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Dear Mayor de Blasio, WE, the full-service restaurant operators of New York City, implore you to permit our establishments to include an optional surcharge on dining checks. This practice is allowed everywhere around the country, including throughout the rest of New York State. Our payrolls and rents have skyrocketed, which has had a catastrophic impact on our businesses and employees. If you want to support local restaurants and staff, allow us the option of using a clearly disclosed surcharge to generate the revenue to simply survive. The cost to run a restaurant and employ people in New York City is unbearable for many full-service restaurants. By the end of this year, there will be nine mandated wage increases in three years: - The tipped minimum wage has increased 100%. - The regular minimum wage increased 71%. - Salary minimum for exempt employees increased 36%. As restaurateurs we are suffering, and our employees’ livelihood are being threatened too: • We have laid off tipped employees including, servers, bartenders, bussers and runners • We have cut hours for many employees. • We have laid off highly compensated employees. • We have changed our menus to try to control kitchen payroll. • We have closed restaurants, which will continue closing at an increasing rate. • We have been forced to increase menu prices. These price increases have not and cannot come close to offsetting mandated wage increases and real estate costs. • We do not consider opening new full-services restaurants in NYC. We know these wage increases were not intended to have these consequences, but the full-service restaurants in NYC are now closing in unprecedented numbers, leaving vacant storefronts and limited service businesses that create fewer jobs and do not offer the renowned dining experiences that help draw millions of visitors to our city. We have been waiting in good faith, for two years, for our city to allow us to use a clearly disclosed surcharge. During that time our business have been further damaged. We need the option to use a clearly disclosed sur- charge, and we need it now! Mr. Mayor, we urge you to listen to the voice of your local restaurant community. We need our city’s support now. Thank you for your immediate action. CC: Alicia Glen, Deputy Mayor of Economic Development Lorelei Salas, Commissioner of Consumer Affairs Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of Small Business Services Bryant Park Grill Bryant Park Café Clydes Southwest Porch Robert Barbounia Cafe D’Alsace 5Napkin Burger 14th St 5Napkin Burger 45th St 5Napkin Burger 70th St. 5Napkin Burger 84th St. French Roast L’Express Le Monde Marseille Nice Mati Nizza Playa Betty’s Landmarc Dallas BBQ Tony’s Di Napoli Bistro Le Steak Havana Central Restaurants PJ Clarke’s Barbuto Heartland Brewery Heartland Brewery & Chophouse Heartland Brewery & Rotisserie HB Burger Houston Hall Flatiron Hall 67 Orange Street Solomon and Kuff St. Ambroeus - Madison Ave. St. Ambroeus - West Village Felice 64 Felice 84 Felice 15 Bâtard Tribeca Grill Nobu Downtown Nobu Fiſty Seven Porsche Grille Daily Burger Aqua Grill Freemans Restaurant Hill Country Barbecue Market Hill Country Chicken Hill Country Hospitality Knickerbocker Bar & Grill Rainbow Room Smith & Wollensky Sylvia’s Restaurant TAO TAO Downtown TAO Uptown Daniel Bar Boulud Boulud Sud Café Boulud Bar Pleiades db Bistro Moderne Épicerie Boulud Lincoln Center Épicerie Boulud e Plaza Épicerie Boulud World Trade Ctr Big Daddy’s Gramercy Park Big Daddy’s Upper West Side Duke’s Murray Hill Duke’s Gramercy 3 Sheets Salon Amaranth Amity Hall Downtown Amity Hall Uptown Amy Ruth’s Restaurant Andrew’s Coffee Shop Antun’s of Queeens Arlenes Grocery Avra Estiatorio Avra Madison Bar D’eau Bar Italia Baz Bagel and Restaurant Beauty & Essex BLT Prime BLT Steak Bodegra Negra Bond 45 New York Boulud Sud Brasserie Ruhlmann Brooklyn Diner 57th Street Brooklyn Diner Time Square Café Fiorello Café Katja Casa Lever Casa Nonna Chaiwali Cornerstone Tavern Crave Fishbar Midtown Crave Fishbar UWS Dee’s Distilled NY Don Angie Down the Hatch El Colmado Eleven Madison Park Estate Garden Grill Felice Fette Sau Flute Beekman Gina Amaricana 93 St Gina Italiana 91 St Gina Italiana Broadway Gina Italiana Lexington Gina Mexicana 61 St Gleason’s Tavern of Times Square Goldbar Grazie Hair of the Dog Harlem Hookah Horcharta Hotel Chantelle Houndstooth Pub Il Gattopardo Insa Jack’s Wife Freda Jake’s Dilemma Jake’s Handcraſted Javelina Junoon Restaurants Kitchen at Cobble Hill L’Incontro La Goulue Lake Trout LAVO LBK Le Colonial Le Marais Lecheile Bar and Restaurant Legasea Levante Luzzo’s BK Made Nice Marco Polo Ristorante Melba’s Restaurant Michael’s Restaurant Mozerella & Vino Mr Bing - Beijing Foods (5 locations) Mr. Jones North Square Restaurant Off the Wagon Orsay Park Avenue Summer Penelope Penthouse 808 Pera Mediterranean Brasserie Pera Soho Pier 1 Café Pouring Ribbons Punch Bar & Grill Quality Eats Quality Eats Quality Italian Quality Meats Rare Bar & Grill Rare Bar & Grill Redeye Grill Rose Water Rue 57 Russo’s on the Bay Ryan Maguire’s Ale House Rye House Sala One Nine Salt & Bone Scratcher Café Shrine World Music Venue Silvana Soho Cigar Bar SommTime Wine Bar Spring & Varick Spuyten Duyvil St Anselm Stanton Social Stitch Bar & Lounge Stout Grand Central Sugar Cane Raw Bar & Grill Sweetwater Social Tavern 62 Tertulia e 13th Step e Frying Pan e Gin Mill e Good Fork e Half Pint e Leopard at des Artistes e Long Room e NoMad e Red Cat e Regal Diner e Stag’s Head e Stumble Inn e Wayfarer Trattoria Dell’ Arte Trattoria Italienne Vandal Wined Up Wine Bar Wrays Caribbean & Seafood Cuisine Yatenga French Restaurant & Bar Zuma NYC Restaurants Need City Approval For an Optional Surcharge April 25th, 2018
