The other day a restaurant in my very small town closed unexpectedly and immediately.
Upon interview from the owner he cited that “rising labour costs, that jumped from $12 to $15 an hour, were among the many hurdles the restaurant faced in recent months.”
AKA, instead of paying “servers wage” he was now required to pay all his staff minimum wage of $15
He also went on to say “Labour shortages were a big thing,”~ “We couldn't get cooks, dishwashers, or really anybody to work right now.”
This restaurant was situated in a tiny town with no public transit, no available rentals, and houses starting at $700,000
I don’t really get how businesses can operate in a HCOL areas while paying minimum wage and acting surprised they can’t find anyone nearby to work…