Florida restaurateur to impose surcharge for ObamaCare

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Just good old americanknow how  DcSubject: Florida restaurateur to impose surcharge for ObamaCare
The“free ride” that so many people voted for last weekis coming.  Net incomes will go down because of tax increases, andprices will go up to pay for things like ObamaCare.  I hope the Obamavoters are happy.  This is what they voted for.  They only had onechance to change their minds, and they threw that chance away on November 6^th.
Bruce-------“Torenew ties with the past need not always be daydreaming; itmay be tapping old sources of strength for new tasks.” –Simeon Strunsky

Floridarestaurateur to impose surcharge for ObamaCareBy Joshua Rhett MillerPublishedNovember 15, 2012 | FoxNews.comAdvertisementJohnMetz, who operates roughly 40 Denny’s locations and five Hurricane Grill &Wings franchises, told FoxNews.com intends to add a 5 percent surcharge tocustomers’ bill to offset costs for ObamaCare in January 2014 when theAffordable Care Act is fully implemented.Getready to pay more for your Grand Slam.AFlorida restaurateur who operates roughly 40 Denny’s locations and fiveHurricane Grill & Wings franchises in Florida, Virginia and Georgia intendsto add a 5 percent surcharge to customers’ bills to offset costs from ObamaCarebeginning in January 2014 when the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented.“Peopleare trying to find ways to avoid the penalties and to avoid having to pay forObamaCare,” John Metz told FoxNews.com. “Everyone’s looking for a way to nothave to provide insurance for their employees. It’s essentially a huge tax onall us business people.”Tofurther offset the costs, Metz, who oversees roughly 1,200 employees aspresident and CEO of RREMC Restaurants, LLC, said he also will slash most ofthe staff's time to fewer than 30 hours per week. That change will be announcedto employees next month, he said.“Iwant to explain it to everybody, to let them know what’s coming down the pike,”he said. “We like to keep our employees informed.”Thechanges will force some front-of-the-house employees to look for second jobs,Metz said, but he simply cannot afford the penalties associated with ObamaCare.[pullquote]“It’sa great concept,” he said. “We want to have everyone insured. The problem is,who is going to pay for it and how are we going to accomplish this?”Underthe current law, employers with more than 50 full-time (or equivalent) workerswill be charged a penalty for the number of employees exceeding 30 full-timestaffers who are not covered. With an average of 35 full-time employees perlocation, Metz said the $2,000 penalty would total roughly $70,000 perrestaurant. Current coverage costs Metz up to $6,000 annually per full-timeemployee, he said. He currently provides coverage to about 250 employees.“It’sgoing to be a big issue for all of us — for my employees and for me,” saidMetz, who has been in the industry since 1975. “The ones that are working morethan 28 hours, they’re going to act as if I’m cutting their hours and they’llhave to find another job.”AtDenny’s restaurants operated by Metz, the average check is $9, he said, meaningthe ObamaCare surcharge if implemented would be 45 cents on that bill. AtHurricane Grill & Wings locations, where the average bill is $14.50, thesurcharge would total 72 cents.Metzsaid he believes the entire restaurant industry — even high-end locations —will ultimately embrace the idea.“Thatis what I foresee and that is the easier, least painful way to deal with theseadded costs,” he said. “In a true playing field, everybody will impose this,from McDonald’s to Denny’s to even maybe the fine dining restaurants in orderto have the funds to be able to pay for either insurance or the penalty for notproviding insurance to their employees.”Metzalso is urging his employees to consider contacting their local electedofficials in hopes of finding another solution to offset his looming increasedcosts.“It’snever good news, but it is what it is,” Metz said of increasing customers’checks. “We really should look for a better or different way to pay for[ObamaCare]. I think what we’re going to ultimately see here is a European-typesystem where we have a value added tax or a national sales tax.”Metzcontinued: “I have a choice: try to live within the rules, or go out ofbusiness.”In astatement to FoxNews.com, the National Restaurant Association said it’s“premature” to assess precisely how the health care law will affect individualbusinesses.“Wehave warned for some time that the mechanics of the health care law are verydifficult for the restaurant industry, which is a low-margin industry thatworks to keep costs down in order to provide value to customers,” said ScottDeFife, executive vice president of policy and government affairs for theNational Restaurant Association. “All costs, from gas and commodities to laborand insurance, eventually impact the price on the menu. It is important thatoperators get very familiar with the provisions of the law and start planningfor its implementation; however, it’s premature to make a specific assessmentof exactly how the law will affect any individual business because there are somany details that are unknown.”

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