Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood’s restaurants, the only draw left in the CBD with the digital-led demise of retail are about to be washed over by the same thing that is drowning NYC restaurants.
Now with the money losing garage ($1m/year) on the way bringing higher parking fees for diners and eaters alike, the village and the Dems they elected will not just kill the goose that laid the golden egg, there will be no one left to cook or serve it.
“December 2018 restaurant jobs were down by almost 3,000 (and by 1.64%) from the previous December,” wrote economist Mark Perry, “and the 2.5% annual decline in March 2018 was the worst annual decline since the sharp collapse in restaurant jobs following 9/11 in 2001.”
Perry says this “restaurant recession” is likely the result of the series of mandatory wage hikes that brought the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.
New York’s experience is noteworthy since numerous states have passed or are in the process of passing a $15 pay floor. Illinois and New Jersey recently passed laws mandating a $15 minimum wage—they will be phased in over several years, similar to New York’s law—joining California, Massachusetts, and of course New York.
https://fee.org/articles/new-york-city-experienced-worst-decline-in-restaurant-jobs-since-911-after-15-minimum-wage-win/
As Margaret Thatcher famously said, “The trouble with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
A lot of the restaurant workers in town are off the books anyway. They could get their $15 an hour only uncle Sam doesn’t know.
Don’t Worry…
The Ginormous Garage will save the resturants….
Satin Dolls baby
Who’s going to maintain this garage. Sweeping. Litter. Ice control. Snow control. Other maintenance. Very interesting isn’t it. You just wait-and-see the police will be hanging Out at that site. The police department should put a little office on site, for customer service sounds pretty good right thank about it, just think about it some of us are all for it.
How many public parking garages do you know in upper middle class, white collar towns that have police stations in them? Stop your racist dog whistles and barking at airplanes. Where are the gangs and drug dealers with pit bulls that you and your police union lackeys always conjure up as the bogeymen when you want to steal more food from taxpayers’ tables? More like we need protection from you pigs and your full-time labor union lawyers who steal from all of us daily in broad daylight.
To the above commenter crime in Bergen is spiraling upward ,due to drugs and sanctuary status
Dog whistles to justify taxpayer theft by the police and their union lackeys. You’ve been saying the same lies for 30 years, raising the bogeyman of drugs, gangs, and “Paterson” as subverted racist threats to justify your greed.
“Sanctuary status”? Throwing illegal immigration at every problem?
For $15 an hour my son might wait tables during the summer. Regular 12 month employees are needed by restaurants, you have to pay if you want them to work here. When RHS kids graduate college they are not looking to work for a restaurant in town.
Where do restaurant workers come from?
Logical place to deploy some of the police fleet on that side of town close to eastside Ridgewood Residents and businesses.And fact it will be empty
eliminates need for a rent a cop security staff in another Vehicle we of course are on the hook for..Unless town comes to their senses and paves the site flat with real asphalt and studies how other towns actually paint lines
on blacktop.
Amazon is cutting hours for Whole Foods employees after the $15/hr increase. Net gain is zero or less. But on the bright side they get to work lass hours for same amount of $. The store service may deteriorate though.
Can you tell me how would someone who’s going to Steel Wheel for dinner is going to park in the garage and then walk? It is easier to park at Stop n Shop or streets nearby. The garage will never get used more than 30% of the time.
The Garage was a scam DAY ONE