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Celebrity Chef Frets about Obama’s Economy
Before Emeril Lagasse became a TV star, he was the executive chef of New Orleans’ legendary Commander’s Palace. He left the dream gig in 1990 to create his own popular restaurant, building a new clientele and winning numerous awards. But in a recent interview to promote his new reality show on TNT, Lagasse worried that success is harder to attain in the age of Obama.
“It’s becoming a very challenging industry to become a very successful average restaurateur,” continued Lagasse. “I can’t charge $300 a person in my restaurant or I would not be in business. Am I using any different ingredients? Not really. Am I using any caliber of service staff? I don’t think so. I think our service is as good or better than most places.”
“And then you add all the Obama nonsense to what it’s become in the last several years. I don’t have anything against Mr. Obama. I’m just saying the way that, you know… the government should stay out of things. […] Pretty soon, they’re going to wipe a lot of the middle restaurateurs and restaurant cooks. […] If it continues, then watch: you’re going to have high-end, and you’re going to have fast food, and you’re going to have chain restaurants…
“The one thing that I can say is that I’m pretty connected to America — because I’m a good listener, and I think that’s what makes a great restaurateur, is that you’re a good listener,” he said. “I don’t have the solution. If I did, I could run for president. But I don’t have the solution. All I can tell you is that the balance of the economic cycle is out of whack.”
One of the great routes to success for recent immigrants or home chefs is opening a small eatery. A good Pho recipe or barbecue pit technique can gain you riches even if you don’t have a Rolodex of connections or a $100,000 education. I hope Emeril isn’t right, but his criticism sounds on point.
Photo Credit: Tom Cwenar
Published in General
Bam!
Gosh, running an independent restaurant would seem like almost the hardest way to make a living this side of driving a taxi.
Emeril is right, it is terribly hard to start a business. The example I’ll give is painting houses. Used to be all you needed was a paintbrush and a ladder. Now there are all kinds of EPA regulations. And to start a business you have to be an LLC or Subchapter S, or regular corporation. Which means you need an accountant to prepare your tax return (unless you can manage doing a balance sheet for your corporation). And workers comp and Obamacare if you hire an employee. Better to go to work at home Depot or stay home and collect disability.
I always liked Emeril. I think if you have to face the brunt of liberal economic shenanigans you can’t help but see the truth. In some ways I think he may be wrong about the end of middle class restaurants. I think there has been a marked increase in the quality of cheap/fast eateries in recent years. At least in urban areas like Chicago. I can’t afford 300$ a person restaurants, but I certainly think the quality of the 10-30$ a person restaurants is going up. Now in small town and less dense urban areas this might not be the case. So the cheap end of the restaurant business I think is seeing a marked increase in quality. This might help to offset the decline of the mid-level restaurant.
” I don’t have anything against Mr. Obama” strikes me as an important qualifier for those critical of policy. The left being feelings based and ad hominem in nature, it needs to be disarmed and argued with on substance. Legasse knows what we know in what to expect for criticizing Obama, the curtain has been pulled aside.
It strikes me as important for another reason.
Lagasse darn well should have something against Mr. Obama. Obama and those surrounding him are evil. That is clearly evidenced.
We are not disarming our opponents with such pandering; we are disarming ourselves.
I fully support arguing substance. But we have to be prepared to draw the only reasonable conclusions that such substance leads us to.
Calling Obama a decent but misguided person was suicide for McCain and Romney. A decent but misguided person can learn from his “errors” and improve.
Relatedly, such pandering is a stab in the back to those who are honestly and accurately substantively arguing that Obama’s conduct gives people reason to have something against Obama.
He is a business man. Angering 50% of your potential customer base (more where he is from) is bad for business.
(Though I never cease to be amazed at how many do it anyway)
The PJC comment was directed generally to how to effectively argue with the left and was bad advice. It had nothing to do with customers.
I think Emeril realizes that the world of celebrity chefs, like the rest of the media and elite culture, has a significant leftist bias. I’m confident there are many more who believe as he does, but to protect their careers, they’re keeping their mouths shut. He also seems like a genuinely nice guy, so the “more in sadness than anger” tone is to be expected. I say good for him for speaking up at all.