WEBVTT
1
00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:08.240
Welcome into West Michigan's Morning News, your Friday edition. We
2
00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:11.640
love it. Schmitti en for Steve Kelly today, Brett Bakita
3
00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:15.119
is here as well and joining us on the liveline.
4
00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:19.800
Tommy Brand, former state representative and restaurant owner Tommy good morning,
5
00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:23.760
Good morning. So we talked a bit about this yesterday,
6
00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:28.879
the State Supreme Court ruling about the Michigan minimum wage
7
00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:33.159
coming back into effects. So the schedule of the raises
8
00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:36.960
you'll see going to happen. But what's really interesting about
9
00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:40.719
this is the tipping side of the business, and if
10
00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:43.920
I can be honest, I'm still a bit confused about that.
11
00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:48.560
So first, what does this mean from a tip standpoint
12
00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:52.079
with the new Michigan minimum wage law going back into.
13
00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:56.960
Effect, well is February twenty First, it start so at
14
00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:00.320
thirty eight percent, which is would raise wage for a
15
00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:03.359
service at seven dollars an hour. Then in three years
16
00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:05.560
of gradually go up to twelve dollars an hour. So
17
00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:11.519
service would be which right now they make mintual wake
18
00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:14.400
they don't make the tips. You know, we're updated to
19
00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:17.799
pay them midle wage anyway, so they do make it anyway.
20
00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:20.640
But so by three years it'll be up to twelve
21
00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:24.200
dollars an hour, and there'll be, you know, quite a
22
00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:27.680
labor increase for restaurants. Some probably won't make it.
23
00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:31.159
So, Tommy, when you look at this from the server
24
00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:35.840
standpoint and bartenders and everything, would this be a better
25
00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:38.920
deal for them or not? I'm that's I'm like Smittie,
26
00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:40.920
I'm kind of confused on that. I know that it's
27
00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:43.239
a better wage going up, but then how does that
28
00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:44.799
affect their tips?
29
00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:48.599
Yeah, that's and that's eighty three percent of them don't
30
00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:51.159
want them. In Minnesota, they went to the capitol saying
31
00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:54.599
they didn't want it to get changed because I think
32
00:01:54.599 --> 00:01:57.920
their tips will people won't tip. I mean, beet there
33
00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:00.719
making twelve bucks an hour, and it might. You know.
34
00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:04.640
I love my servers, and creating a job is really
35
00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:07.319
a compassionate thing to do. And in fifty two years
36
00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:09.599
of business, I paid over a million dollars in Social
37
00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:12.960
Security and Medicare for my servers and for my cooks.
38
00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:17.919
So being a small business owner is not easy, and
39
00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:21.319
taking a risk is not easy, and servers wouldn't. I've
40
00:02:21.319 --> 00:02:23.719
had servers work for me for forty I have once
41
00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:26.520
or forty eight years, and their daughter works for me now,
42
00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:30.000
and they make good tips. I had a server make
43
00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:35.199
hundred dollars Tuesday from ten to You work from ten
44
00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:39.199
to to at lunch hour, so they make good tips.
45
00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:41.159
I think their tips will will go down and they
46
00:02:41.159 --> 00:02:42.879
don't want of course, they don't want to see that.
47
00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:47.000
Well. It's interesting because as a consumer, as a customer,
48
00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:50.840
I've just become I mean, I'm used to tipping right,
49
00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:53.800
I'm a twenty percent tipper, maybe more. If I had
50
00:02:53.879 --> 00:02:57.560
just a lovely experience with a serving staff, this could
51
00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:00.520
be so detrimental that you could see people leaving this
52
00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:02.919
job entirely because they do so. There are a service
53
00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:05.960
that work their tails off for good tips. And if
54
00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:08.840
what do we need to know as the customer if
55
00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:10.120
this changes.
56
00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:14.479
Well, as a customer, that's what I think the servers
57
00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:17.280
and as a restaurant or, I'm worried about that that
58
00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:19.879
the tips will you won't tip because you know the
59
00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:23.360
food prices will go up. You're and see a server
60
00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:26.840
making twelve bucks and saying, well, geez, you know, I'm
61
00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:29.319
you know, maybe I'll leave a couple of dollars and
62
00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:33.479
I won't tip twenty percent anymore. And that's why eighty
63
00:03:33.479 --> 00:03:35.879
three percent of the servers don't want this to happen,
64
00:03:36.280 --> 00:03:40.719
and I'm i'm as a small businessman, it's not which
65
00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:43.599
greedy and don't care about our workers. That's you know.
66
00:03:43.639 --> 00:03:46.520
Anybody that comes to me on that, I'm going to
67
00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:50.439
definitely debate them on that, because we do care about
68
00:03:50.439 --> 00:03:53.240
our workers and we want them happy, and they wouldn't
69
00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:56.400
and there wouldn't be so many servers and bartenders that
70
00:03:56.560 --> 00:04:00.560
wants this job, that love this job, you know, if
71
00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:03.919
they didn't make good tips. So it's going to be
72
00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:05.479
I think I think might disappear.
73
00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:09.560
So a very interesting conversation. We really appreciate your time
74
00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:13.400
on this. Tommy Brand, former state representative, restaurant owner. We
75
00:04:13.479 --> 00:04:14.639
appreciate you. Thank you.
76
00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:17.800
Oh yeah, I'm glad be I'm shore. Thank you
1
00:00:03.439 --> 00:00:08.240
Welcome into West Michigan's Morning News, your Friday edition. We
2
00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:11.640
love it. Schmitti en for Steve Kelly today, Brett Bakita
3
00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:15.119
is here as well and joining us on the liveline.
4
00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:19.800
Tommy Brand, former state representative and restaurant owner Tommy good morning,
5
00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:23.760
Good morning. So we talked a bit about this yesterday,
6
00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:28.879
the State Supreme Court ruling about the Michigan minimum wage
7
00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:33.159
coming back into effects. So the schedule of the raises
8
00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:36.960
you'll see going to happen. But what's really interesting about
9
00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:40.719
this is the tipping side of the business, and if
10
00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:43.920
I can be honest, I'm still a bit confused about that.
11
00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:48.560
So first, what does this mean from a tip standpoint
12
00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:52.079
with the new Michigan minimum wage law going back into.
13
00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:56.960
Effect, well is February twenty First, it start so at
14
00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:00.320
thirty eight percent, which is would raise wage for a
15
00:01:00.439 --> 00:01:03.359
service at seven dollars an hour. Then in three years
16
00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:05.560
of gradually go up to twelve dollars an hour. So
17
00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:11.519
service would be which right now they make mintual wake
18
00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:14.400
they don't make the tips. You know, we're updated to
19
00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:17.799
pay them midle wage anyway, so they do make it anyway.
20
00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:20.640
But so by three years it'll be up to twelve
21
00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:24.200
dollars an hour, and there'll be, you know, quite a
22
00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:27.680
labor increase for restaurants. Some probably won't make it.
23
00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:31.159
So, Tommy, when you look at this from the server
24
00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:35.840
standpoint and bartenders and everything, would this be a better
25
00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:38.920
deal for them or not? I'm that's I'm like Smittie,
26
00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:40.920
I'm kind of confused on that. I know that it's
27
00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:43.239
a better wage going up, but then how does that
28
00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:44.799
affect their tips?
29
00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:48.599
Yeah, that's and that's eighty three percent of them don't
30
00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:51.159
want them. In Minnesota, they went to the capitol saying
31
00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:54.599
they didn't want it to get changed because I think
32
00:01:54.599 --> 00:01:57.920
their tips will people won't tip. I mean, beet there
33
00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:00.719
making twelve bucks an hour, and it might. You know.
34
00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:04.640
I love my servers, and creating a job is really
35
00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:07.319
a compassionate thing to do. And in fifty two years
36
00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:09.599
of business, I paid over a million dollars in Social
37
00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:12.960
Security and Medicare for my servers and for my cooks.
38
00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:17.919
So being a small business owner is not easy, and
39
00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:21.319
taking a risk is not easy, and servers wouldn't. I've
40
00:02:21.319 --> 00:02:23.719
had servers work for me for forty I have once
41
00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:26.520
or forty eight years, and their daughter works for me now,
42
00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:30.000
and they make good tips. I had a server make
43
00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:35.199
hundred dollars Tuesday from ten to You work from ten
44
00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:39.199
to to at lunch hour, so they make good tips.
45
00:02:39.199 --> 00:02:41.159
I think their tips will will go down and they
46
00:02:41.159 --> 00:02:42.879
don't want of course, they don't want to see that.
47
00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:47.000
Well. It's interesting because as a consumer, as a customer,
48
00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:50.840
I've just become I mean, I'm used to tipping right,
49
00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:53.800
I'm a twenty percent tipper, maybe more. If I had
50
00:02:53.879 --> 00:02:57.560
just a lovely experience with a serving staff, this could
51
00:02:57.560 --> 00:03:00.520
be so detrimental that you could see people leaving this
52
00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:02.919
job entirely because they do so. There are a service
53
00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:05.960
that work their tails off for good tips. And if
54
00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:08.840
what do we need to know as the customer if
55
00:03:08.840 --> 00:03:10.120
this changes.
56
00:03:11.159 --> 00:03:14.479
Well, as a customer, that's what I think the servers
57
00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:17.280
and as a restaurant or, I'm worried about that that
58
00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:19.879
the tips will you won't tip because you know the
59
00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:23.360
food prices will go up. You're and see a server
60
00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:26.840
making twelve bucks and saying, well, geez, you know, I'm
61
00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:29.319
you know, maybe I'll leave a couple of dollars and
62
00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:33.479
I won't tip twenty percent anymore. And that's why eighty
63
00:03:33.479 --> 00:03:35.879
three percent of the servers don't want this to happen,
64
00:03:36.280 --> 00:03:40.719
and I'm i'm as a small businessman, it's not which
65
00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:43.599
greedy and don't care about our workers. That's you know.
66
00:03:43.639 --> 00:03:46.520
Anybody that comes to me on that, I'm going to
67
00:03:46.960 --> 00:03:50.439
definitely debate them on that, because we do care about
68
00:03:50.439 --> 00:03:53.240
our workers and we want them happy, and they wouldn't
69
00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:56.400
and there wouldn't be so many servers and bartenders that
70
00:03:56.560 --> 00:04:00.560
wants this job, that love this job, you know, if
71
00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:03.919
they didn't make good tips. So it's going to be
72
00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:05.479
I think I think might disappear.
73
00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:09.560
So a very interesting conversation. We really appreciate your time
74
00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:13.400
on this. Tommy Brand, former state representative, restaurant owner. We
75
00:04:13.479 --> 00:04:14.639
appreciate you. Thank you.
76
00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:17.800
Oh yeah, I'm glad be I'm shore. Thank you
