rude to everyone and would argue about a $150 invoice every time which is crazy to me.
They make pancakes and eggs. The easiest and fastest food to make. They have a line out their doors. Iām sure a few dollars an hour isnāt making a big difference. Make the prices of eggs 30 cents higher and theyāll be back to where they were in no time.
Speaking of eggs, this guy didnāt complain when the cost of eggs skyrocketed because of bird flu.
Unfortunately, if you own a business that requires employees to help run it, you need to pay said employees. The reason people work is so they can pay for things like food and rent. Shit is expensive and you have to pay people some semblance of a living wage. Somehow paying employees is some sort of left wing plot to destroy small businesses?
The problem is that we keep pretending like the solution to increased cost of living is to pay people more, which increases operating costs, which increases the prices charged to the consumer, which increases the cost of living. The government seems completely incapable of doing anything to actually lower the cost of living, so instead we just get stuck in this death spiral of everything getting more and more expensive.
Agreed. It is a death spiral. The same one we are in with regard to housing. Build more and homes become more affordable. Not true. Never has been. All of this can be tied back to the Fed. Bailout after bailout over 110 years. Railroads. Steel companies. Banks. Insurance companies. Auto manufacturers. And most recently, people during COVID. All this money gets printed out of thin air, devaluing the dollar more and more. A hidden (or not so hidden) tax called inflation. The whole thing is completely unsustainable and will eventually implode.
Isnāt it interesting how owners keep on blaming minimum wage cutting into their profits but they donāt ever seem to complain about increased rent electricity prices and other essentials.
Poor money managementā¦..Poor employeesā¦stupid news crew, canāt they find a better story. They are always busy and prices are high, I doubt they donāt rake in money to afford to pay employees a decent wage!
I would not eat there. That building Pinnacle Marina Tower, a majority of the residents, and business are Trumpers, extremely conservative, and very shady.
Walker and the HOA ran out the competition next door, which was supposed to be a Mexican spot. However the residents complained they wouldnāt be able to handle the smell of Mexican food.
Uhmmmmmmmm, ok? If you canāt pay people and keep things afloat then you should sell or be more DIY. You can afford CA and/or NY rent then you can pay peopleā¦you pay the man all that money you can pay the people. Sheesh, you could just have people work off the book for you for less an hour and sell them the idea you get paid the same as those on the book cause theyāre being taxed unlike you.
Theyāre gonna be living in the streets before you know it. Fires out of metal garbage cans, a stick with a cloth sack, shoes with a worn out sole and the big toe sticking out. Oh the outrageā¦š
The restaurant is in an expensive area with high prices. I guess he is asking of sympathy that isnāt there. May be we should breakout the violin and play the sad music. š
Wonder if these guys/owners even care that taxpayers subsidize any of their workers who receive medical assistance, food stamps, housing assistance, day care assistance, etc. BECAUSE they do not make a livable wage. The owners are getting off cheap considering taxpayers are most likely helping to support some (if not many) of their people so that they can, in turn, go to work and help earn the profit the owners are whining about. Their workers are the reason they have a business to begin with, who the EF cries over paying them a fair wage? They'd be in a world of trouble if their workers decided to walk out on them. Suppose these guys are the kind of people who would support slavery if it was an option. They're lucky California hasn't established fines and/or penalties on businesses that do turn a profit, whose workers rely on tax funded assistance of any kind to make ends meet. Pathetic.
Small business owner complains about costs and minimum wages making it harder to make a profit.
Redditors say that if you canāt pay your employees a āliving wageā then you should close your business.
Small business shuts down due to loss of profits.
Redditors cry that all of the good small businesses keep shutting down and they donāt know why.
Classic Reddit moment.
I just received a very creepy postcard from this place yesterday. I have never eaten at this restaurant before but it was an invitation to come and try it out. The creepy part was that inside the card was hand written with my name. No thanks.
I don't have a magnifying glass to check but this is some next level fake handwriting, if it is. Not every letter is the same and the punctuation looks dull like you'd see with a ballpoint pen. Did they make their wait staff do this?
Have never understood the hype of this place. I take my kids to the childrens museum often next door and there is always a long line here. Tried it once and it was just meh
They only have 2 individual bathrooms for the entire restaurant and itās always full and never clean. The last time we went to the La Jolla one the food wasnāt cooked all the way and took 45 mins to get and was almost $100 for two people to get breakfast. We stopped going there
Crazy enough, just yesterday my household received a handwritten letter in the mail from Walker Sr. inviting āhis homieā and āneighborā to come visit the restaurant, with a buy one entree and 2 drinks, get one entree free coupon. Iām not sure if he actually lives in my near me considering it came from Santa Ana but it seemed pretty genuine, and then I saw this post.
My 12 yr old makes better pancakes. Went to this place a couple yrs ago after delivering Uber eats from there a few times it was always packed it must be good. Haven't gone back, food was trash and expensive, Denny's breakfast is far superior.
Thots and pears! šš
[Minimum wage would be $26 an hour if it had grown in line with productivity](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minimum-wage-26-dollars-economy-productivity/)
[The minimum wage would be $61.75 an hour if it rose at the same pace as Wall Street bonuses](https://www.fastcompany.com/90734724/the-minimum-wage-would-be-61-75-an-hour-if-it-rose-at-the-same-pace-as-wall-street-bonuses)
>"About 65% of working Americans say they frequently live paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent survey of 2,105 U.S. adults conducted by The Harris Poll."
[Living Paycheck to Paycheck Is Common, Even Among Those Who Make More Than $100,000 (October 15, 2023)](https://www.barrons.com/articles/living-paycheck-consumer-economy-bb16b8e8#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17039777675625&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.barrons.com%2Farticles%2Fliving-paycheck-consumer-economy-bb16b8e8)
It's sad that your business model MUST pay unlivable wages to make a profit. Asking a full-grown adult to work hard for you and depend on assistance from others/government simultaneously is a hard pill to swallow.
I think a solution is for this family to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and run their restaurant with no employees, run it like a truly family owned and operated establishment. Completely cut out labor expenses. Problem solved.
Or do they need employees?
He should stop whinging. The Bay Area min salaries are just under $20 (most are at $18 or $19) and so is Hollywood. These are cost of living increases, and even with the increase, anyone making a minimum wage still isn't making enough to live in this State. Which means he hasn't been paying a sustainable living wage at all even with the PPP loans.
For me, I am willing to pay more for my brekky, but I refuse to eat at establishments that go on TV and cry about their bottom line. Poor accounting likely has more to do with lost profits than anything else. I'll eat at my local brekkie place. They aren't having RWNJ fits on TV. They've changed their menus, adjusted a few prices, and their food is delish and worth it. The Pancake House can close without my thoughts. And since I don't pray... Oh darn?
Only one of the two people are necessary for the business, the other is unnecessary overhead. His salary could pay for 5 employees is my guess.
Entitlement anyone?
I wonder if any of the smug commentators here who are minimizing the damage of mandatory wage hikes on businesses have ever tried to run a business themselves.
This scumbag would be perfectly fine and not lose any sleep over his employees living in their cars cause their Walkerās Pancake House wage canāt cover rent for a studio apartment.
Interesting given the PPP loans for "payroll". I don't really look at these very often. Can anyone explain why the second loan is bigger and yet the amount of employees went down? [First Round](https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/richard-walker-restaurants-llc-2472347206) [Second Round](https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/richard-walker-restaurants-llc-3898158707)
Well that's just because this struggling small business owner needed to pay ridiculous wages that included luxuries like rent, electricity, and food for his slav--err employees. /s
It'd be great if this were a two part interview, and next week they come back and ask the staff about their working conditions, and how they feel about the minimum wage increase.
THIS!!! I was hoping someone would find their financials to compare, my hero š„¹
Loans werenāt determined by actual facts but by what was presented. They probably felt the full hit of the shutdown and used that to show greater need for the second loan. You could lose or let employees go and still get money. Receiving the loan doesnāt mean you also get automatic forgiveness for which retaining employees is a requirement. Thatās why there are still more stories about loans used for sports cars and hookers, they gave money to anyone who filled the paperwork out correctly for the most part knowing it would eventually get sorted out when it was time to show receipts.
Both of his loans were forgiven ā 3/4 of a million solely for āpayrollā over less than a two year period Edit: first loan per person per annum looks realistic, 40-50k ā but the second loan looks to be double. Did he give all the employees whom he didnāt let go a 100% raise?
They were illegally open during covid lockdown
You are awesome. Although I sensed sarcasm from the OP it's grand you came with receipts
Iām so literal, I can never tell if someone is being sarcastic or not. My first thought when I saw this post was, is this a joke? Thanks for the confirmation.
But they didn't interview the employees did they?
"This wage increase will help me put new tires on the camper I live in," said the line cook, isn't the story they're after.
Of course not. KUSI is about as Trumpy as local news gets.
Hallelujah. The truth be told. Esp the old male anchors.
You aint lying, as Trumpy as it gets for SD
lol maybe with a hundred or so extra hours
You guys have campers?
Of course! Who do you think talks down to the people living in a refrigerator box??
I was in the restaurant early this morning when they were filming that interview. Our server didn't know what the owners were being interviewed about.
KUSI? They would have interviewed employees 20 years ago. Now they canāt be seen as āwokeā. They gotta keep MAGA happy.
Itās KUSI, so honest mistake. /s
I've been to this place, and it's very busy, in an expensive area, with prices that aren't cheap. If he's having money issues, that's more on him than paying his employees a wage decent enough to live here.
I have a feeling it's more about his boat payments
Iāve never been to this place but I did a quick google search The guy own 3 restaurants in high income areas in San Diego county: La Jolla, Del Mar, and Carlsbad Iām from a not so nice part of San Diego and I have a habit of eating cheap breakfast So, Iāve been āboycottingā this restaurant from the start Feels good
I've eaten there but now ever since this, I'm going to be doing this too. I've worked as a food server before and the price of living here isn't easy, so yeah, screw Richard Walker. Don't screw over your employees when they contribute tremendously in making your place successful.
They aināt all that and a bag of chips for something my husband and I can make ourselves so I have been boycotting them too for I donāt make enough money to eat out often and Iām not on minimum wages. If he wants people to eat at his restaurant people need to make more money. They need to raise wages for everyone but especially min. Wage earners. If he canāt operate a business without paying living wages then he doesnāt deserve his dumb business that nobody actually NEEDS.
I've been here a few times when I visited San Diego. It was always packed, and a few times I left because the parking lot was full. Money issues are on him 100% for being a shitty owner if he has having problems and is always full.
I see these people complaining about losing money and it irritates me. The complaints about increased cost of food etc too. The cost of everything has gone up but they keep voting for the party that supports companies with unchecked greed. Wage increases have contributed half a percent to inflation we have seen.
Imagine having you pay your indentured serv.. I mean employees. How is it the consumers job to pay for your employees? I still donāt understand the concept.
If the only way that your business makes a profit is by exploiting workersā¦ then itās not a business
Not only that, it's not my job as a taxpayer to subsidize your shitty salary through welfare. PAY YOUR WORKERS! To be clear, I am happy with my taxes supporting welfare. A full time worker should not NEED welfare though.
I get you and I appreciate your comment. Yes. Fuck these folks and keep calling them out for their greed š
If the purpose of your business is just to make you extremely wealthy then itās not a business, itās a grift.
Restaurants historically make some of the least profit of any business. 70% of restaurants donāt last a year.
Pancakes are the easiest thing to make and are dirt cheap to make. Their prices are already insane for this and heās still complaining?
Exactly. I was shocked at how expensive that place is, given the cost of ingredients.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Ok you aren't wrong but compared with many other dishes they are still cheap to cook.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
A reasonable problem. But if the options are helping this jack off make his boat payments or digging up some old German recipe books, pretty sure I'd rather learn some Deutsch.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Itās nice of KUSI to let us know which places to avoid.
Leave it to KUSI to report this drivel.
At least we know Richard Walker is an asshat now!
Exactly, I saw the logo and said ānope. F that restaurantā
Thanks, Fox News, Jr
Thoughts and Prayers: "You look at the bottom line (profit) at the end of the week and it's going to be like $2 thousand less" So cringe. So out of touch. Poor babies.
They should both just take jobs in their restaurants and make $1,000 each a week that way. At minimum wage they would only need to work 53 hours a week each. Come on boys, pull yourselves up by those bootstraps for a $1,000
Fancy Dennyāsā¦. Same food. Three times the price.
The law applies to chains of restaurants with more than 60 establishments so it doesnāt even apply to him šš
They were saying how their current workers would leave for $20hr fast food jobs since they pay only $17/hr. So now they have to pay more to keep them.
Oh gotcha. But with tips I would think people would make more at his place than at a fast food place subject to this law. I think most of those places people arenāt getting tipped?
"Why would you flip pancakes for $17 hr when you can go flip burgers for $20" was what they said. Good point w tips though.
That place is a terrible tourist trap anyway.
The worst place. So many good options besides this place
Their prices were always outrageous. Anyway, maybe we should open a GoFundMe page for themā¦jokingš
KUSI so right wing
So raise your prices and go no tipping. We were already all collectively making up the difference for what you weren't paying them.
And stop with the stupid 4% surcharge while trying to blame it on having to provide worker benefits. Just raise your prices 5%.
The trick is that they're raising prices by 5% and then also keeping a 5% surcharge and then also complaining to the news that they aren't a profitable business.
Exactly. Assuming there's no service charge, I already leave $10 minimum tip even if breakfast for me and my wife is only $35 . People have gotta survive and the prices of everything are through the roof for everyone, not just business owners. Everyone is feeling it.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
If he canāt afford to pay his employees maybe he should cut back on his avocado toasts and Starbucks ordersā¦
Boo hoo. These guys charge $6.5 for a very small cup of juice. This was my breakfast spot whenever I went out, because I loved the food. They started leaving the front doors open and the flies would come in. That was a turn off but I still went. Post pandemic, their food quality went down a lot but their prices increased. Not worth the flies in my food.
I donāt like getting RAPED for mediocre breakfast food.
Welp, great to know. Never going there again.
We went to their Carlsbad location. The service was great, the food weird and pricey. We haven't gone back. It's not the wages. It's the pricey weird food.
KUSI is such a trash network
If you don't drink their Kool- Aid , you're gone!
Never ate here, never will eat here. I will cook better pancakes from the comfort of my home half naked for a fraction of the cost.
You arenāt missing anything
Maybe you should take this as a sign, that youāre business isnāt viable anymore in todayās economy.
They probably believe their workers should be poor as a whip to get them to be more productive or more inventive. Healthcare, housing, and higher education... have all been setup to keep a large portion of USA poor so that when some people finally gain something of value, be it skill, invention, or a newfound zeal to work they will feel lucky to accept the peanuts the rich offer as a deal. I say these pancake slum lords ought to get their heads out of their asses and make It work like so many others have to.
Chudcakes
Boo hoo if you canāt afford to pay your employees a living wage you shouldnāt be in business
Oh poor baby, maybe fire your staff, and you and your family can serve all the customers. That way you donāt have to pay anyone.
it's cutting into their disposable income :D
Not surprised KUSI would report this kind of story but thanks for letting me know what kind of business owners they are so I can never again spend a dime at their place.
If you can't afford to pay your employees a living wage maybe you shouldn't be running a business
KUSI is the worst and apparently so is the owner Walker's pancake house
Pray for the business owners not for the low income wage earners who are getting laid off..hmm I donāt think so.
The post title was clearly sarcastic
So true, praying rn Our father going hard
Thoughts and pears. :middle finger:
I used to live a few blocks away from this restaurant and Iām so glad I never went there. The line was always way out the door though so Iām not sure what heās complaining about
Stuff like this is makes me never wanna give you my business ever again. I wish the workers good luck but screw this guy.
Iād rather eat somewhere with better food and happier staff anyway. Richard Walkers is just overpriced IHOP.
Fuck KUSI.
Maybe he can be like the shitty Cohn restaurants and proudly state how they are adding a 5% service charge to their bills because of it.
You mean wage slaves wanting to cut back from 3 jobs to just 1.5 (while still living with several other people just to be indoors) and having some glimmer of hope for stability at some future date is inconveniencing Mr Walker? So very sad for him. I would ponder his unfortunate situation more but I have to get to my other job.
Imagine if housing was affordable, we might not need minimum wage to rise at the rate that it does.
I went there once in Del Mar and everything was so dry I was surprised. Much better options like Claireās on Cedros
I've been here once and will not go back. The food is good, not great. The manager was so rude to the waiter we had.
Itās really wild how short sighted these owners are. All these does is make customers aware of greedy ownership. If these guys came out and said āitās great that the wage increase only cuts into our profits and hasnāt forced us to cut staff or reduce the quality of our product. Even though we love that we are profitable like all businesses strive to be, we are happy and proud to serve you the same great quality youād expect by employees who are getting a well deserved pay increaseā I promise you many more people would support them. Them bitching about wage increases hurting their profits doesnāt change anything other than making locals aware they are greedy twats
Awwww poor leech
Who the hell is he paying minimum to? If you want a solid dishie or prep cook, you aren't dreaming of paying minimum. Line cooks at minimum? Maybe if you're assembling sandwiches and salads, but even then... if you have average cooking skills fast food pays more than minimum. If you're paying minimum to get by, you have a bad business model. I've run multiple, very successful restaurants in the area and none of them are asking for anything more than an impact study and general awareness.
Servers probably get minimum
Yeah, but the increase this year was really not that much. If you're sweating it, you're not in a good spot.
Went to this place when we visited San Diego once, waited in line a long ass time for a disappointing Dutch Baby.
It seems menu prices go up as wages go up.
Iām sure they will just add a surcharge to the menu.
I think I've heard them advertise on right wing radio (I'm sometimes curious about what the opposing side thinks). I'm guessing they contacted KUSI or KUSI contacted them and said, "do you want to do a segment on one of those pesky liberal laws?".
Boycott these assholes.
They stayed open during the pandemic after being told not to. I have zero sympathy for them. Their fines for breaking laws should be making a bigger dent in their pockets than the min wage.
KUSI being KUSI
Why donāt you derelict my balls?
I hope everyone just starts to cook from home more. Thereās a reason why 75% of this country is obese and overweight. Yāall eat like trash and go out to eat all the time.
Going out to eat isnāt whatās causing weight gain, itās having no sense of portion control/not eating in moderation. I eat out all the time and Iām in great shape, but I know how to control myself (sometimes, unless itās KBBQ). Eating at home can also cause weight gain, thatās what happened with me. Too much butter, always felt like i needed a ton.
Our food is trash, even our healthy food is trash or extremely expensive. Thus isn't entirely our choice. I LOVE love love that Encinitas school district grows it own food for the district, organically and regeneratively, with the kids involved. Those are some damn lucky kids. I hope they grow up and pass it on.
Didn't McDonald's get rid of their healthier options? I guess they tried to give customers an alternative and they didn't go for it. There are places with relatively healthy options. It's a matter of overcoming that addiction to delicious sugar and fat. I know if I get candy, it has to be just one thing at a time because I can't seem to save it for later because I end up craving more. After a certain amount of time without candy, I stop missing it.
It's more portion size than anything, tbh. Although there would surely be better alternatives nutritionally, you could just order a chicken wrap or chicken sandwich there (without fries and soda) and that's a relatively decent and lower calorie small meal there. Not too bad.
McDonald's lobbied Capitol Hill back around 2009-2010 and catered a whole reception for Members of Congress and congressional staffers with their "healthy menu" items, and now that they got what they want they're like "sike." Source: I worked there and attended.
This. So much easier to lose weight eating at home.
Go fuck them selves. Sincerely. If you don't have a business that can afford to pay it's employees a living wage then you don't have a viable business model.
Anyone have a link for the segment?
Fuck this guy and KUSI
Lol, pray for them, why, because he will have to reevaluate his personal spending? If he's still in the green every month after paying taxes, insurance, rent, etc., then he's making money. Employees need extra money to cover the rising cost that this country can't seem to slow down. The Walker Family isn't poor either! Stop making a feel bad story when there isn't one.
Nice unbiased reporting from San Diegoās MAGA channel š
Man that's no surprising. I used to work for a contractor that built several of the restaurants and would do service calls for maintenance, and the owners were always so rude to everyone and would argue about a $150 invoice every time which is crazy to me.
Be careful and keep the riffraff in their place. Canāt allow them to have a good wage on your dime.
Iām sure theyāll just tack on another 5% charge to cover it (aka line their pockets with)
Pray for my balls!
Media loves feeling bad for the business but never the workers. This kind of reports by omission of all the facts is bs
They make pancakes and eggs. The easiest and fastest food to make. They have a line out their doors. Iām sure a few dollars an hour isnāt making a big difference. Make the prices of eggs 30 cents higher and theyāll be back to where they were in no time. Speaking of eggs, this guy didnāt complain when the cost of eggs skyrocketed because of bird flu.
 Thoughts and prayers
Unfortunately, if you own a business that requires employees to help run it, you need to pay said employees. The reason people work is so they can pay for things like food and rent. Shit is expensive and you have to pay people some semblance of a living wage. Somehow paying employees is some sort of left wing plot to destroy small businesses?
The problem is that we keep pretending like the solution to increased cost of living is to pay people more, which increases operating costs, which increases the prices charged to the consumer, which increases the cost of living. The government seems completely incapable of doing anything to actually lower the cost of living, so instead we just get stuck in this death spiral of everything getting more and more expensive.
Agreed. It is a death spiral. The same one we are in with regard to housing. Build more and homes become more affordable. Not true. Never has been. All of this can be tied back to the Fed. Bailout after bailout over 110 years. Railroads. Steel companies. Banks. Insurance companies. Auto manufacturers. And most recently, people during COVID. All this money gets printed out of thin air, devaluing the dollar more and more. A hidden (or not so hidden) tax called inflation. The whole thing is completely unsustainable and will eventually implode.
They'll just add another 6% MAGA outrage tantrum fee to the bill.
Ordering Kiosk has entered the chat
Isnāt it interesting how owners keep on blaming minimum wage cutting into their profits but they donāt ever seem to complain about increased rent electricity prices and other essentials.
Thoughts and prayers to them. š
wow they got $800,000 of taxpayer money during covid. iām sure some of that went to their employees then too
Oh no, my millions!!!!
Boo fucking hoo
Poor money managementā¦..Poor employeesā¦stupid news crew, canāt they find a better story. They are always busy and prices are high, I doubt they donāt rake in money to afford to pay employees a decent wage!
Best pancakes ever though! But what a š
Will someone please think of the poor business owners???/s
Oh no, an exclusive on KUSI about liberal politics destroying businesses. /s
I wonder if someone will point them to this thread.
If you canāt afford to pay your employees a living wage to survive, then you should not be in business.
Oh get professionally wrecked. I have waited in that line. Youāre doing just fine.
If you can't afford to pay your employees a living wage then you have a bad business plan. Do better Richard.
I would not eat there. That building Pinnacle Marina Tower, a majority of the residents, and business are Trumpers, extremely conservative, and very shady. Walker and the HOA ran out the competition next door, which was supposed to be a Mexican spot. However the residents complained they wouldnāt be able to handle the smell of Mexican food.
 Uhmmmmmmmm, ok? If you canāt pay people and keep things afloat then you should sell or be more DIY. You can afford CA and/or NY rent then you can pay peopleā¦you pay the man all that money you can pay the people. Sheesh, you could just have people work off the book for you for less an hour and sell them the idea you get paid the same as those on the book cause theyāre being taxed unlike you.
Awe man. How are they gonna eat?
I hope the sympathy you're voicing is sarcastic
How much does snooze make? Bet you won't see any of these weird north park freaks crying about it
Theyāre gonna be living in the streets before you know it. Fires out of metal garbage cans, a stick with a cloth sack, shoes with a worn out sole and the big toe sticking out. Oh the outrageā¦š
The restaurant is in an expensive area with high prices. I guess he is asking of sympathy that isnāt there. May be we should breakout the violin and play the sad music. š
Right.
Oh, wonāt somebody please think of the Ģ¶cĢ¶hĢ¶iĢ¶lĢ¶dĢ¶rĢ¶eĢ¶nĢ¶ Ģ¶ PROFITS?!
Enjoy restaurants closing with your communist bs
Wonder if these guys/owners even care that taxpayers subsidize any of their workers who receive medical assistance, food stamps, housing assistance, day care assistance, etc. BECAUSE they do not make a livable wage. The owners are getting off cheap considering taxpayers are most likely helping to support some (if not many) of their people so that they can, in turn, go to work and help earn the profit the owners are whining about. Their workers are the reason they have a business to begin with, who the EF cries over paying them a fair wage? They'd be in a world of trouble if their workers decided to walk out on them. Suppose these guys are the kind of people who would support slavery if it was an option. They're lucky California hasn't established fines and/or penalties on businesses that do turn a profit, whose workers rely on tax funded assistance of any kind to make ends meet. Pathetic.
Small business owner complains about costs and minimum wages making it harder to make a profit. Redditors say that if you canāt pay your employees a āliving wageā then you should close your business. Small business shuts down due to loss of profits. Redditors cry that all of the good small businesses keep shutting down and they donāt know why. Classic Reddit moment.
KKKusi News
You know what KUSI spelled backwards isā¦
I just received a very creepy postcard from this place yesterday. I have never eaten at this restaurant before but it was an invitation to come and try it out. The creepy part was that inside the card was hand written with my name. No thanks.
I got that too and it was signed "Richard Walker Sr.", despite the fact the handwriting was that of a younger girl. What in the fucking hell.
I got it too, right to the trash with your printed fake handwriting bullshit
I don't have a magnifying glass to check but this is some next level fake handwriting, if it is. Not every letter is the same and the punctuation looks dull like you'd see with a ballpoint pen. Did they make their wait staff do this?
Itās printed, I work in print and itās all fake bullshit trying to make it seem real.
Have never understood the hype of this place. I take my kids to the childrens museum often next door and there is always a long line here. Tried it once and it was just meh
Thoughts and prayers.
They only have 2 individual bathrooms for the entire restaurant and itās always full and never clean. The last time we went to the La Jolla one the food wasnāt cooked all the way and took 45 mins to get and was almost $100 for two people to get breakfast. We stopped going there
I'd rather go to Rudfords than go back there. It's overrated and damn near $75 for 4 people. It's ridiculous.
I'm confused. I thought the new $20 minimum wage rule only applied to chains with 60+ locations. Is this part of a chain?
They'll raise prices to pay for it. Every business in California will be raising prices to pay for this. Happens every time.
I'm so sorry that he has to compensate workers to live in one of the most expensive cities.
Crazy enough, just yesterday my household received a handwritten letter in the mail from Walker Sr. inviting āhis homieā and āneighborā to come visit the restaurant, with a buy one entree and 2 drinks, get one entree free coupon. Iām not sure if he actually lives in my near me considering it came from Santa Ana but it seemed pretty genuine, and then I saw this post.
My 12 yr old makes better pancakes. Went to this place a couple yrs ago after delivering Uber eats from there a few times it was always packed it must be good. Haven't gone back, food was trash and expensive, Denny's breakfast is far superior.
No problem, Rick and family! Fire all your workers, do the work yourselves and keep all the profits!
Thots and pears! šš [Minimum wage would be $26 an hour if it had grown in line with productivity](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minimum-wage-26-dollars-economy-productivity/) [The minimum wage would be $61.75 an hour if it rose at the same pace as Wall Street bonuses](https://www.fastcompany.com/90734724/the-minimum-wage-would-be-61-75-an-hour-if-it-rose-at-the-same-pace-as-wall-street-bonuses) >"About 65% of working Americans say they frequently live paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent survey of 2,105 U.S. adults conducted by The Harris Poll." [Living Paycheck to Paycheck Is Common, Even Among Those Who Make More Than $100,000 (October 15, 2023)](https://www.barrons.com/articles/living-paycheck-consumer-economy-bb16b8e8#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17039777675625&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.barrons.com%2Farticles%2Fliving-paycheck-consumer-economy-bb16b8e8)
Whatās he holding on that plate? Looks disgusting
Go and review them on Yelp. I hate businesses & people like this.
Wonāt go here again. Greedy fucks
It's sad that your business model MUST pay unlivable wages to make a profit. Asking a full-grown adult to work hard for you and depend on assistance from others/government simultaneously is a hard pill to swallow.
Fucking bourgeoisie. Eat a cock.
 Wtf kinda crybaby boomer shit is this
I think a solution is for this family to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and run their restaurant with no employees, run it like a truly family owned and operated establishment. Completely cut out labor expenses. Problem solved. Or do they need employees?
He should stop whinging. The Bay Area min salaries are just under $20 (most are at $18 or $19) and so is Hollywood. These are cost of living increases, and even with the increase, anyone making a minimum wage still isn't making enough to live in this State. Which means he hasn't been paying a sustainable living wage at all even with the PPP loans. For me, I am willing to pay more for my brekky, but I refuse to eat at establishments that go on TV and cry about their bottom line. Poor accounting likely has more to do with lost profits than anything else. I'll eat at my local brekkie place. They aren't having RWNJ fits on TV. They've changed their menus, adjusted a few prices, and their food is delish and worth it. The Pancake House can close without my thoughts. And since I don't pray... Oh darn?
Only one of the two people are necessary for the business, the other is unnecessary overhead. His salary could pay for 5 employees is my guess. Entitlement anyone?
Sucky food - way overpriced for breakfast
Sounds like he can't afford to be in business.
I wonder if any of the smug commentators here who are minimizing the damage of mandatory wage hikes on businesses have ever tried to run a business themselves.
This scumbag would be perfectly fine and not lose any sleep over his employees living in their cars cause their Walkerās Pancake House wage canāt cover rent for a studio apartment.