Skinny Pancake owner Benjamin Adler says that if he paid a “livable wage” to employees working at his airport restaurants, he’d have to charge $20 for a sandwich. “No restaurant pays their dishwasher $17.71 an hour,” he tells Seven Days. “It’s not sustainable.”
Adler was reacting Tuesday to an avalanche of outrage prompted by a Burlington Free Press article, which reported that Burlington’s mayor and board of finance had approved the Skinny Pancake’s request for an unusual exemption from the city’s livable wage ordinance. Burlington’s ordinance requires that city employees and contractors receiving taxpayer funds pay workers a “livable” wage — presently $13.94 an hour, or $17.71 an hour if health insurance is not provided — unless they received a hardship exemption.
Adler lobbied for a hardship exemption and city officials approved one because Skinny Pancake says it would lose money on the airport venture otherwise. One reason for the special treatment: The Skinny Pancake and its sister restaurant, the Chubby Muffin, source almost all of their meat, cheese and vegetables from Vermont farmers and food producers. Adler estimates his restaurants spend $400,000 a year purchasing Vermont-grown foods — and will spend an additional $250,000 buying local food for the airport cafes.
The Free Press article also suggested — without saying explicitly — that Mayor Miro Weinberger’s personal relationship with Adler and his brother, Ted, both of whom supported the mayor’s campaign last spring, could have influenced the outcome.
Adler vigorously defended the exemption even as people who helped pass the livable wage ordinance back in 2001 warned that the move set a troubling precedent. Adler argues that the livable wage ordinance itself might need review. In spirit, he says he’s “all for” guaranteeing a livable wage to people working on the taxpayer’s dime. “But in practice, it’s setting the bar so high that even a company like mine can’t get near it. Is that the right bar to have set?” asks Adler, who pays himself “barely more” than livable wage standards. “Or is it too much money?”
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“For his part, Weinberger tells Seven Days that his years-long acquaintance with Adler’s brother, Ted, and the small checks the brothers wrote his campaign had no influence on him voting “yes” on Skinny Pancake’s food service contract and livable wage exemption.”
You want me to believe this I suppose? Do you believe me to be so naive? When *I* do business my first considerations are ALWAYS my friends and family because I know for a fact that costs will be lower and that they will treat me better then some stranger. Why do you expect me to believe that these two fellas are any different?
In the article, there’s a couple of paragraphs that state the opposite of what you are saying. Your reply is only an assumption and there is no evidence to support it. True or not, you shouldn’t stop going to SP based on an assumption. For me, at the end of the day, the SP serves great food.
Mr. Mayor’s much ballyhooed “Fresh Start”: Privatizing the waterfront, patronage
appointments, shooting nonviolent protesters, and now subverting livable
wage laws for business owning campaign donors.
It’s not the mandated $17.71/hr ordinance that’s got me miffed, its that a business used it’s relationship to a member of the government to get preferential consideration over other businesses and then got an exemption from the ordinance due to that relationship. That’s a clear case of political patronage in my opinion, and it shouldn’t be tolerated by the constituents of such politicicans, ever.
What compensation a business gives to its employees is between the parties involved, with either side having the freedom to say “no thank you”. To be frank, it’s none of my business. On the other hand, I generally try not to do business with businesses who are widely known for treating their employee’s poorly.
just so you know then, you shouldn’t eat anywhere in burlington, vt then. SP got targeted in the BFP article. there are many businesses and restaurants in burlington that are in the same boat as SP. do you really think all those other burlington restaurants are paying their employees $17.71/hr?
i interviewed there one time not long ago…. they were talking about starting wage being 9.50 or 10/hr if I remember properly. Not worth getting out of bed for.
Having worked in food service for a decade, I don’t believe for a damn second that restaurants in the area can’t afford to pay better. The average wage for a line cook at a busy church street establishment is only $12/hr. Meanwhile these restaurants take in several thousand dollars daily. Most cooks I know need roommates or a second, possibly third job to cover living expenses in Burlington; mostly due to grossly inflated rents compared to the rest of the state.
I liked the Skinny Pancake food and atmosphere on the water front, and made it a habit to visit the location whenever I was in Burlington, but from the looks of it, it’s just another business looking for handouts from it’s government sponsors. I won’t be patronizing any establishment who thinks that this kind of behaviors is appropriate. Way to ruin a good thing with your greed guys.
A friend who used to work at the Waterfront Skinny pancake, quit because of bad wages calling it the “skinny paycheck”
If $12 – $13 is NOT a liveable wage then the State needs to change their pay grade system for State Employees.