Olive Garden: Obamacare press hurt us

POLITICO Olive Garden: Obamacare press hurt us By KATIE GLUECK | 12/5/12 6:21 AM EST Harsh press coverage of how the Olive Garden and Red Lobster are implementing Obamacare depressed earnings, the restaurants’ owner says. The company offered a lower earnings estimate for fiscal year 2013 on Tuesday, citing in part the media’s reporting on the company’s handling of the new health care law. The chains’ owner, Darden, has in the past been outspoken about what it viewed as adverse effects of the new health care law, taking steps like moving some employees to part-time status to reduce costs. “Our outlook for the year also reflects the potential impact, though difficult to measure, of recent negative media coverage that focused on Darden within the full-service segment and how we might accommodate healthcare reform,” said Darden CEO and Chairman Clarence Otis in a statement. “We are also committed to accommodating healthcare reform in ways that work for our employees and guests. Darden is a strong business which continues to generate solid cash flows that will support appropriate reinvestment in our brands, effective debt management and consistent dividend growth,” the statement continued.

http%3A//www.politico.com/story/2012/12/obamacare-press-hits-olive-garden-84608.html



• tough shit. it's time for a new business model, asswipes.

  i%20hate%20hate%20hate%20overpaid%20execs

• Awwww.....my little violin is playing for you, stupid asshats.

• He'll probably apologize, say he won't implement the changes and then do exactly what he said he would do.

  Cuz%20that%27s%20who%20they%20are

• He's a dumb cunt

• Hey Darden -- I don't eat your shitty fare anyway so I won't be hurting your bottom line either, just like Obamacare isn't.

• I just don't get why these nutjobs think they have to make a big deal about the cost of Obamacare to their businesses - why aren't they calling out the power companies or gas prices or any other expense they incur as a business? They're such asswipes. They keep puffing their chest out thinking they're so smart. Here's an idea: what is wrong with investing in your employees and their futures? what's so wrong about making sure that they people who give their all to you and their families are covered with affordable health care? is there something wrong with healthy employees? It's like these guys think the American dream is running a sweat shop.

• You made your shit sandwich, now eat it.

• Neither will ever get a dime of my money. I care about food too much to eat the expensive crap they sell.

• oh boo hoo.

• I'm not totaly getting this. Unless you don't offer health benefits now there is no adverse affect to your business. So all these businesses have been petty much screwing their employees up until now. Papa John's and Denny's has also been hurt for panning Obamacare.

• Your fucking breadsticks hurt, OG. They hurt my teeth, they hurt my stomach, they hurt my soul.

• The cost should not be what is upsetting consumers. Every Restaurant is a potential plague incubator. Without basic healthcare, you expose every customer to your employees' diseases. Hep, Flu, TB, and superbugs (TM) can be transmitted to hundreds of people per day by a sick worker. This is almost, but not the same as, not providing healthcare to healthcare workers. This is a public health issue. Think about that the next time you fart funny after eating a grilled chicken salad. We blame the chicken; it could be the poor slob cutting up the salad or the guy who has to pull the lettuce.

• You just KNOW it's goddamn fucking Republicans owning these chain restaurants; never OCCURS to them to just: get LESS profits? hello?? a little less GREED; asswipes! I've been wondering why Red Lobster is pushing so hard with more and more bargain-priced entrees - a bunch of new lunch entrees, $7.99 - about time, though!

• Such fancy restaurants should not have financial difficulties in providing employee health care benefits.

  President Barack Obama

• I don't eat at Olive Garden in Manhattan because they practice mandatory tipping.

• Couldn't be their God awful food, which is horribly overpriced? Nah....

• And the fat-laden slop these asshats try to pass off as "food" do more to contribute to the skyrocketing cost of healthcare than any government policy ever could.

  Anonymous

• And to both of these 'fine' establshments I say "Fuck You"!

• "When you're here, you're family (as long as you don't get sick, then you can fuck off)"

• [quote] This is almost, but not the same as, not providing healthcare to healthcare workers. How DO hospitals and insurance companies treat their employees with regard to health insurance? Do they try and hire people for 30-hour weeks as well so they don't have to pay health insurance?

• These are the type of Executives you are just better dragging out into the streets and hanging in public.

• How much do you have to screw over your fellow man and coworker in order to get that $100,000 bonus these days?

• Yes, R20. I have friends who are nurses who complain that full time nursing positions are becoming harder to find. The model in all types of businesses now, including hospitals, is to hire a supervising staff that's full time and all the rest of the employees get less than 30 hours. They have a greater number of employees, but each person has less hours. It's actually a very good business model because you aren't overly dependent on a few people. If someone quits you have a lot of worker bees who can pick up the slack until you back fill the position.

• Well, I guess these restaurants will just have to go out of business then, and someone else will step up to fill in the gap. Survival of the fittest, let the market decide and all that.

• Thanks r23, I was curious about that. Seems incongruous to have nurses without health insurance. And I'd think they'd want continuity for their patients, not a different face every three days.

• Why do you all think employers should provide healthcare? They don't provide your food or housing. They don't mow your lawn or wipe your ass for you. Why healthcare?

• Because, sadly, that's how it works in this country. It SHOULD be single-payer and not tied into employers at all.

• Agreed R27. It crazy that we still don't have universal healthcare.

  R26

• The same practice is prevalent in the healthcare industry. Mostly in long term care facilities. Someone who works in a hospital would have to speak to hiring practices in those facilities. I worked in LTC for thirty six years. Every facility I worked in was a union house. A lot of the new hire Nurses Aides were hired on a part time basis, and even though most of them did crazy over time, they were still considered part time and it took them forever to get on staff full time. Some times the full time position was temporary if they were replacing someone out sick or on leave. Their benefits were pro-rated and they got less in hourly wages, sick days and vacation pay. They got some healthcare coverage but it was nothing compared to full time workers. And they did not get eye care or dental coverage. These people work hard. They do the same jobs as full time workers but get less for their efforts. There is little turn over in these jobs so the union can do little but demand that when a full time employee leaves the job they are replaced with one of the part timers. The administrators of these same places often used agency nurses to avoid hiring full time staff nurses. They got away with it because of the nursing shortage.

• Why aren't business owners lobbying for single payer??

• Who would eat at their restaurants? I prefer places where I know (and haven't pissed off) the chef.

  No%20Onion%20Garden

• SINGLE FUCKING PAYER! God damn it! I mean, really!

• Wouldn't it be better to dine there, give the server a big tip, and ask for the manager? At that point, express concern for the down-sizing of the OG due to Obamacare. Tell the manager that you are a regular customer (even if you are not), but that you will not frequent a restaurant that uses Obamacare as an excuse to hurt its employees. Then, ask for the email address of the owner and/ or corporate leaders. Tell the manager that you would love to protest in favor of the staff. I believe that such an action would be more effective than quietly avoiding the restaurant.

  Tony

• Well said R33 as for Darden, give the little baby a bottle !!

  waaaah%20waaaah

• [quote] Every Restaurant is a potential plague incubator. Without basic healthcare, you expose every customer to your employees' diseases. Hep, Flu, TB, and superbugs (TM) can be transmitted to hundreds of people per day by a sick worker. Until they offer sick pay to their employees, every restaurant will STILL be a potential plague incubator, whether healthcare is available or not.

• [quote]I'm not totaly getting this. Unless you don't offer health benefits now DING DING DING DING DING! We have a winner! Darden is pissed (as are other businesses) because, goshdarnit, they won't be able to get away with not giving their employees health insurance any longer. Btw in the past you've been able to do so either by hiring retail staff (including waiters) for less than a 40-hour workweek, or more commonly in the corporate world, relying substantially on "independent contractors" instead of full-time workers.

• Now I can boycott Olive Garden...wait I never eat there anyway.

• I know, it's like chick kill gay, I never ate that crap anyway. But, I can certainly pass the word.

• [quote]You made your shit sandwich, now eat it. Better this than the actual "food" they serve at OG

• People are finally figuring out that large corporations that don't cover their employees' healthcare are leeches on taxpayers and people who do have health insurance. So your small business that struggles to offer you healthcare is subsidizing corporate socialists like Papa John's, Applebees, Denny's, Olive Garden, and especially Walmart and the insanely greedy Walton family. Better people die in fires in Asia and die of lack of health insurance in America than they get one penny less than the $90 billion they've "earned" by being the spawn of Sam Walton. Meanwhile they bitch about people on Medicare, even though those people paid into Medicare their whole lives.

• Oh, can it R40. It's not the problem of employers to be your wet nurse. They don't even belong in the healthcare business. Lobby for universal healthcare. ALL people should have healthcare, just like all children should be educated and all citizens protected by military and police. It is something the commonwealth should provide for the good of all. The end.

• Thank you r41. If viruses and cancer were viewed as terrorists menacing the population we wouldn't even be having this conversation. Has anyone answered yet why corporations are so dead-set on continuing to pay ever-increasing health-insurance premiums out of their coffers?

• [quoted]Has anyone answered yet why corporations are so dead-set on continuing to pay ever-increasing health-insurance premiums out of their coffers? Can never be quoted enough: [quote]The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith

• what a GREAT quote!

• You'd think every corporation out there except the health insurance ones would support health insurance reform and even single-payer. The less money people have to spend on health insurance the more they can spend on stuff, like going out to eat (hint, Olive Garden). I had to pay about $1800 this summer for COBRA. That coulda bought a lot of stuff.

• exactly. plus, then employers could stop bitching about how expensive it is to provide health insurance for their employees. and maybe even hire more workers...

• [quote] exactly. plus, then employers could stop bitching about how expensive it is to provide health insurance for their employees. and maybe even hire more workers... Nope. They'd just stuff any surplus in their shareholders pockets and increase the size of their CEO bonuses.

• Get rid of the neverending pasta bowl. If those fatass fundies want a second helping, let them pay for it.

• The last time I ate there, I could have just warmed up frozen food

• sp