Running a restaurant in California is like swimming upstream wearing stockings and heavy weights. We train under maximum drag.

In California, the regulatory load isn’t just heavy, it’s layered like a lasagna. Every regulation has another regulation. 

We’re cash businesses; we count the drawer every day. We hire lots of people. We handle perishable goods. We operate around heat, gas, electricity, refrigeration, hoods, plumbing, and mechanical systems. 

Every time California regulates these things, they become more expensive. When costs rise, prices rise; and when prices go up, sales tax revenue goes up for the state. That part of the machine works perfectly. 

The part that doesn’t work is the human part – the small operator, the family-run spot, the chef-owner, the kid trying........

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