New York’s new minimum wage is being cited as the main reason that a popular Albany restaurant is closing its doors after serving the community for decades.Mental Recession reports:
Beloved Upstate Restaurant Closes, Cites Minimum Wage Hike As Major ReasonAn Albany area fish fry restaurant is closing its doors after nearly 70 years in business, and the owner is pointing to New York’s $15 minimum wage as a major reason for his establishment’s downfall.Bob and Ron’s Fish Fry, described by New York Upstate as an “Albany institution” featuring “the best fish fry in the Capital Region,” announced they’d be closing their doors in less than two weeks.The owners took to social media over the weekend to make the announcement.A message on Facebook reads:
“It is with great sadness that we regret to inform you that Bob and Ron’s Fish Fry will be closing its Latham location effective 4/30/2016. We thank all of you for your patronage and will miss you all.”
Responding to fan’s of the beloved restaurant, the owners posted their reason for having to shut down Bob and Ron’s.
“To be honest there is no way we could pay the high minimum wage that is coming,” they wrote.
Owner Dan Zonca was featured in a TWC News report when Governor Cuomo first unveiled his plans to enact a $15 minimum wage throughout the state, a plan that recently came to fruition.
Zonca warned that the unilateral minimum wage hike would put him out of business.
“There’s absolutely no way I could take a 52 percent jump in my payroll,” Zonca said, accounting for the basic benefits he provides his employees.
He added, “Cuomo and (Vice-President) Biden are out of their minds!”
CBS News in Albany did a report back in August of last year when the fight over the minimum wage began and profiled Bob & Ron’s. They predicted this would happen:
Minimum wage activists celebrate their victories as more states adopt the higher wage but they’re rarely around to help pick up the pieces when a small business owner loses his or her livelihood.
Your heart also breaks for the people who lose jobs and the community which loses a favorite business.
Hat tip to Rusty Weiss:
Featured image via YouTube.
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