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Comment by threatofrain | Hacker News Reader

The restaurant industry is brittle and consolidating, and the the American middle class might not be strong enough to support it anymore. Recent events just magnify the weaknesses of the existing system.

We could talk about things like the expansion of government programs, or we could talk about your theory of how I'm stripping people's humanities away. You would also presume quite poorly if you thought I haven't worked in the food industry.

If you have something interesting to offer to the scenario of collapsing American restaurants, go ahead. Such as more discussion on dehumanization.

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The assertion that restaurants failing in the wake of the government mandating them to close in response to a once in a lifetime pandemic is evidence of them being unviable as an industry is utterly laughable.

I simply responded to what you wrote, without assumption or prejudice.

This is a far more interesting statement: “The restaurant industry is brittle and consolidating, and the the American middle class might not be strong enough to support it anymore. Recent events just magnify the weaknesses of the existing system.“

If that is what you intended to communicate, then maybe that is what you should have written.

I would conjecture that it describes much of the US economy, not just the food service industry.

I'd recommend keeping your first two sentences (which are interesting), and deleting the rest of the comment (which just continues an inflammatory line).

>If you have something interesting to offer to the scenario of collapsing American restaurants, go ahead.

You didn't quite offer anything interesting, just stated the industry is collapsing and workers should get other jobs...that isn't interesting or helpful.

Curious how many people you employ and if your business is immune from the economic impact of this pandemic, maybe some of these workers would like you to hire them.

Whats more remarkable is that no one has made a peep about RENTAL PAYMENT DEFERRALS or SUSPENSIONS to even COMMERCIAL LANDLORDS of APARTMENTS / SINGLE FAMILY HOMES yet somehow sit-down restaurants and their health are a top concern.

These priorities are lop-sided at best.

Restaurants are not a critical component of your basic sustenance. They never were, in the course of human history. Heavy dependence on them for ones immediate sustenance needs is a very recent development.

On the other hand, shelter is.

“No one” in the US perhaps?

Some other countries already have programs. NZ just introduced a program where everyone who’s job is locked-out will still get paid (so they can continue to pay bills). Other countries have different programs.

I don't understand how a program like that, paying just the workers, is going to help when the business they work for still goes out of business. It needs to be suspended payments for everybody: the renters, the landlords and homeowners paying their mortgages, the businesses paying their rent, and so on. You can't just target one group and forget the rest or everything collapses.

Probably because the buildings aren't going anywhere. Landlords will lose money, but they're less likely to lay off tons of people.

Restaurants employ ~10% of working Americans. A lot of people are going to lose jobs.

  Restaurants employ ~10% of working Americans. A lot of
  people are going to lose jobs.

No one disputes that. Although that 10% figure needs corroboration. As other comments have pointed out restaurants have switched to take-out and delivery and will need ample workers for those operations.

But meanwhile what happens to the other 90% Americans who are working who face uncertain futures - some even in underrepresented sectors or even non-union sectors? How do they make rent or their mortgage payments?

All I'm asking is why are restaurant workers deserving of such singular attention and their concerns need such elevation over the rest of the entire working classes of America including other blue & white collar workers?

It's a SINGLE INDUSTRY that represents 10% of our workforce; I think that's more than any other. Overwhelmingly they are non-unionized. Profit margins for restaurants are very slim (avg. around 5%). Take-out/delivery is not going to come close to replacing the lost business. Many restaurants will close - many already have.

This is not to say other industries (like hotels) won't also be badly hurt. But restaurants are probably the single largest highly effected sector.

Shelter is a human right. Landlords aren't.

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