Quote: Just going to guess that alot of restaurants in Seattle were closing before a minimum wage hike was discussed. 

 

That's my experience in the restaurant equipment supply business.   Part of my job was to manage credit.   It's so easy to get into the restaurant business, and many people open restaurants without really knowing the business.   They didn't close because of excessive costs; they closed because they didn't realize how much money they needed to start up, and they didn't know how to run a business in the first place.   I used to tell people, add up all your startup costs, and then triple it.   That's how much money you need to start a restaurant.  

 

I would bet the rise in the minimum wage in Seattle will flush out the weak operators.   The stronger ones, who know how the operate a restaurant, will continue to prosper.  

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