Posted on 03/06/2014 10:33:24 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Restaurant patrons might want to take a closer look at their next bill as some are adding a charge they’ve probably never seen before.
Double D’s Sourdough Pizza is a family owned business, serving hot New York style slices to customers. But these days there’s something other than pizza on their menu.
“I looked at the bottom and it was like ticket shock,” a customer said.
“It’s interesting, I’ve never heard about it before,” another customer said.
It’s not an ingredient they’re talking about, but rather a 5 percent surcharge added to customers’ bills to help cover the cost employees’ health care.
“They need it, it enriches their lives. We all know what it’s like to be worried about paying bills and our medical bills,” Double D’s owner Ted Dorr said.
Dorr says it’s is not a political statement or reaction to Obamacare.
“We’ve been wanting to give our employees insurance since we first opened from the very beginning,” Dorr said. “The last seven years have been pretty tough. It just took a while to finally get it into play.”
Dorr says the money will be used to pay for half of the health care costs of all employees, both full- and part-time.
“I know that myself and the rest of the staff really appreciate that Ted and Cindy (his wife) took it upon themselves to kind of help us have a solution to the problem,” an employee said.
This idea isn’t new. Restaurants throughout California already have similar surcharges in place.
“I think it’s more a necessity than a political statement,” University of Colorado Denver business professor Cliff Young said.
Young says the added surcharge is simple way to offset health care costs and thinks more restaurants will be using it in the future.
“I think it will be predominantly in service workers like restaurants,” Young said. “I don’t think it will be that much in retail.”
Customers are reacting differently to the newest item on the menu.
“I really don’t care, I know what I’m paying,” a customer said.
“The total cost of the actual food that we ate was $30. The employee health care was only $1.51,” customer Bonnie Bell said.
For Bell the pizza’s taste was spoiled by the bill’s arrival.
“I don’t think that it should be shoved in people’s faces like this,” Bell said.
People in Florida may soon be grumbling as restaurants there are starting to add the charges as well.
““The total cost of the actual food that we ate was $30. The employee health care was only $1.51,” customer Bonnie Bell said.”
Just pay $1.51 in tips. Problem solved.
I would not patronize any business who has this tax sorry but just not going to do it. Afterall when we buy our healthcare policy that is mandated we will be paying for others already I just can’t pay for everyone.
The cost will be passed on even if not a line item on a bill. It cannot be any other way. Of course women, children and the poor will be hit the hardest.
So they just raise the price of their pizza by 5% and you will be fine with it?
The lack of basic math skills and understanding of simple economics is what has brought us to this point.
“We’ve been wanting to give our employees insurance since we first opened from the very beginning,” Dorr said. “The last seven years have been pretty tough. It just took a while to finally get it into play.”
What may well “get into play” is reduced patronage. Hope we get a progress report. Personally, when and if I see it, I will do a tip calculation that shows that the “insurance fee” was accounted for.
“We’ve been wanting to give our employees insurance since we first opened from the very beginning,”
...good for you. I’m not gonna help you though. He may as well tell me, “we’ve been wanting to give our employees new cars”. Socialist pig.
If they want to raise the bridge - we’ll lower the river ...
$1.51 = approximately 5% on a $30 bill ...
So, on a $30 bill, instead of leaving a $4.50 tip, leave a 10% tip of $3.00 ...
Write on the bottom of the bill that the waiter/waitress should go to their boss to recoup the $1.50 in lost tip ...
Obamacare...the tax that keeps on taxing & taxing & taxing..ad infinitum...
See my Post #8
Solution to the problem ??? Have the customers drop trou, bend over, and prepare to be driven. Then, give the customers a bill for the Vaseline when its done ...
They are under no obligation to pay for the health care of their employees and have not done so for 7 years because they didn’t have the money. They have figured out that they can have the patrons pay for their employees healthcare by placing a tax or fee to the bill under the guise of Obamacare.
Why not advertise $2 pizza then add food cost, labor, taxes, S,G,& A etc until you get to $30? Where does this stop?
Hey Cliff....its a business response created by a political action.
You really need to get out of the "ivory tower of academia" environment Cliff.
I’m waiting for the iron fist to drop on these businesses for their “insolence”.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is why demonrats get elected.
To: funfan
“So they just raise the price of their pizza by 5% and you will be fine with it?”.
Think that tax is bad, wait till they raise the minimum wage and add that to the price. A lot of businesses will be “no more” as patrons abandon them.
Now lets see if I get this straight.
Some people make so little their Obamacare is subsidized by other taxpayers. When that subsidized person goes in and buys a pizza, they are taxed for someone else’s Obamacare, and they are livid?
What goes around comes around.
I’d pay no tip and write, “Sorry, I have to save for future tax increases you idiots vote for as Democrats”, and I wouldn’t pay the illegal surcharge.
I'd much rather it be a line item on the bill. That way, I know how much to deduct from the tip.
In OH, there's something even weirder. If you get a meal to go (even the most expensive dinner) there's no tax and you avoid the tip. So I'll pay the Obamacare penalty for someone else, not pay any tax, and only leave a dollar or so to the person who hands me my "to go" meal.
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