I work as a chef, and I try my best to get the majority of my ingredients locally. There's an artisan deli where I get all my fine charcuterie and cheeses; it's owned by a person who owns several other restaurants in my area and has a local reputation as a seasoned and respectable business owner.
So, the other day I'm having a conversation with my boss, trying to justify starting a new employee at a high rate; I really want him to work with us and a higher rate is more likely to bring him in but that's a different story. Anyway, while discussing the finer points of labor cost, my boss confided in me that her friend, the business owner mentioned in the previous paragraph, doesn't pay any of their employees at any of their businesses more than $16/hr. My boss quoted the business owner these exact words, “You might think this is wrong of me, but I don't pay higher than $16/hr at any of my businesses.”
That was devasting for me to learn. I love the products I get from this business. I love how knowledgeable and helpful the deli manager is, and how hard they work to maintain the quality of these expensive and fine cured meats and cheeses. And they're getting paid $16/hr max? Are you serious? At a yuppie deli stocked like Larry and David partnered with William Sonoma?
I swear to God, Id rather buy the mixed charcuterie packages at Costco and lie about it than by one more ounce of Speck from this place. Over the next few months I'm going to invest in ordering my own selections, if not making some of the meats and cheeses ourselves. It really soured my whole opinion of them and my working relationship with their business.