3 ms·

Are these restaurants just not that good to start with? If they were good, couldn't they increase prices and then increase wages they offer to staff? The artic

by temp20160423 10y ago

Are these restaurants just not that good to start with? If they were good, couldn't they increase prices and then increase wages they offer to staff? The article implies that the fast casual $10-15/person places are doing fine. My impression of PA is that the fancier $30+/pp places are also busy. It's possible there's simply less demand for the places at a price point in between (although there's not really evidence of this in the article).

zaphar 10y ago
The market sounds a little imbalanced. If they were competing with other restaurants then that would be an option. But they aren't competing with other restaurants. They are competing with companies that give the food away free to their employees. Those companies can afford to pay the chefs, and kitchen staff more because they don't make money selling the food. They make money on high margin digital goods. The market will only sustain so many $500 a meal restaurants. The casual dining restaurants, which sound like the hardest hit, can only increase their prices so much before they price themselves out of the market.
- marmot777 10y ago
  This seems way more extreme than the general problem. I live in a city that does not have any problem supporting a variety of great restaurants from low to high end. It sounds to me like possibly the people who are being hired away from the tech companies are benefiting. I think it's still an ethical issue as this situation is obviously hurting restaurant owners and people who don't have the money for the super high end. That's a shame.
asah 10y ago
Zibibbo was excellent - bite your tongue!
- karma_vaccum123 10y ago
  meh forgettable white table cloth bistro...there have to be fifty such places in the Bay Area okay they get props for being early in recognizing Palo Alto as a night out ...but little else

3 ms·

Are these restaurants just not that good to start with? If they were good, couldn't they increase prices and then increase wages they offer to staff? The artic

by temp20160423 10y ago

zaphar 10y ago
The market sounds a little imbalanced. If they were competing with other restaurants then that would be an option. But they aren't competing with other restaurants. They are competing with companies that give the food away free to their employees. Those companies can afford to pay the chefs, and kitchen staff more because they don't make money selling the food. They make money on high margin digital goods. The market will only sustain so many $500 a meal restaurants. The casual dining restaurants, which sound like the hardest hit, can only increase their prices so much before they price themselves out of the market.
- marmot777 10y ago
  This seems way more extreme than the general problem. I live in a city that does not have any problem supporting a variety of great restaurants from low to high end. It sounds to me like possibly the people who are being hired away from the tech companies are benefiting. I think it's still an ethical issue as this situation is obviously hurting restaurant owners and people who don't have the money for the super high end. That's a shame.
asah 10y ago
Zibibbo was excellent - bite your tongue!
- karma_vaccum123 10y ago
  meh forgettable white table cloth bistro...there have to be fifty such places in the Bay Area okay they get props for being early in recognizing Palo Alto as a night out ...but little else