Been out to eat in L.A. recently?
Of course you have. Everyone needs at least an occasional break from the home kitchen. And this is one of the great food cities on the planet.
But both patrons and restaurateurs know that ever since precisely five years ago this week, the beginning of the shutdowns forced by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, dining out has never been the same, and has never been more complicated — remember the distance rules when indoor service was restored, the mask rules, the hassles restaurants had to go through including working so hard to be able to serve outside on sidewalks and in former parking spaces?
Actually, the continuation of the latter is one of the silver linings of the past half-decade.
But the steep hike in menu prices accelerated by high inflation for foodstuffs and wages has caused many to eat out less frequently. And restaurant owners around Los Angeles County say that the Eaton and Palisades fires caused a remarkable decline in business. Plus the recent national economic uncertainty fueled by chaotic trade wars is no help.
The last thing L.A. eateries need is more mandates forcing their expenses to go higher, and that’s why dozens of local restaurant owners testified before the Los Angeles City Council’s Economic Development & Jobs Committee last week opposing a proposed new ordinance aimed at supposedly helping workers at quick-service franchise restaurants that would actually result in thousands of jobs being lost when the businesses are forced to close down.
“I’m already struggling under the weight of the state’s $20 minimum wage, and this new ordinance would pile even more costs onto us,” said Nayanika Barker, who owns a Subway. Almost 60% of the state’s quick-services are owned by people of color, and about half are owned by women. That’s why the Urban League, the NAACP and the California League of United Latin American Citizens oppose the ordinance.
Restaurant owners are already operating on very thin margins, and the last thing they need is to have to pass on more costs to already price-resistant customers. The council, which has put a pause on the ordinance for study, needs to make that pause permanent.