The California Restaurant Association (CRA) has started a new campaign called “What The Fork?!” to draw attention to the impact of state and local regulations on neighborhood restaurants. The campaign features billboards in Terminal B at Sacramento International Airport and is supported by social media ads targeting the Capitol region.
“Forty percent of California restaurants we surveyed reported that they did not make a profit last year,” declared Jot Condie, President + CEO of the California Restaurant Association. “We’ve been ringing alarm bells as iconic restaurants shutter and, still, lawmakers add more burdensome regulations, so it’s time to get the attention of our guests, their voters.”
The CRA says many small restaurants are still dealing with debt from pandemic closures while facing rising costs for rent, food, utilities, insurance, and labor. The association points to more than 400,000 regulations imposed by lawmakers as a major factor contributing to these challenges.
“Our ‘What The Fork!’ campaign will raise voter awareness to pressure lawmakers to stop legislating all of us into a hole,” declared Condie.
According to the CRA, hundreds of new laws each year create legal risks for restaurant owners and contribute to higher prices for consumers. Increasing menu prices is described as a last resort for businesses trying to avoid closure.
“This isn’t an exaggeration; neighborhood restaurants are at the brink,” said Fred Glick, Incoming Chair of the CRA Board and Brewpub Chieftain at Karl Strauss Brewing Company. “Voters deserve to know that the high prices we are all paying are a result of California lawmakers incessantly adding more unnecessary hoops and added costs.”
“We aren’t big corporations that can absorb added costs; every time they pass another unnecessary rule, lawmakers are eating into the 3-5 cents that small neighborhood restaurants are making on the dollar,” reasons Dolores C. Jackson, CRA board member and part of the family ownership of Lolita’s Mexican Food in San Diego.
The CRA argues that when local restaurants close, communities lose important sources of funding for public services such as safety programs and schools. The organization urges policymakers to reconsider additional regulations that may increase dining costs or force businesses to shut down.
More information about policies affecting restaurant prices and a petition can be found at https://www.calrest.org/wtf.
