John Metz Denny's Obamacare Surcharge Stirs Big Mess For Restaurant Chain

[octoberlib]

Source: Huffington Post

Don't expect to hear more about an Obamacare surcharge from Denny's franchisee John Metz.

Denny's chief executive John Miller privately reached out to Metz to express his "disappointment" with the Florida franchisee's controversial statements about Obamacare, which sparked a wave of backlash for the national restaurant chain over the past few days. Metz released a statement Monday night expressing "regret" over his statements.

"We recognize his right to speak on issues, but registered our disappointment that his comments have been interpreted as the company’s position," Miller said in an email to The Huffington Post.

Miller is rushing to put out the fire sparked by Metz's controversial proposal to charge restaurant customers a 5 percent Obamacare fee. "Customers have two choices: They can either pay it and tip 15 or 20 percent, or if they really feel so inclined, they can reduce the amount of tip they give to the server," Metz told HuffPost in an interview last week.

Some Denny's franchisees have since dealt with angry customers, calls for a boycott and declining sales. A spokeswoman for Metz said he will not conduct more interviews.Metz, whose RREMC Restaurants owns more than 30 Denny's locations, said in a statement, "We regret that the statements we made may have been interpreted as representative of the Denny’s brand or of other franchisees, which they are not. Our stores do not have a 5 percent surcharge. Despite recent media coverage, RREMC Restaurants is committed to exploring viable and effective ways to deal with the changing economic climate, including the implementation of The Affordable Care Act. We have always been and will continue to be 100 percent dedicated to our employees and customers and will work tirelessly to find solutions that are in their best interests. It is our intention is to fully comply with the law."

After Metz's original comments went viral, Abdo Mouannes said sales and traffic dropped "overnight" at his seven Denny's locations in Florida. Angry callers immediately jammed the phones at his restaurants. "The manager said it was so frustrating, she wanted to unplug the phone," Mouannes told HuffPost. "People didn't like what they heard and were saying they wouldn't support Denny's, but we have nothing to do with that decision. I am not a fan of the idea. We are opposing the 5 percent [surcharge] -- it's not even a consideration for us."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/20/john-metz-dennys-obamacare-surcharge-_n_2146735.html

[loudsue]

1. I wish someone would post WHICH 30 stores it is that this asshole, Metz, owns.

And then Floridians can just NOT GO THERE.

[jtuck004]

5. Could look here...

http://www.rremcrestaurants.com/locations.php

[freshwest]

32. Hum, all of those on the Atlantic side of the country.

Thanks for the contact information and locations of Mistah Metz' empire. What a pig, he deserves all the hell he gets. I feel bad for his employees.

[Kablooie]

17. Things like this affect chains nationally.

If one franchiser says something in the news 90% of the readers will assume it's the chain's policy no matter what disclaimers are provided.
Though you're right. The particular franchise owner should be the one who suffers the most dramatic consequences.

[upi402]

2. "100 percent dedicated to our employees"

John Metz is a Liar.

[AllyCat]

3. The rich really don't like the idea of people before profit, do they?

If they can't make their same profit increases by screwing their employees and America, they throw temper tantrums. So what? They make $4.6 M this year instead of $5 M. Morons have OCD about stealing money.

[Douglas Carpenter]

4. knr

[SoapBox]

6. 30 stores is a huge operation!

All run by an obvious idiot.

[longship]

7. Denny's serves low grade dog food

[JohnnyRingo]

8. Chalk another one up to social media

Such influence over corporate entities would not have been possible 20 or so years ago.

These self inflated loudmouth bigshots back up faster than the French army when the shit hits the fan.

[coalition_unwilling]

9. Hey, watch it with the slurs on the French army. They held the Maginot Line

just fine

[Kolesar]

10. Remember when a Denny's restaurant would not serve black people?

It was a story in the 1990s, IIRC. The chain does not need any more bad publicity.

[MADem]

18. It was more than one Denny's.

They shit on Secret Service agents in Annapolis, (see post 16) and they crapped on people in several locations in California. It's in the blood with those people, apparently:

In California, the restaurant chain faces a
civil suit from 32 African-American plaintiffs, many of whom
were involved in the allegedly discriminatory incidents that
prompted the Justice Department lawsuit.

They maintain their civil rights were violated when Denny's
denied them full service because of race. Their complaint,
filed March 24 in U.S. District Court in northern California,
describes cases in which a black child was denied a Denny's
"Birthday Meal" unless the family could produce a birth
certificate; waitresses refusing to take black customers'
orders; blacks being forced to pay for their meals before
being served; police being called to eject blacks, and a
company policy of "black out" periods when managers would
instruct employees to start limiting the number of black
patrons.

McManus would not comment on the ongoing litigation, but
when many of these allegations were made by the Justice
Department, Denny's officially denied discriminatory practices.

The instances allegedly occurred in five Denny's restaurants
in San Diego, San Jose, Vallejo and Sacramento. Denny's
operates 1,460 retaurants nationwide. TW Services, Denny's
parent company, also includes 215 Quincy's Family Steak Houses,
200 El Pollo Loco retaurants, 530 Hardees restaurants, as well
as concessions at Yankee Stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum, Yellowstone National Park and amusement parks. Dyson,
one of the black Secret Service agents, said he did not know of
the restaurant's troubles elsewhere. But when he learned that
others had made allegations similar to his, he was even
angrier.

http://www.nathannewman.org/EDIN/.race/.racefile/.may-june/Discrimination3/sec-serv.txt.html

[Kolesar]

19. I could not get service at a Dennys in Tennessee about 20 years ago

I thought it was because I talked like a Yankee and had Ohio plates.
edit:I'm white

[MADem]

21. They have 'em in New England, too.

There's just something "not quite correct" about that establishment.

They made a big stink about fixing their difficulties, but I don't feel welcome there so I don't go out of my way to seek 'em out.

[hexola]

25. Ahh - Denny's used to be called "Sambos"

Am I remembering wrong...?

[MADem]

27. I think they were different but they served the same kind of food and had the same kind of attitude.

[hexola]

28. I think the signs were even in the same font - and just said Dennys instead of Sambo's

Dennys bought some of the old Sambo's locations...

But yeah - I think Im probably stretching it a bit here...

[freshwest]

29. Wow! Sambo's! I remember traveling to CA from TX and saw them...

I nearly freaked out at the cartoon of the little black boy with palm tree or something. Everyone I was with were absolutely speechless. Since we thought CA was more progressive. That would not have lasted a day where I lived. So this is where Denny's got their attitude. Damn.

[rppper]

47. It wasn't the service at Sambo's but....

The name itself, which led to their demise. There were a lot of suits in the 70s about the name being a racial slur, although the owners contend it was a combo of their names....they went from 1200 locations to only one....they changed a few of the locations named in the suits but their failure to revamp the name nationwide was what put a stake in their heart...

I remember eating at them in Texas and Mississippi when I was a kid...I remember the tiger club coloring books...

[freshwest]

48. Where in Texas? I never saw one in my city. Lots of Denny's, though.

[rppper]

54. We had one for years in......

Longview....in north east Texas...in the early 80's...they changed the name to sam's or something like that, then were out of business sometime later...

[freshwest]

55. Oh, I'm from the coast. No telling what goes on up there! Thanks.

[rppper]

56. Gotcha...I moved from Kemah to east Texas...

It was quite a change! I love NE Texas though...it'll always be home...pretty country from Tyler to Texarkana....I grew up in Longview...I20 corridor

[freshwest]

58. Ah, Kemah was sweet. I once was going to move near Lake Ratcliff.

How is the water supply doing there? I read some of the water bottlers lowered the aquifer and dried up some of the streams and other wells, and then we hear about the fracking, etc. Is that area still pretty well forested?

One of my favorite weekend things in my college years was to go camping up in the Sam Houston National Forest or the Angelina Forest. I'm sure things have changed a lot. Over my lifetime, so much deforestation.

Every time I go down there to visit friends on the coast, I am blown away by the changes and population density. And the wealth as well.

[rppper]

59. Longview has grown....

But east Texas is still how I left it 20 years ago. I still have a lot of family there though...father, cousins, nephews/nieces, whom I've kept in touch with. I visit every year or so for a few weeks....

When I got out of the service I moved to Florida....despite all of the craziness in central Florida I love the beach, the biker events and races here....that was in 97

[freshwest]

34. Denied a kid a meal without a birth certificate? WTH? Is this some kind of game with these arses?

There are laws in place:

Federal Protections Against National Origin Discrimination

Issued October 2000

INTRODUCTION

Federal laws prohibit discrimination based on a person's national origin, race, color, religion, disability, sex, and familial status. Laws prohibiting national origin discrimination make it illegal to discriminate because of a person's birthplace, ancestry, culture or language. This means people cannot be denied equal opportunity because they or their family are from another country, because they have a name or accent associated with a national origin group, because they participate in certain customs associated with a national origin group, or because they are married to or associate with people of a certain national origin.

The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division is concerned that national origin discrimination may go unreported in the United States because victims of discrimination do not know their legal rights, or may be afraid to complain to the government. To address this problem, the Civil Rights Division has established a National Origin Working Group to help citizens and immigrants better understand and exercise their legal rights. If you think you, or someone you know, has been discriminated against because of national origin and want to learn more about exercising your legal rights, you should read this brochure.

This brochure explains the laws prohibiting national origin discrimination and provides some examples. You may find additional information about the Civil Rights Division and its Sections on the internet at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt. You may contact the Division to report complaints of discrimination as explained below.

KNOWING YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS

The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice enforces federal laws that prohibit discrimination in:

Education
Employment
Housing
Lending
Public Accommodations
Law Enforcement / Police Misconduct
Voting

The Division also enforces laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability, protects the civil rights of persons who are institutionalized in certain state or local facilities, and prosecutes crimes that are motivated by a crime victim's race, color, or national origin.

In some cases, the Division may only become involved if there is a "pattern or practice" of discrimination. A "pattern or practice" generally means that there is more than a single incident of discrimination, and that there is a policy or repeated conduct that is discriminatory.

More with instances at the link:

http://www.justice.gov/crt/legalinfo/natorigin.php

[Joe Bacon]

49. Happened to a coworker of mine.

They turned her AWAY from a Denny's here in Los Angeles. Pissed me off so much that I sent a letter of protest about it to Denny's. I refuse to go there. Besides, Norm's has a better menu as well as a lot of family owned places here in Los Angeles.

[freshwest]

53. This happened after the dust up in the 1990s? WTH? CA should have punished them.

And I've heard of Norm's down there, good to know if I'm ever back that way to have a meal with them.

[mockmonkey]

11. Customers have two choices:

Me thinks a third choice was found.

[freshwest]

31. You beat me to it! Regular authoritarian speak - You Vill Do As Vee Say- How unAmerican

And I'm going to make sure that if Metz owns anything near me, this will be publicized and boycotted.

How sick is that guy... Gosh, even if he doesn't own anything out here. I think I'll take if off the suggested list of places to go for the folks.

[TheBlackAdder]

12. Denny's has to muzzle their wild dogs!

It's true that Metz is a franchisee, but...

The franchisee is an indirect representative of the franchiser.

Though he is a separate entity, his actions reflect back on the chain. If someone visits his locations from out of the area they will have the idea that his 5% rule is a national practice and decide never to go to another one. The same applies when he spouts his politics on national TV.

I would be surprised if Denny's was negligent enough not to have protections in their franchisee agreements.

If they were negligent, then they and the other franchise locations deserve to suffer the wrath brought on by this man.

If they weren't negligent, then perhaps the other locations can sue him for loss of income and/or Denny's can pull his franchises.

[Rex]

13. What is it with these rich assholes and

their hatred of the working class? Or is it hatred of another kind? I wonder.

[joanbarnes]

14. Too late for me, I go somewhere else.

[PuppyBismark]

15. No Health Care for Food Workers and you want us to eat that food?

So, let me understand. You own a company that makes it's money prepairing food for the public and you are not concerned about the health of those workers! Sure makes me want to go in there and eat food made by people who cannot afford to go to a doctor when they are sick, but rather need to go to work or lose their job.

Yea right!

[KansDem]

23. Good point!

Sure makes me want to go in there and eat food made by people who cannot afford to go to a doctor when they are sick, but rather need to go to work or lose their job.

One would think a restaurateur would want his/her employees healthy for the sake of both the employee and the customer...

[MADem]

16. Denny's has been shitting the bed for years.

They are racist and discriminatory--and now we know why. Too many of the "franchisees" are a bunch of brain-dead assholes!

Who remembers this stroll down memory lane?

http://www.nathannewman.org/EDIN/.race/.racefile/.may-june/Discrimination3/sec-serv.txt.html

HEADLINE: Secret Service Agents Allege Racial Bias at
Denny's; Six Blacks to File Lawsuit Saying They Were Denied
Service at Annapolis Restaurant

SERIES: Occasional

BYLINE: Lynne Duke, Washington Post Staff Writer

BODY:
# The same day a federal court in California ordered Denny's
restaurants to stop refusing service to blacks and otherwise
discriminating against them, six black Secret Service agents
ordered food at a Denny's in Annapolis that took so long to
arrive, they say, that in effect they were denied service.
Today, the agents are to file a lawsuit claiming that the
restaurant chain violated their civil rights during the April 1
incident. The Justice Department, whose lawsuit against Denny's
resulted in the California court order, is demanding an
explanation from Denny's officials.

Agent Robin D. Thompson, one of the six, said in an
interview last week that he "felt humiliated" by the incident.
The six agents were part of a uniformed 21-member Secret
Service contingent that went to Denny's for breakfast before
setting up security for President Clinton's speech at the U.S.
Naval Academy. The six black agents sat together. Their
supervisor, also black, sat among white agents.

All 21 agents, who had less than an hour to eat, ordered in
rapid succession. When the six black agents realized that all
the white agents and the supervisor had been served but they
had not, they sent Thompson to ask the waitress about it. She
said their meals were on the way. When Thompson asked to see
the manager, she said he was on the phone. White agents have
told the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, which
is handling the agents' lawsuit, that the waitress rolled her
eyes after turning to leave the black agents' table.

The agents saw several plates of food sitting for several
minutes under heat lamps on a counter next to the kitchen and
say that a small group of white customers entered the uncrowded
restaurant after them, ordered and was served while they still
waited.

[Ruby the Liberal]

36. The also got busted a few years ago for hiring discrimination.

They would color in the "D" in "Dennys" on a job application to signify that the applicant was black.

That was a HUGE stink when it was uncovered.

[MADem]

37. Hmmmm mmmm. Institutionalized racism. What assholes!

That "filled in D" is news to me, but I can't say I am surprised.

[Ruby the Liberal]

40. That may have been regional

I was still living in the south when that went down.

[obamanut2012]

41. OMG I never heard that

[Ruby the Liberal]

42. "a few years" = the late 1980s.

I tried to google it, but didn't find anything. Just remember it happened and a bunch of stores were hauled into court because of it, managers fired enmasse, etc...

[obamanut2012]

45. That is still appalling

That was definitely past the Civil Rights Act!

[mzteaze]

50. Grew up there

That was the Denny's in between Annapolis mall and Bestgate Plaza.

I haven't eaten at a Denny's in more than 20 years for good reason. It's time to let them die a "recession" death.

[JoeyT]

20. And he's still lying.

He doesn't regret his statements in the least. He regrets that people are calling him out for being an asshole. In a just society he'd fall on his sword to save his family and associates the shame of knowing him. Seriously, fuck that guy.

[Ken Burch]

22. So...did they actually make him BACK OFF on the surcharg thing?

And the suggestion that customers reduce their tips?

[sarcasmo]

24. Metz should have his franchised revoked.

[sendero]

26. Exactly..

.... the drop in business is a consequence but not a serious enough one. Some of these jackasses need to learn to keep their idiotic vindictive opinions to themselves.

[freshwest]

33. That's right, and his big mouth just cost them money. Wingnuts can't run a business at all.

From large to small, they don't have the brains or the ethics to manage anything.

[dixiegrrrrl]

38. I AM pleased that there was a significant drop in business

in Fla.!!!! no less.
Sounds like some real progressive backlash, to my ears.

[riverbendviewgal]

30. i buy frozen pizza

And add more cheese and toppings. I never go to chains anymore. Eating home is cheaper. If I do have pizza out it is at a Italian family owned pizza joint. Chain pizza tastes like cardboard.

[Blandocyte]

35. Right, Metz is a franchisee. He didn't build that!

Another wing nut tantrum thrower gets doused by the cold shock of economic reality. Many are coming to understand the implications of a majority of Americans voting Obama into the WH again. One implication people like Metz are coming to understand is that they are now "out of the mainstream."

The demographics of each future election will show ever fewer old white guys in the electorate. Metz personifies our country's truly democratic "growing pains."

[dixiegrrrrl]

39. "The demographics of each future election will show ever fewer old white guys "

and you just know this is chapping McCain's ass ( plus his cohorts), as they can see their world fading away.
Heeee heeee

[polemic_realism]

43. Ha, I posted about this

the second his comments first came out, glad to see he has to eat his foul words now...

[JanT]

44. i thoroughly believe that the only way to get their

attention is to hit their pocket book. after all that is the magic of the market place. Right? i find it gratifying to read that business dropped off "over night". When the people speak their minds, these jerks better pay attention. Because collectively, they can go out of business. if that is the only way to keep these wolves under control, then so be it.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

46. K&R nt

[Ian David]

51. There are still other reasons to hate Denny's.

Denny’s Accused Of Racism After Denying Service To Group Of Men
http://racismdaily.com/2011/06/20/dennys-accused-of-racism-after-denying-service-to-group-of-men/

Racism and Ethnic Intimidation: Still Alive and Well at Denny's Restaurant?
http://www.shaalom2salaam.com/2010/01/racism-and-ethnic-intimidation-still.html

[jody]

52. Added cost of business is like "musical chairs" the question is who pays the cost. nt

[Mad_Dem_X]

57. Worst case of food poisoning I've ever had

was from eating at a Denny's. I will never go back there.