Restaurant chain to move workers to part-time over health care law

politico44 ^ | 10/11/12 | BYRON TAU

[ColdOne]

The owner of Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants is putting more workers on part-time status in a test aimed at limiting costs from President Barack Obama's health care law.

~~snip~~

But it's notable because Darden Restaurants has, in the past, cooperated with first lady Michelle Obama on her push to reduce calories in menu items and offer healthy alternatives.

The first lady spoke with Darden chief executive officer Clarence Otis last fall at an Olive Garden in Maryland. She also dined at an Olive Garden in Fort Worth, Texas on a Let's Move tour.

[arrogantsob]

I’m stunned.

[Psycho_Bunny]

Had to pass it to know what was in it....

[taildragger]

But it's notable because Darden Restaurants has, in the past, cooperated with first lady Michelle Obama on her push to reduce calories in menu items and offer healthy alternatives.

Reminds me metaphorically with the "Restaurant" in "Goodfellas", they got in bed with the wrong crowd and it went downhill from their...

[TurboZamboni]

too much salt.

[MrB]

The chess-piece fallacy: assuming that some authority can achieve desired results as though he were moving chessmen on a board, ignoring people’s desires and incentives

Lefties - we’re not just going to stand still and let you shoot us.

[GeronL]

huge donors to Obama and the Democrats too

[tgusa]

thanks for that, now I know which restaurants to avoid

[gleeaikin]

I love going to Red Lobster when I want a diet treat. I am currently doing the Atkins low carb diet, have dropped from 150lbs to 135 lbs since July. At RL can have lobster tails with drawn butter, salad, and broccoli which have almost no carbs and feels very luxurious.

[Sequoyah101]

We no longer eat at Darden restaurants.

Darden’s CEO, Clarence Otis, is considered and ARDENT democrat and Obama supporter.

The chief executive officer of Darden Restaurants, Clarence Otis, has contributed more than $94,000 to federal candidates during the last three cycles, almost entirely to Democrats. Otis has donated at least $4,600 to Obama and $59,300 to the Democratic National Convention since 2007. In July 2011, Otis had lunch with Obama to discuss jobs and the economy. According to the White House visitor logs, Otis has visited the Obama White House at least three times, including a meeting with Valerie Jarrett just one month before Obamacare was signed into law.

Darden has been an ardent supporter of Michelle Obama’s very controversial “Let’s Move” initiative. In September 2011, Michelle Obama endorsed menu changes at Olive Garden and Red Lobster. Olive Garden’s “Tour of Italy” packs an impressive 1,450 calories, 74 grams of fat, and 3,830 milligrams of sodium. Red Lobster’s “Admiral’s Feast” clocks in at a measly 1,280 calories, 73 grams of fat, and 4,300 milligrams of sodium.

[animal172]

Isn’t that illegal? There must be some law that disallows this. Where is The One? He should be on all the womens shows, tears streaming down his face and explaining how this is all Bush’s fault. /sar

[ColdOne]

Neither do we. A reason I posted this one. He was for Michelle’s Let’s Move program. Now he is crying because Obamacare. Too bad Clarence, you chose your side now live with it.

[MrB]

That’s what lefties do, when people act rationally in response to perverse incentives that the “chess players” impose on them,

the lefties act outraged and demand that MORE laws with MORE perverse incentives be enacted to stop people from acting rationally in response to the first perverse incentive.

[DonaldC]

I’ve never had much respect for how the restaurant industry treats its people anyway.

[Sequoyah101]

The media moguls like Rush, Hannity, Beck etc. won’t go to the boycott place but I will. I think we should hurt people like Otis any way we legally can. It is his right to support what he wants to and it is my right to oppose him. Other than the truth boycott is our only useful weapon.

One alone will not make a difference but I do all I possibly can to hurt the sponsors of shows and networks I do not agree with.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I know you are being sarcastic, but I HAVE heard some Democrats whose first response to this was “we’re gonna need to pass some more laws”.

[lowbridge]

Bump