I can't tell if that's supposed to be an anti capitalisms slight or one against the owner. With how ubiquitous small businesses are in our culture, I am sometimes surprised that people don't have more insight in how much people sacrifice to open and run a business.
So what do you suggest, that we should put downward pressure on wages so that businesses do not close?gone corporate wrote: ↑May 12, 2022^Rather presumptuous to say that... Amidst a highly inflationary environment; while still emerging from the global pandemic that directly led to a massive change in consumer purchasing nationwide; all with product shortages due to busted global supply chains. To just infer with no context that they must have been cheap and incapable of properly running a business? After they'd won neighborhood popularity awards since 2017?
Maybe, just maybe, the business owner is telling the truth as she's closing her livelihood - and maybe doesn't deserve internet snark over it.
Times are getting hard again. We should be better to and with each other.
How the hell am I the one sounding like a hippie here?
They were able to run a business under certain macroeconomic conditions. Those conditions have changed and those businesses are now inviable. Sounds like they should release the factors of production they are currently tying up so they can be used by more productive businesses. After all, the vacancy to unemployment ratio is at historical highs - there is a LOT of demand for labor out there. This will necessarily make some businesses inviable if they cannot use the same input mix as efficiently as other businesses, and cannot afford to pay higher wages. This is is a manifestation of creative destruction and a major source of economic growth. This is not snark, this is just how advanced economies have been growing and developing for the past two centuries. On top of this, rising labor costs help correct the secular decline in the labor share of income, which has been a major cause of the increase in inequality in recent decades.
I am not saying that they are incapable of running the business. I said, and I repeat ad verbatim, that their business model is inviable at current labor market conditions. Maybe it will become viable again if the US economy enters a recession and unemployment rises.
- 6,123
^Aw, c'mon. I'm with GC on this. We're not talking about somebody's McDonald's franchise here. Maybe the owner just got tired of scrambling to staff the place and decided she wanted to just do catering and save herself a lot of headaches. Sure, paying more would probably make it easier to hire people. But small restaurants aren't exactly a high-margin business swimming in cash. And small commercial leases like that are often notoriously hard on the tenant. (You not only pay rent, but also frequently to usually upkeep and updates on the space. They're a bear as I understand it.) I'll complain Amazon and Wally World need to kick up their pay as much as the next progressive. And I know mom and pops aren't always the best, but I think some sympathy is in order. I've never heard anything bad about the Dam, and they made a damn fine burger. I've never been a regular, but I liked the place when I was there. Small non-chain restaurant owners aren't the people driving inequality. They don't have a C-suite. (Sometimes there's an office in a basement. Maybe even with a shower, so the owner can maybe clean up after work.) It's a different world. Sure, pay needs to go up. But we're talking about pretty ordinary middle class people here. They're not the problem.
Anyway, I'm sorry to see the Dam and the taco joint closing and I hope whoever comes in plays as nicely with Amsterdam as the two previous owners did.
Anyway, I'm sorry to see the Dam and the taco joint closing and I hope whoever comes in plays as nicely with Amsterdam as the two previous owners did.
- 2,929
Goddammit, I just had a business school-worthy assessment on how and why this business' operations had to deal with multiple business factors outside of the proposed single business factor of employee wage compensation. However, the damn posting just deleted itself! I'm too damn tired to attempt rewriting it, but I'll try to be brief...
1. Other business factors in operation: rent; raw materials; sunk costs; marketing; employee non-wage compensation; taxes. None of these were considered above.
2. Neither were external indirect and non-business variables, such as changes in consumer demand sentiments. Maybe you should blame delivery apps and their flexibility of contractor working hours instead of the owners' wage outlays to floor service employees.
3. If employee wage compensation remained as the single factor, and all other factors were kept constant (damn near impossible), then just reduce the head count while increasing wage compensation and/or provide increased employee non-wage compensation.
4. Restaurants' floor service employees can receive a legal minimum wage below the norm because they rely on compensation from tips. Therefore, there's no margin to "put downward pressure on wages".
* As @dweebe brought up about Tapped, which is also shutting down soon, they paid their employees a flat wage of about $20/hour. So, employee wage compensation isn't a magical cure-all for this industry.
5. All of this is just conjecture and supposition! We don't know how The Dam paid their floor service employees, do we? I'm sure no one except the owner can speak as an expert to the multitude other factorial pains they were experiencing as a business amidst these hard economic times.
6. I don't wish to implicitly accuse the owner of not providing sufficient employee compensation, wage or non-wage, especially as we can't speak smartly to what she's experienced. I'd rather wish her good luck in her future endeavors (versus passively accusing her of taking advantage of the proletariat in the name of gains).
7. The economy is getting really rough. Aside from consistent gains in monthly new employment on a year/year basis (which is great), we're seeing a lot of pain out there, including the increased potential for a recession (God forbid, maybe even stagflation if inflation keeps its pace). In the face of all this pain, we should be better to each other, especially small business owners who are not going to make it.
Addendum:
This is what really riled me up here...
/vərˈbādəm/
adv.: In exactly the same words as were used originally, i.e. "Subjects were instructed to recall the passage verbatim"
adj.: Copied, quoted, or translated in exactly the same words as were used originally, i.e. "A verbatim account"
Ad Verbatim
Latin adv.: To the word; exact in wording according to an original
1. Other business factors in operation: rent; raw materials; sunk costs; marketing; employee non-wage compensation; taxes. None of these were considered above.
2. Neither were external indirect and non-business variables, such as changes in consumer demand sentiments. Maybe you should blame delivery apps and their flexibility of contractor working hours instead of the owners' wage outlays to floor service employees.
3. If employee wage compensation remained as the single factor, and all other factors were kept constant (damn near impossible), then just reduce the head count while increasing wage compensation and/or provide increased employee non-wage compensation.
4. Restaurants' floor service employees can receive a legal minimum wage below the norm because they rely on compensation from tips. Therefore, there's no margin to "put downward pressure on wages".
* As @dweebe brought up about Tapped, which is also shutting down soon, they paid their employees a flat wage of about $20/hour. So, employee wage compensation isn't a magical cure-all for this industry.
5. All of this is just conjecture and supposition! We don't know how The Dam paid their floor service employees, do we? I'm sure no one except the owner can speak as an expert to the multitude other factorial pains they were experiencing as a business amidst these hard economic times.
6. I don't wish to implicitly accuse the owner of not providing sufficient employee compensation, wage or non-wage, especially as we can't speak smartly to what she's experienced. I'd rather wish her good luck in her future endeavors (versus passively accusing her of taking advantage of the proletariat in the name of gains).
7. The economy is getting really rough. Aside from consistent gains in monthly new employment on a year/year basis (which is great), we're seeing a lot of pain out there, including the increased potential for a recession (God forbid, maybe even stagflation if inflation keeps its pace). In the face of all this pain, we should be better to each other, especially small business owners who are not going to make it.
Addendum:
This is what really riled me up here...
Verbatimkipfilet:
I am not saying that they are incapable of running the business. I said, and I repeat ad verbatim, that their business model is inviable at current labor market conditions. Maybe it will become viable again if the US economy enters a recession and unemployment rises.
/vərˈbādəm/
adv.: In exactly the same words as were used originally, i.e. "Subjects were instructed to recall the passage verbatim"
adj.: Copied, quoted, or translated in exactly the same words as were used originally, i.e. "A verbatim account"
Ad Verbatim
Latin adv.: To the word; exact in wording according to an original
kipfilet:
^Sounds like they are not truly profitable if they cannot pay prevailing market wages
- 1,614
The owner of the Dam is prioritizing her catering business. I don't know why a neighborhood institution is getting attacked from unsubstantiated wage angle. Unless you are offering proof?
- 2,419
^ LOL, that's what I've been thinking this entire time. Sounds like she just wants to prioritize the more lucrative business.
- 6,123
^Might not even be more lucrative. Might just be lower stress. Money absolutely isn't everything. Time is also precious. And peace of mind. And health, for that matter. There are so many things that could be in play. All I can say is good luck and I wish them well.
There's been a recent trend of assuming small businesses suffer from labor shortage because of their unwillingness to pay "fair" wages. While I'm sure that's true for some places, it is in no way accurate for many. I work part time at a very small restaurant and make, on average, about $30/hr. But we are still struggling to fill openings. So, maybe it's not the wages, but instead is because people would rather make money by working at home or driving their car around than by standing for hours at a time. Given how important small businesses are and how difficult they are to run in today's mega-corporate economy, I'm going to defer to them unless given a reason not to.
- 9,564
The IMO’s at the Hilton at the Ballpark is now “Ballpark Pizza”
Sports bar/restaurant at the NW corner of Union Station update- Design done, demo within 30 days. Shooting for end of year opening but may slip into 2023
Is it some generic thing for Union Station or going to be associated with a sports bar already established.dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑May 15, 2022Sports bar/restaurant at the NW corner of Union Station update- Design done, demo within 30 days. Shooting for end of year opening but may slip into 2023
Any update on the old “Note” space in the Parc Pacific building? The For Lease signs are still up.
- 9,564
One of a kindjshank83 wrote: ↑May 16, 2022Is it some generic thing for Union Station or going to be associated with a sports bar already established.dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑May 15, 2022Sports bar/restaurant at the NW corner of Union Station update- Design done, demo within 30 days. Shooting for end of year opening but may slip into 2023
If "Ballpark Pizza" is an LHM project, it might actually be kind of good.
- 9,564
- 2,419
I hope the pizza doesn't taste like the signage looks -- generic.
For a building that I always thought was kind of nondescript, the BallPark Pizza building has a rich history: https://untappedcities.com/2020/08/06/1 ... QjG7-TBBGs
- 144
Like I've said on here before, flagship locations for the likes of Imo's and Lions Choice would be perfect for phase 3 of BPV. That Imo's was gloomy, not how I would want the perception of my brand to come across to visitors to the city.dbInSouthCity wrote: ↑May 15, 2022The IMO’s at the Hilton at the Ballpark is now “Ballpark Pizza”
- 9,564
Movement at Gringo on Wash Ave? Chairs have been moved from top of the tables to the floor and their closed for covid sign off the front door
Let's go! My favorite place on wash avedbInSouthCity wrote:Movement at Gringo on Wash Ave? Chairs have been moved from top of the tables to the floor and their closed for covid sign off the front door
Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
They did that two weeks ago! Hopefully they reopen soon!
Pi needs to reopen ASAP only place I can have Chicago deep dish! Refuse to go to CWE! I only want to do DT businesses.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Pi needs to reopen ASAP only place I can have Chicago deep dish! Refuse to go to CWE! I only want to do DT businesses.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Pi is not Chicago deep dish.JJ Taino wrote: ↑May 17, 2022They did that two weeks ago! Hopefully they reopen soon!
Pi needs to reopen ASAP only place I can have Chicago deep dish! Refuse to go to CWE! I only want to do DT businesses.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- 2,632
Still no movement on the Gringo FB since August 2020. I think I have checked this page 25 times over the past couple years.
Also that's big news for Union Station! I saw a few people going in and out a couple weeks ago and now I know why. Can't wait to see chairs and tables on that patio again.
Also that's big news for Union Station! I saw a few people going in and out a couple weeks ago and now I know why. Can't wait to see chairs and tables on that patio again.