NYC Restaurants Need City Approval For an …...Dear Mayor de Blasio, WE, the full-service...

Dear Mayor de Blasio, WE, the full-service restaurant operators of New York City, implore you to permit our establishments to include an optional surcharge on dining checks. This practice is allowed everywhere around the country, including throughout the rest of New York State. Our payrolls and rents have skyrocketed, which has had a catastrophic impact on our businesses and employees. If you want to support local restaurants and staff, allow us the option of using a clearly disclosed surcharge to generate the revenue to simply survive.

The cost to run a restaurant and employ people in New York City is unbearable for many full-service restaurants. By the end of this year, there will be nine mandated wage increases in three years:

- The tipped minimum wage has increased 100%. - The regular minimum wage increased 71%.

- Salary minimum for exempt employees increased 36%.

As restaurateurs we are suffering, and our employees’ livelihood are being threatened too:

• We have laid off tipped employees including, servers, bartenders, bussers and runners

• We have cut hours for many employees.

• We have laid off highly compensated employees.

• We have changed our menus to try to control kitchen payroll.

• We have closed restaurants, which will continue closing at an increasing rate.

• We have been forced to increase menu prices. These price increases have not and cannot come close to offsetting mandated wage increases and real estate costs.

• We do not consider opening new full-services restaurants in NYC.

We know these wage increases were not intended to have these consequences, but the full-service restaurants in NYC are now closing in unprecedented numbers, leaving vacant storefronts and limited service businesses that create fewer jobs and do not offer the renowned dining experiences that help draw millions of visitors to our city. We have been waiting in good faith, for two years, for our city to allow us to use a clearly disclosed surcharge. During that time our business have been further damaged. We need the option to use a clearly disclosed sur-charge, and we need it now!

Mr. Mayor, we urge you to listen to the voice of your local restaurant community.

We need our city’s support now.

Thank you for your immediate action.

CC: Alicia Glen, Deputy Mayor of Economic DevelopmentLorelei Salas, Commissioner of Consumer AffairsGregg Bishop, Commissioner of Small Business Services

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NYC Restaurants Need City Approval For an Optional Surcharge

April 25th, 2018