John Metz, Denny's Franchisee And Hurricane Grill & Wings Owner, Imposes Surcharge For Obamacare

[Grassy Knoll]

Source: huffingtonpost.com

<snip>

"If I leave the prices the same, but say on the menu that there is a 5 percent surcharge for Obamacare, customers have two choices. They can either pay it and tip 15 or 20 percent, or if they really feel so inclined, they can reduce the amount of tip they give to the server, who is the primary beneficiary of Obamacare," Metz told The Huffington Post. "Although it may sound terrible that I'm doing this, it's the only alternative. I've got to pass the cost on to the consumer."


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/13/john-metz-hurricane-grill-wings-dennys_n_2122412.html

[truthisfreedom]

1. What an ass.

[roguevalley]

37. no soul. They have no soul.

[russspeakeasy]

2. What a fuckin jerk.

[a kennedy]

3. F*ck them all......

all the fast food dumps that think they have to charge more because of ACA. D*mn them all to h*ll.

[roguevalley]

38. makes you really want to go to work and do a hard day's effort doesn't it. :(

[dhill926]

4. I'll play...

what a fucking dick. Not that I would eat at one of these shitholes anyway....

[KansDem]

5. I can't help but feel they're using this to fatten their own pocketbooks

Raise prices and glean more profits while blaming it on the ACA.

[dflprincess]

29. Exactly

and they'll purchase the worse insurance possible for their employees. - The "consumer driven" type with deductibles of over $6,000.

And damn if my nephew didn't just start working at a new Hurricane Grill that just opened here.

[JI7]

6. whiel at the same fucking time they will be sending out coupons which save a lot more

to try to get customers.

i hope the employees aren't falling for this BS.

all the papa johns i have seen are offering far lower prices than the regular price to try to get people to buy from them.

[Angry Dragon]

7. They are all making the case for Universal health care

[They_Live]

51. That's right.

The more businesses resist, the more Universal Health care comes into focus as the answer. I never really thought that employers should be the ones offering health insurance anyway.

[4_TN_TITANS]

58. I think you might have hit on something there...

Obamacare may have never been the desired end game. Employers doing shit like this could force the single payer issue.

[HughBeaumont]

59. No, they're making the case for "zero-sum" assholiness.

Regular folks seem to have this belief that corporations and the wealthy that run them are in competition with each other. It's BUNK. Rule One of "The Big Club That We're Not Invited To" is you don't step on a fellow Big Clubber's toes. They're in collusion . . . collusion to "keep those ants in line". One of the ways they keep us ants in line is by doing everything in their power to not GIVE us power.

CEOs don't want a "Win-Win" on this issue. They don't want to provide health care, but they don't want proles getting it from his tax dollars either. They think that's the same thing as them providing it.

[lalalu]

8. This is why I seldom eat fast food.

Plus it gives you fast diarrhea, fast indigestion, and fast weight gain.

[Kalidurga]

9. Lets just boycott fast food and greasy spoons...

They are killing us anyway with their crap food. Maybe go there if it's an emergency and get a yogurt cup (McDonalds) or a salad (Wendy's) or something like that. But, mostly it's crap and you have to work to find healthy food on the menu.

[graywarrior]

10. All the employees who work for these bastards should join forces and

pool their money to create their own competitive restaurants.

[adieu]

11. San Francisco has already instituted the healthy SF tax

of 3% (or is it 4%) at restaurants. I pay it and have no qualms doing so. I still tip around 20% (I take the tax and double it, round it to nearest dollar). I'll be more happy if they would just include all service charges and everything into the bill and have one cost. Be done with it. I hate the a la carte fees at restaurants.

[Sivafae]

69. No SF does not have a healthy SF tax.

SF proper is not requiring restaurants to put the tax on the bill. It is the restaurant owners who are putting that on the bill. Then on top of it, they are collecting the money, forgetting to tell the workers they have it and then pocketing it. This has been under investigation for some time now.

There is no point in putting this on the bill and I personally find it insulting. The hardware store doesn't charge a healthy SF tax on the total of your purchase. What makes restaurants so special?

[rurallib]

12. what a jerk.

Are they trying to drive people away?

[AardvarkAsparagus]

14. Yep

Then when they go under, they will blame that on ACA also

[SemperEadem]

13. I'll take the 3rd choice: not eat at your nasty restaurant.

How's that?

Lemme guess, tho---had mittiot won, you'd have eaten the cost of vouchercare or would you still charge extra for it?

[BlueJazz]

15. "say on the menu that there is a 5 percent surcharge for Obamacare"

Bullshit
Bullshit
Bullshit

Yeah right asshole...REAL smart move.
Piss off over half the population.

John Metz is either an idiot or a liar.

[joesdaughter]

16. Health Concerns

I want ALL people to have affordable health care. I REALLY want food preparers and servers to have good health care. The food industry should demand it. The public should demand it.

[Flatpicker]

17. So

You're going to pass on the cost (expected) AND cut employees hours (unnecessary with the cost increase).

Congratulations.
You're a dick.

[leftofcool]

18. Good God! It's fucking Dennys..........the nastiest place to eat bar none!

[radarluv]

19. I Hope the parent company, Denny's realizes that they just lost my business!

I'll just add them to my list, Pappa John's, Chick-fil-A, Walmart....
I know that this jerkwad is just a franchisee, but he represents Denny's, so there.

[Grassy Knoll]

20. So if you put a sign in your window......

That says "I'm Raising my Prices because of ObamaCare" Just how fucking busy
do you intend to be? You dumb asses think only Democrats eat fast food?

[Warren Stupidity]

21. Dipshit will lose money and quietly end dipshit's little tantrum.

[southern_belle]

22. I won't let your door

hit me in the ass, you greedy bastard!

Adding you to my do not eat at/shop at list!

[steve2470]

23. Dumbass Republican. A SMART businessperson would simply adjust prices and go on his/her way

The way he does it now, he pisses off a substantial number of his customers and shows himself to be the GREEDY MOTHERFUCKER he is.

[JohnnyRingo]

24. 5% surcharge on his wholesale price?!

What the hell kind of insurance is he buying for his employees? He's not required to pay for their home owner's and car insurance.

And yeah, it does sound mean if you want to fuck your servers out of their tips, and if they can make more elsewhere you'll soon be scraping the bottom of the barrel for help, and you're already Dennys. Welcome to the free market motherfucker.

[Marie Marie]

25. Just wondering why these greedy whiny servers of bad food never thought to

Last edited Thu Nov 15, 2012, 12:55 AM - Edit history (1)

add a surcharge to pay for the unnecessary war in Iraq? Or what about having to make up for the loss of business when the Wall St and the Banksters tanked the disposable income of their main customers - the middle class. This is all political and an effort to turn Americans against our president by telling us that he is the reason we will pay more. Sadly, The Stupid out there will believe them and blame Obama. If these people were serious about this costing them too much, why weren't they out on the front lines for Single Payer?

[dixiegrrrrl]

35. Maybe we need to tell them we can't afford to eat there

because of the cost of the wars.
Hm?
They want to start cost counting for everything, I got a long long list that keeps me away from ALL diners and theaters and most shops.

[lonestarnot]

26. You won't pass it on to this customer motherfucker. Keep your damn fried cat dinner.

[SoapBox]

27. What a stupid

fuck.

Isn't there about 2 years yet, before it all starts? Which means that we don't even know the exact details???

This guy is another Puke / Bagger asshole.

[47of74]

28. Reason 6,123,539 why I'd rather eat roadkill off the road then eat at Denny's

[Grassy Knoll]

30. Check out the big brain on METZ.....

[justice1]

31. The stock market does not like these announcements.

The irony, each of the companies I have checked, that have done this, have stocks currently trading at higher prices, than Nov 2008. Yet they are forcing the prices of the stocks down. I guess when you have a golden parachute, you can afford to have tirades, investors and workers be damned.

[joanbarnes]

32. Or they can walk out and dine local.........

[daleo]

33. The worse the food, the stupider the owner

And the meaner the owner.

[rzemanfl]

34. What do you expect from a Restaurant that used to be called

"Sambo's?"

[slackmaster]

56. You are misinformed. Denny's and Sambo's have always been completely separate chains.

Sambo's still exists, but it has shrunk down to a single restaurant - The original Sambo's in Santa Barbara, California.

http://www.sambosrestaurant.com/ - It's still popular and gets good reviews.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/sambos-restaurant-santa-barbara

When I was growing up in the 1960s my family dined at Sambo's restaurants often. I loved the burgers and fries.

The building that once was the San Diego Sambo's on Pacific Highway is still a restaurant - Perry's Cafe a.k.a. The Breakfast House.

I eat breakfast there occasionally. The service is good, the food is decent and reasonably priced. The murals depicting the story of Sambo and the Tigers are long gone, but I remember them well.

The owner, Perry, takes very good of her employees. When the restaurant was closed for several months because of a storage room fire a few years ago, she continued to pay for their health insurance. When it reopened, almost all of the same people returned to their jobs. Some of the employees have been there so long that they used to work at Sambo's.

ETA it's probably true that many of the more than 1,000 former Sambo's restaurants were taken over by Denny's.

[rzemanfl]

66. Thanks for the info. I didn't know this bit of history. n/t

[jmowreader]

71. Sambo's had good food

There's a reason Denny's has become America's favorite place for dining while shitfaced: you need to be completely stewed to get that crap down.

[InsultComicDog]

36. I will not eat

at a place that does that.

[geomon666]

39. I am so happy that these people out themselves like this.

Makes it so much easier to decide where to spend my disposable income. Oh and he's a fucking dickhead.

[olddad56]

40. i think that there is a third choice. They can take their business elsewhere.

The food and service at most Denny's I have ever eaten at sucks anyway.

[Sundome]

41. Bet he's just lost a lot of business. :)

[jtuck004]

42. OR, or, or - I could only EVER come back for the free Grand Slam on my birthday and tip

the server $20.

Cya next year.

Dennys. Where the real Grand Slam is low wages and no health care.

[Ken Burch]

43. This is just adds to Denny's "rep"...they were already well-known

for their blatantly racist treatment of black customers.

[Ken Burch]

44. He's encouraging people to REDUCE THEIR TIPS to the servers?

We can now call it...The Grand Scam Breakfast!

[sigmasix]

45. breaking the law

Isnt there a law that mandates CEOs have to do what's best for the stock-holders? I imagine that the stock for these subhuman scumbags' companies cant be liking this kid of attention.

[Ash_F]

46. I like how he revealed is disdain for the workers who make him his money

...by talking about their tips. Like that has anything to do with Obamacare

[Dark]

47. Wait, wait, wait. If I spend $15 at your place, for an extra 75¢, workers get insurance?

Fine by me.

Oh, and you're a jackass for not giving it to them already if it's that cheap. Just like Papa Johns.

/Go to locally owned restaurants, not these franchisee jackasses.

[TheBlackAdder]

48. Metz is charging multiple times more than Papa Johns Claims it costs.

Papa Johns overinflated its cost per pie, to be $0.14. A large pie will feed two people.

Metz is trying to fleece his customers, claiming this is Obamacare's fault.

If someone ordered a $20 meal at Denny's, for two people, he would get $1.00.
This is over 7 TIMES MORE than what Schnatter claims it would cost his firm.

===

Firstly, Obamacare hasn't kicked in yet, so he is being fraudulent if he charges now.

Secondly, if he charges 'a surcharge' he should be forced by the state to prove that claim. He should be forced to open his books, provide the documentation and get cited if he was wrongfully fining people.

Thirdly, Denny's Corporate needs to better muzzle their franchisees as this does not bode well nationally.

[Puzzledtraveller]

49. Like it or not this will be happening a lot

even by businesses who claim no partisan angle, costs will always be passed on to someone else when they threaten to cut into the bottome line, anyone care to challenge me on this?

[fugop]

50. Love all these dumb motherf#$@ers

I guess they're targeting an all-Republican consumer base. So ... right off the bat, he's saying, "Democrats, don't eat here. I can make it with just GOP diners."

Good luck with that.

What an idiot.

[slackmaster]

52. "only alternative" my eye

He could simply raise prices to cover his increased costs.

[They_Live]

53. Where was our discounted rate for their Rich Guy Tax Cut??

That tax cut is still in effect, remember, to CREATE JOBS. Right??? And every time the CEO gives himself a raise, the prices on the menu are reduced. Right??

[bigworld]

54. So, he's collecting a surcharge for health care AND cutting hours so he doesn't have to provide it?

That takes some brass.

[NoraCharles]

55. How much money does this guy make?

I've looked around online, but I can't find any information. I'd love to see the multiple of what he's making compared to the $2.13/hr. his wait staff is making, plus tips he's cutting into.

[slackmaster]

57. If you ask him, he'll probably tell you...

"Not enough."

[bluesbassman]

68. More than he needs I'm sure. BTW, welcome to DU!

Love your user name. The Thin Man Movies are among my favorites. Myrna Loy owned that role.

[The Second Stone]

60. So he is now making this charge and providing the care?

If so great. If not, as a customer I'd sue him for false advertising implying he provides his employees with health care.

[NYC Liberal]

61. More like this guy found his excuse for a price raise he'd already planned.

[slackmaster]

62. Yes, killing two birds or maybe three with one stone

He gets to vent his anger, and gets free advertising from all the attention. Some people will be repelled by it, others attracted. I have no doubt that he believes his actions will result in more income.

[NYC Liberal]

63. And the grand finale: If ANYTHING happens to his business he can blame it on Obama.

No matter what it is or what the cause.

[sakabatou]

64. I wonder if his parent company will revoke his franchise

[BlueMan Votes]

65. my thoughts exactly...i wonder how this type of behaviour is addressed in the franchise contract..?

i'm going to guess that it's frowned upon.

[xxqqqzme]

67. Beg to differ, ol'

purveyor of less than nutritious, pre-packaged proportioned food stuff - my 3rd choice is to never darken your door.

[ibdmoose]

70. Write to Denny's 'threatening' boycott

I would urge all to boycott Denny's until they do something about the arrogant John Metz and his RREMC Restaurants. The larger corporate Denny's has control over their name branding & franchises, and can even revoke a franchise under extreme circumstances. Mr Metz own about 40 franchises that have the Denny's 'brand/franchise name', so he really owns the restaurants, not the name, which Denny's could change if the right pressure was brought to bear... So I encourage all not only to boycott any Denny's, which would probably be better for your health anyway, but also write to Denny's Corporate @ www.dennys.com, and click the 'About Us' tab, then the 'Contact Us' link - select 'email' and away you go...

[MisterScruffles]

72. STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM

Is this even legal? There are certain things you can charge for as a restaurant and certain things you can't.

[kelliekat44]

73. May the IRS-force be with you Metz.

[Cass]

74. He's alienating half his customer base....what kind of idiot does that?

It's not only right wing-nuts who patronize his business. Same with Papa John's. These guys aren't half as smart as they think they are.