To all you stupid restaurant owners

Stop punishing your loyal, hard-working employees to make a vapid political point.

Your message would be much better sent without costing your business if you did the following:

Raise your menu prices 5¢ an item (that will cover the cost of providing insurance for all your employees) and then ADVERTISE THE REASON FOR THE PRICE INCREASE. Tell the customer they are now paying more for their food in order to provide the employee with health insurance.

Better:  

Raise your menu prices 15¢ an item (that will cover the cost of providing insurance, a liveable wage, and paid sick leave for all your employees) and then ADVERTISE WHY YOUR PRICES INCREASED.  Tell the customer you are charging more so your employees will be healthy when they touch the food the customer eats.

Your business will increase because we customers like the thought that we won't catch a cold, the flu, hepatitis, or some other communicable disease from your sick, stressed employees when we eat at your establishment. It's a win-win-win situation'you win because of increased business and therefore more money coming in, your employees win because of higher wages, health care, and sick leave, and we customers win because happy employees make tastier food and healthy employees make safer food.

I'd gladly pay an extra 15¢ for that!

We customers understand that we are the ones who pay for your business to operate. You may run the business, it may have been your idea, and your work putting it together, but it's our money that keeps it open and operating. Any time you experience an increase in your costs, we pay higher prices at the cash register. We get that. We're not stupid.

But apparently YOU ARE, because you think the money comes out of your pocket. As if. It comes out of OUR pockets, and we know it.

That's why, when you abuse your loyal, hard working employees by stiffing them pay and work hours, we respond by not giving you any money.

Just ask Papa John's how well his whiny punishment of his employees sat with his paying customers. Ask Denny's. Ask Wendy's.

If you're a smart business owner, you'd up the prices, tell the customer why the price increased, and keep your employees happy.

Let your customers take it up with the government if we're unhappy with it. Remember, enough of your customers voted "Yes" to the Affordable Healthcare Act that it passed'that means a majority wanted it. And we're willing to accept the consequences of our "Yes."

Don't go whining to us when your business loses profits because we refuse to support a business that shafts its employees to make a political point.

Keep your politics out of our tacos. And burgers. And pizzas.