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Can a worker-owned restaurant work?

southseattleemerald.com

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Re: Can a worker-owned restaurant work?

#141

Post by toyg »

astrange wrote: post #49
wcerfgba wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, in UK we have a network of tech workers co-ops: https://www.coops.tech/about

This is a bad sign. The UK is like Argentina - if they've adopted an economic idea that means it doesn't work and you need to run away from it. https://twitter.com/JosephPolitano/status/169124217640185446...

Couple of notes:

- the UK, or rather UK trade unions, basically invented the concept of modern cooperatives 150 years ago.

- by now, cooperatives have effectively been out of fashion for decades. Even the flagship Cooperative Bank has recently been de-facto "normalized" into a regular business.

- the cooperative model can, however, still be attractive for small groups of artisans, like software developers. Hence the link from parent poster. This doesn't mean that it's been "adopted" at large scale, or seen a mainstream resurgence - it has not.

Re: Can a worker-owned restaurant work?

#144

Post by syedkarim »

laweijfmvo wrote: post #123
reducesuffering wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very reasonable prices are $40 + 8% coop fee for a standard large pizza? That's almost $50 after tax. https://asliceofny.com/sunnyvale/menu/

A large cheese is $25, and 18” is quite large. Expensive maybe but it’s legitimately good pizza as other have said.

As a reference point: An 18” Whole Foods pizza is $15 at full price and $10 on Fridays.

Re: Can a worker-owned restaurant work?

#145

Post by soligern »

exabrial wrote: post #88

Yes, absolutely, but there are pitfalls: * Somehow finances have to work, which is usually a harsh reality for some. Ex: Hey we can't pay workers $250/hr without raises prices to above what customers are willing to pay * Consumers despite "Least common denominator" which is often the result of "design by committee". Usually consumers are after something niche, unique, artistic, and creative, which is the inspiration…

How do you fire people? Do you just get voted off the island? There would need to be managers.

Re: Can a worker-owned restaurant work?

#146

Post by SamWhited »

This makes me miss Blackstar Co-op in Austin, TX. Great microbrewery with excellent food that has a hybrid worker/consumer ownership model. If you're ever in the area (and if it's still around, it's been years since I've lived there) look it up!

Re: Can a worker-owned restaurant work?

#147

Post by magicalist »

reducesuffering wrote: post #130
laweijfmvo wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A large cheese is $25, and 18” is quite large. Expensive maybe but it’s legitimately good pizza as other have said.

Sure, i'm not commenting on the tastiness. Just that I remember balking at the $40 I spent for a pizza there, and am surprised that anyone thinks the prices are "reasonable" when it's likely one of the most expensive pizza places in the entire country.

I mean: http://www.pizzamyheart.com/menu/

Maybe there's more to the prices than the co-op structure?

Re: Can a worker-owned restaurant work?

#148

Post by jancsika »

exabrial wrote: post #88

Yes, absolutely, but there are pitfalls: * Somehow finances have to work, which is usually a harsh reality for some. Ex: Hey we can't pay workers $250/hr without raises prices to above what customers are willing to pay * Consumers despite "Least common denominator" which is often the result of "design by committee". Usually consumers are after something niche, unique, artistic, and creative, which is the inspiration…

> * Consumers despite "Least common denominator" which is often the result of "design by committee". Usually consumers are after something niche, unique, artistic, and creative, which is the inspiration or vision of an individual.

Dollars to donuts you wrote that bullet point without having read the article:

* the extant worker-owned restaurant discussed in the article is the epitome of "something niche, unique, artistic, and creative," which was "the inspiration or vision of" the owner making a pitch to the staff to become worker-owned. It even mentions getting employees because of the unique approach. I can't imagine they haven't drawn non-trivial consumers to their restaurant for the same reason

* pictures of the food exist in the article

In short: I know "design by committee" food. I've worked with "design by committee" food. That fried chicken sandwich, sir, is no "design by committee" food.

Re: Can a worker-owned restaurant work?

#149

Post by SoftTalker »

spacebanana7 wrote: post #136
avgcorrection wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Somehow finances have to work, which is usually a harsh reality for some. Ex: Hey we can't pay workers $250/hr without raises prices to above what customers are willing to pay Somehow finances have to work, which is usually a harsh reality for some owners. Ex: Hey we can't have collective payout to investors totaling $10M this year without raises prices to above what customers are wiling to pay.

This is one of the main advantages owner operators have over PE funded or publicly traded businesses.

Also a reason that at least some (perhaps many?) franchise restaurants don't allow owner-investors, they must be owner-operators. McDonald's is one, at least they were last I knew.

Re: Can a worker-owned restaurant work?

#150

Post by willio58 »

exabrial wrote: post #88

Yes, absolutely, but there are pitfalls: * Somehow finances have to work, which is usually a harsh reality for some. Ex: Hey we can't pay workers $250/hr without raises prices to above what customers are willing to pay * Consumers despite "Least common denominator" which is often the result of "design by committee". Usually consumers are after something niche, unique, artistic, and creative, which is the inspiration…

> Hey we can't pay workers $250/hr

Unless those workers were looking to make half a million per year I think that's okay.

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