There is a restaurant (ok, three in a row) in Del Ray (a section of Alexandria) that offers fantastic food at great prices.  They will stock out of the way beer for regular customers. And, their service is great.

The primary restaurant is Pork Barrel (which also serves vegetarian stuff or I wouldn’t know about it.)   Next door is Holy Cow, their hamburger (also with vegetarian offerings) restaurant. And, then there is the Sushi Bar (only for adults!).  These three restaurants share a common kitchen- and owner.

Mike Anderson (and his wife Donna) and Bill Blackburn also own another restaurant-  Sweet Fire Donna’s in the Carlyle section of Alexandria.  And, they will soon open up their seafood restaurant (Whiskey and Oyster), also in the Carlyle section of Alexandria.

So, you ask, I don’t live in Alexandria. Why should I care?

Because like many other restaurants, Mike, Bill, and Donna have elected to raise the pay for all their employees.  Effective immediately, they will now be earning $ 15 an hour.  A true living wage.   (The minimum wage for restaurant workers in Virginia is $ 2.13 an hour.)

When we listen to folks at Olive Garden, Chilis,  and other chains say they are having a hard time finding staff- you have to recognize that many workers have decided not to risk their lives for such low wages.  Others no longer have their kids in school to let them work without paying for child care (assuming one can find a child care center open), which means another consideration before taking back a job (or getting a new one).

Also, here in DC, the fourth largest grossing restaurant in the US, “The Old Ebbitt Grill” has been enduring a worker protest.  Where the restaurant grossed more than $ 32 million and pays its servers $ 5 an hour.   They want wages raised to $15 per hour.

These hospitality firms often blame the federal extended unemployment rate, where folks earns $ 300- in addition to their state unemployment.  So much so that GOP-run states have decided to terminate the benefit.   (You should be able to compute that for most of these states, EVEN WITH THE $ 300 FEDERAL BENEFIT,  the weekly check to those out of work comes to about $ 11 an hour.  Yup.  $ 11 an hour- which the employers are desperately trying to avoid paying their staff.   Even as they call them- essential workers.  Who knew that essential worker was a euphemism for slave?)

Most economists (OK, liberal economists) believe that $ 15 an hour is the minimum wage necessary to get folks back into restaurants.  Even places like McDonalds (those owned by the parent, not franchisees) are paying their staff $ 15 an hour to ensure their restaurants keep operating.

It’s time.

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