Bain Capital owned OSI tried to cut food server wages in half

[astronaut x]

"Earlier this year a Bain Capital subsidiary, OSI (Carabba’s, Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Flemmings, and Roy’s), tried to push a bill through the Florida Legislature that would cut server’s pay in half from $4.65 an hour to $2.13 an hour. Bloomin’ Brands (formerly OSI) made millions this year after a successful IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, all the while advocating to reduce worker’s pay."

[AndyA]

Surprise Surprise

[AndyA]

ACTUALLY as a small restaurant owner myself I can tell you.. they recently raised the minimum wage on servers... which HURTS... they are trying to pass a law that says as long as they make at least $12 or $13 an hour with tips it should be like $2 or $3 minimum wage....
I hate Romney and Bain but on that one I'll agree with them on

[nextri]

$4.65 an hour for waitresses? Damn.. Can you really survive on that?

[IllTestYourGirls]

$4.65 an hour for waitresses? Damn.. Can you really survive on that?

With $10/table tips yup. My gf waited tables through college. She would bring home $300/$400 a night. Now if she worked at Denny's not so much.

I say give everyone a million dollars and everything will be solved

[Barry-xlovecam]

$4.65 an hour for waitresses? Damn.. Can you really survive on that?

No, they depend on their tip income that they need to share with cooks and bus boys.

Don't get me wrong, a waiter or a waitress in a fine restaurant can do well but in chain restaurants like the above it's a struggle.

[astronaut x]

ACTUALLY as a small restaurant owner myself I can tell you.. they recently raised the minimum wage on servers... which HURTS... they are trying to pass a law that says as long as they make at least $12 or $13 an hour with tips it should be like $2 or $3 minimum wage....
I hate Romney and Bain but on that one I'll agree with them on

If your restaurant is struggling, I can imagine you would be all for cutting your workers salaries, however.... OSI made millions in profits and still wanted to cut the wages in half.

[pornguy]

That ass hat is going to win by a land slide and then promptly fuck things up worse than they are now.

[BlackCrayon]

i don't get paying waitresses so low. sure they can make good tips but the food is typically overpriced, not that great so what the hell am i paying for? someone to bring to to me and the rest goes into the owners pocket. is it that expensive to run a restaurant?

[L-Pink]

Isn't $4.65 just an arbitrary number anyway since it's well below minimum wage. Just saying.

.

[meanguy7]

"Earlier this year a Bain Capital subsidiary, OSI (Carabba?s, Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Flemmings, and Roy?s), tried to push a bill through the Florida Legislature that would cut server?s pay in half from $4.65 an hour to $2.13 an hour. Bloomin? Brands (formerly OSI) made millions this year after a successful IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, all the while advocating to reduce worker?s pay."

So your post is anti Obama? I'm sure you DO realize that one of Obama?s top campaign financiers, Jonathan Lavine, is managing director at Bain, bundling between $100,000 and $200,000 in contributions for the 2012 Obama Victory Fund, according to estimates released by the Obama campaign.

[Ron Bennett]

ACTUALLY as a small restaurant owner myself I can tell you.. they recently raised the minimum wage on servers... which HURTS... they are trying to pass a law that says as long as they make at least $12 or $13 an hour with tips it should be like $2 or $3 minimum wage....
I hate Romney and Bain but on that one I'll agree with them on

Your comment reaffirms what doesn't get much press - small businesses tend to be the lowest paying with often no benefits whatsoever, even worse than big name companies. I understand small businesses are at an economic disadvantage, but still that doesn't give them any more right to exploit workers.

As for the argument that tips can cover the difference, that's malarkey - it takes a lot of tips these days to go from sub-minimum wage to full-minimum. Sure, food prices at restaurants have gone up, but nowhere near as fast as the cost of living has. For example $2.13 per hour requires earning an extra $5-$6 per hour in tips on average (sure it's easy to do for an hour or two if one gets a couple of 4-tops, but keeping that up across an entire shift, not so easy) just to get to full-minimum.

In my view, restaurants should pay full-minimum wage (~$8 hour) with any tips on top of that. Some states already require this, so it can work just fine.

[astronaut x]

So your post is anti Obama? I'm sure you DO realize that one of Obama?s top campaign financiers, Jonathan Lavine, is managing director at Bain, bundling between $100,000 and $200,000 in contributions for the 2012 Obama Victory Fund, according to estimates released by the Obama campaign.

Anyone is allowed to give money to campaigns and why shouldn't they take them?

So Bain Capital has to consist entirely of republicans to have a squeaky clean image?

So one of the good guys donated money to Obama. Maybe it's all smoke and mirrors?

I'm not sure I see anything wrong with the individual connection anyway. The contributions were all personal. If anything your point simply proves that there is a man who works there, that supports the direction Obama wants to take the country in.

[astronaut x]

Correction....

So Bain Capital has to consist entirely of republicans to NOT have a squeaky clean image?

[2MuchMark]

That ass hat is going to win by a land slide and then promptly fuck things up worse than they are now.

Maybe not. His numbers are not up since the big party last week, and now alot of the bullshit laws that were going to make it harder for black people to vote are being overturned. Barracky-baby may just win after all. I plan to be at a bar in Montreal watching the results and then enjoy the party afterwards if Obama wins.

[Barry-xlovecam]

To a certain extent small businesses are at a disadvantage.

In negotiations for employee benefits they do not have economies of scale like today's large businesses. Part of the problem is the disproportionate interest waning in meeting small businesses needs.

The emphasis is on the big sale, this quarter's profit, and not on long term business relationships. The service industry is not a charity but should realize their social responsibilities to help small business and elevate the lives of their small business employees to an equitable level with their large corporation peers.

If they don't, the government will. You will get the government way and that you all object to so venomously ... You reap what you sow ...

[KillerK]

Your comment reaffirms what doesn't get much press - small businesses tend to be the lowest paying with often no benefits whatsoever, even worse than big name companies. I understand small businesses are at an economic disadvantage, but still that doesn't give them any more right to exploit workers.

As for the argument that tips can cover the difference, that's malarkey - it takes a lot of tips these days to go from sub-minimum wage to full-minimum. Sure, food prices at restaurants have gone up, but nowhere near as fast as the cost of living has. For example $2.13 per hour requires earning an extra $5-$6 per hour in tips on average (sure it's easy to do for an hour or two if one gets a couple of 4-tops, but keeping that up across an entire shift, not so easy) just to get to full-minimum.

In my view, restaurants should pay full-minimum wage (~$8 hour) with any tips on top of that. Some states already require this, so it can work just fine.

Shouldn't a business owner be allowed to pay the going rate? If people want to work for $1 or $2 an hour, why not let them?

[sandman!]

so ? all the $$ is in tips anyways

[homegrownmof]

It's the American way!!

but i do not endorse this message

[SuckOnThis]

With $10/table tips yup. My gf waited tables through college. She would bring home $300/$400 a night. Now if she worked at Denny's not so much.

I say give everyone a million dollars and everything will be solved

So your girlfriend made $100k a year waiting tables? Bullshit.

[L-Pink]

So your girlfriend made $100k a year waiting tables? Bullshit.

I think she was really dancing on tables

.

[epitome]

Well pay them $2.13 an hour and they will be more motivated to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and become millionaires. Anyone can become a millionaire.

[DudeRick]

According the Occupy Wall Street newsletter...

How many fake nicknames do you have anyway?

[IllTestYourGirls]

So your girlfriend made $100k a year waiting tables? Bullshit.

Obviously not. She only worked weekends. Like I said there is a difference between working at a high end restaurant and Denny's.

[KillerK]

So your girlfriend made $100k a year waiting tables? Bullshit.

I know quite a few people who pull that kind of cash, ($300+ a night) but they usually get that on Friday/Saturdays not Monday - Thursday and Sundays.

Good luck trying to get hired in one of these places too.

[anexsia]

No, they depend on their tip income that they need to share with cooks and bus boys.

Don't get me wrong, a waiter or a waitress in a fine restaurant can do well but in chain restaurants like the above it's a struggle.

Yeah the fine restaurant waiters can make bank, my stepbrother worked at an expensive restaurant and was bringing home hundreds of dollars every night...companies would come in and spend thousands just on the wine.

[astronaut x]

According the Occupy Wall Street newsletter...

How many fake nicknames do you have anyway?

one nick....

several articles.....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1263031.html

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/...nate-committee

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/201...teakhouse-bill


OSI earnings increase from 2010-2011...

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/...-for-2011.html

[kane]

I know quite a few people who pull that kind of cash, ($300+ a night) but they usually get that on Friday/Saturdays not Monday - Thursday and Sundays.

Good luck trying to get hired in one of these places too.

Yep, A friend of mine's wife is a chef. When she was still in school she did her internship at this very popular Italian food place. The waiters their made some nice money. She said on Friday and Saturday nights the average waiter made around $300 in tips, but competition for a job as a waiter and to work those great shifts was very high.

[digitaldivas]

Yup, I work at dining places, and i make 2-300 on the weekends, but tipshare is usually 35 percent, which takes that down to 130-200

[candyflip]

My exes Father and his brother owned a Restaurant in the financial district in NYC. The Matree'd made $200k and more each year.

There's plenty of money to be made in the food service business. Owning a restaurant isn't easy though.

[looky_lou]

Nobody is forcing them to keep these sub-par, low wage jobs. If they can't make enough with the hourly plus tips, they can move down the road to Sizzler, etc.

That's the free market system. OSI will do what they have to in order to be competitive. If they can't keep their employees at the rate they are paying, they will raise until they are, as long as they can still remain profitable.

[DTK]

That ass hat is going to win by a land slide and then promptly fuck things up worse than they are now.

current polling data says otherwise

Obama 221, Romney 191, Tossup 126 - http://realclearpolitics.com/epolls/...llege_map.html
Obama 284, Romney 191, Tossup 63 - http://www.270towin.com/
Obama 332, Romney 206 - http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Some key 'tossup' states

Florida (29 electoral votes) - Obama 47.4 Romney 46.4 Obama +1.0 - http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...bama-1883.html
Michigan (16) - Obama 47.8 Romney 45.4 Obama +2.4 - http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...bama-1811.html
Ohio (18) - Obama 46.6 Romney 45.2 Obama +1.4 - http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...bama-1860.html
North Carolina (15) - Romney 47.3 Obama 45.3 Romney +2.0 - http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...bama-1784.html
Virginia (13) - Obama 47.3 Romney 46.7 Obama +0.6 - http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...bama-1774.html

[Ron Bennett]

Shouldn't a business owner be allowed to pay the going rate? If people want to work for $1 or $2 an hour, why not let them?

Individuals often do not act in their best, long-term interests for various reasons be it due to ignorance, greed, or more often than not, sheer necessity.That's ultimately why government, despite all its flaws, is necessary for any decent size civilization.

Without any government mandated minimum wage, along with numerous other labor standards, eventually there would be people working for near nothing in perilous conditions... possibly even for nothing in some instances just to preserve their job - and that's not theoretical either - there was a widely reported incident a few years back with British Airways asking employees to do just that - work for free!

Union anger as BA asks staff to work for free
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...ys-unpaid-work

BA asks staff to work for nothing
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8102862.stm

[Theo]

A server at flemmings shouldn't have a trouble to make from $40 up to $150/hour in tips. Its exception though and in general salaries at $4/hour or less are shame

[PornoMonster]

Your comment reaffirms what doesn't get much press - small businesses tend to be the lowest paying with often no benefits whatsoever, even worse than big name companies. I understand small businesses are at an economic disadvantage, but still that doesn't give them any more right to exploit workers.

As for the argument that tips can cover the difference, that's malarkey - it takes a lot of tips these days to go from sub-minimum wage to full-minimum. Sure, food prices at restaurants have gone up, but nowhere near as fast as the cost of living has. For example $2.13 per hour requires earning an extra $5-$6 per hour in tips on average (sure it's easy to do for an hour or two if one gets a couple of 4-tops, but keeping that up across an entire shift, not so easy) just to get to full-minimum.

In my view, restaurants should pay full-minimum wage (~$8 hour) with any tips on top of that. Some states already require this, so it can work just fine.

So the cooks and others making Min wage say your $8 are just fucked???

Why should a Waitress make more than the Cook?

If you guys knew anything about a restaurant, MOST make well over min wage.
But lets say a waitress make $2.14 an hour and her tips added in do NOT make that states current min wage, then the COMPANY has to pay the waitress the difference, she MUST make min wage. Just like the cooks, dish washers, greeters, bussers and so on.

Funny part is, again MOST waitresses/ waiters ONLY claim up to min wage on tims so the rest is Tax FREE, while the cooks in the back are paying taxes on the entire Min wage amount.

For everyone wondering where the rest of the Money goes, go try to open a place, then get back to me.. The Electric bill alone will scare you!

[Ron Bennett]

So the cooks and others making Min wage say your $8 are just fucked???

Why should a Waitress make more than the Cook?

If the cooks are only earning minimum wage, it's likely the food isn't all that special - and all the more reason the wait service, in such a mediocre establishment, should be paid minimum wage from the get-go, since tips likely won't cover the gap anyways.

It's amazing to me how many restaurant owners treat their staff like crap - and then further complain not making enough money, but often live in the nice part of town, drive fancy cars, etc; living the high life doing just fine.

If you guys knew anything about a restaurant, MOST make well over min wage.
But lets say a waitress make $2.14 an hour and her tips added in do NOT make that states current min wage, then the COMPANY has to pay the waitress the difference, she MUST make min wage. Just like the cooks, dish washers, greeters, bussers and so on.

Lets be real, how often does that really happen? Verses such a waitress who isn't generating enough tips simply having their hours reduced and/or given the worst hours, etc so they eventually quit.

Funny part is, again MOST waitresses/ waiters ONLY claim up to min wage on tims so the rest is Tax FREE, while the cooks in the back are paying taxes on the entire Min wage amount.

For everyone wondering where the rest of the Money goes, go try to open a place, then get back to me.. The Electric bill alone will scare you!

Wait staff claiming only minimum wage and not declaring the rest - sure that worked ok 20 years ago, but these days, most people pay with credit cards. No easy way around that.

You're right there any many expenses, but that, in my view, still doesn't give that business any right to exploit employees by paying less than minimum wage.

[L-Pink]

A very large percentage of waitresses in Florida work in businesses where tips are minimal. Tell some single mom working in Waffle House 2 dollars an hour doesn't matter.

.

[Freaky_Akula]

Minimum wage laws hurt the employees more than the employers. Minimum wage laws were invented by the unions to harm non-unionized workers.

[Freaky_Akula]

[Dirty F]

A very large percentage of waitresses in Florida work in businesses where tips are minimal. Tell some single mom working in Waffle House 2 dollars an hour doesn't matter.

.

What's minimal to you? In every restaurant or bar i've been in the US the waiters get a ridiculous amount of tips. I think it's retarded. Every time i'm in the US half the money i spent goes to fucking tipping people.

[Penny24Seven]

I think she was really dancing on tables

.

haaaaaaaaaaaa