Washington, D.C

Opinion | Diners don’t want to be surprised by service fees

Published

2 years ago

March 16, 2023

Opinion | Diners don’t want to be surprised by service fees

Remark

Chris J. Kennedy, an economist, is an proprietor of Dependable Tavern in D.C. The views expressed on this op-ed are his personal.

After a decade-long course of that included requires boycotts, hours of public testimony and two poll initiatives, the struggle over the tipped minimal wage within the nation’s capital seems to be over. In Might, eating places and bars will start to regularly increase the bottom wage they pay tipped staff, with the “tip credit score” set to vanish in about 4 years.

In contrast with the vitriol surrounding town’s 2018 try to boost the minimal wage for tipped staff, the response now could be principally muted — in all probability due to the brand new actuality ushered in by the coronavirus pandemic. The dangers of sickness mixed with an enormous increase to unemployment insurance coverage led to one of many tightest labor markets in fashionable historical past for eating places throughout the nation, and plenty of institutions have already raised wages above the statutory minimal.

Luckily, clients have stored restaurant house owners, together with me, afloat. At first, they bought to-go cocktails at restaurant costs and navigated an advanced community of supply companies. When eating places and bars reopened, clients tailored to QR codes, counter service and ranging pandemic protocols. After which got here the service expenses.

Earlier than the pandemic, to “auto-grat” — preemptively including a 15 to twenty % tip to a buyer’s invoice — was controversial and customarily reserved for big teams, often on the discretion of the server. Three years later, service expenses — now starting from 18 to 24 % — have change into the norm and, although some have heralded this as a step towards a post-tip utopia, the truth is that suggestions are nonetheless inspired at most institutions and expenses have multiplied as provide chain points and basic inflation have additional elevated prices.

Why haven’t eating places merely raised costs? Nicely, there’s proof that customers are much less delicate to “shrouded” prices — charges or taxes requiring a little bit of psychological calculation. In an trade lengthy proof against elevating costs, many homeowners determined service expenses had been a greater choice for the underside line. However this strategy is each an unsustainable approach to tackle background inflation and a crude methodology of pricing throughout a menu. Extra essential, it’s corrosive to one of many core options of our trade: belief.

The restaurant trade is caught in a “prisoner’s dilemma” that has led to habits extra typical of predatory lenders or airways. Frankly, many homeowners want to merely increase costs, however they know they’re competing with others who play the “shrouded price” recreation, and, as such, they really feel the sticker shock that comes with honesty will put them at a aggressive drawback. So, charges proliferate, and clients who’ve caught with us by way of the pandemic are more and more exasperated by expenses for service, worker wellness and covid-19 restoration, all with no discernible enchancment in service and an more and more impersonal expertise.

As restaurant receipts look increasingly more like used automobile dealership invoices, can we actually count on first-time clients to change into regulars? When a bartender forgets to say a service cost is included in a test that also has a tip line, does which have a deeper, extra corrosive affect? Isn’t it a bit hypocritical to ask clients having fun with an evening out to learn the tremendous print after we fought to rein in supply companies and their usurious charges? And, when inside conflicts over service-charge sharing spill into public view — typically with an insinuation of wage theft — what does that do to our picture as trusted members of the group?

The excellent news is that we’ve a chance now to enhance the state of affairs for companies and clients alike. Inflation is excessive however stabilizing, and shoppers are not allergic to rising costs. The restaurant trade has skilled a burst of innovation and is nimbler and extra conscious of client preferences.

And, no less than in D.C., we lastly have some certainty about the price of labor shifting ahead. At current, D.C. legislation says service expenses, in contrast to discretionary suggestions, are topic to gross sales and different enterprise taxes. And final week, the Workplace of the Lawyer Common contacted eating places and launched steerage to shoppers about misleading service-charge practices, which was met with confusion and frustration at what appeared to be a selective assault on eating places when different industries have interaction in even worse practices.

This sense of grievance is comprehensible, as is the resistance to having the federal government intervene with how eating places function. However we should always strategy this challenge with humility and the popularity that nobody wins when our practices are in comparison with these of Ticketmaster. We must always work with elected officers on clear and truthful guidelines requiring that menu costs embrace all non-discretionary charges. And, although it’s unrealistic to eradicate the tipping system, we may go additional and push for costs to incorporate gross sales taxes.

In an trade that depends on belief and a way of group, the actual currencies of neighborhood institutions, we’ve a chance to indicate our clients the place we stand.

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Washington, D.C

Thousands to gather in Washington DC to march ahead of Trump inauguration – The Times of India

Published

3 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Preparation for People’s March

The Women’s March is returning to Washington, DC on Saturday, eight years after its historic first march. The rally, now rebranded as the People’s March, aims to broaden its support and reflect on the state of progressive organising ahead President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration as President for second time on January 20.
In 2017, the Women’s March attracted over 500,000 marchers in Washington and millions more in cities across the country, marking one of the largest single-day demonstrations in US history.

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The movement was fueled by outrage over Trump’s 2016 presidential win.
This year’s march is expected to be significantly smaller, with attendance estimated at one-tenth of the inaugural rally. The comparative quiet reflects a sense of exhaustion and disappointment among progressive voters following Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss, according to report from Associated Press.
Tamika Middleton, managing director at the Women’s March, acknowledged the challenges of recapturing the energy of the first march, stating, “The reality is that it’s just hard to capture lightning in a bottle. It was a really particular moment. In 2017, we had not seen a Trump presidency and the kind of vitriol that that represented.”
The movement has undergone an overhaul to address accusations of a lack of diversity, resulting in this year’s rebrand as the People’s March. The demonstration will promote themes related to feminism, racial justice, anti-militarization, and other issues, concluding with discussions hosted by various social justice organizations.
Jo Reger, a sociology professor at Oakland University, noted that the People’s March is unusual in the “vast array of issues brought together under one umbrella.” While conflicting visions are inevitable in a broad-based social justice movement, Reger suggested that discord can bring change and new perspectives, particularly from underrepresented voices.
Middleton emphasized that the goal of Saturday’s event is not to recreate the massive demonstration of 2017 but to focus attention on a broader set of issues and encourage participants to continue fighting in their communities long-term.

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Washington, D.C

Evansville native in Washington D.C. for Trump’s inauguration

Published

11 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

Evansville native in Washington D.C. for Trump’s inauguration

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – With Inauguration Day just around the corner, we spoke to an Evansville native who’s in Washington D.C. hoping to attend the event.

Evansville native Mike Boatman is a member of the Front Row Joes, a group that follows Donald Trump across the country. He arrived in Washington D.C. Friday morning.

He says he picked up his Inauguration tickets and was told they may not be valid.

Boatman says he was sad to hear the news that the inauguration would be moved inside the capitol and closed to the public.

He says he’s keeping a positive attitude about the sudden change in plans and says he’s happy to keep the ticket as a souvenir.

Boatman says he’ll now watch the inauguration from a jumbotron at capitol one arena and trying to be understanding of the situation.

“I’m disappointed because it’s my first one, but I mean, if it’s for safety reasons because of the cold or maybe because of security or threats, I don’t know, but I’m disappointed, but we need to do the right thing,” said Boatman.

Boatman says he can see a lot of fencing and barriers set up around the capitol building, although he says he’s not feeling concerned about security or his safety.

He’s looking forward now to going to Trump’s victory rally on Sunday and he predicts it’ll be the biggest one yet.

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Washington, D.C

Inauguration Day Weather Likely To Be Coldest Since 1985 | Weather.com

Published

19 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

Inauguration Day Weather Likely To Be Coldest Since 1985 | Weather.com

Fish-eye view of the rotunda in the U.S. Capitol, just prior to the swearing-in ceremony of Ronald Reagan, January 21, 1985. Architect of the Capitol photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division — Inauguration of Ronald Reagan, 1985, which had to be moved into the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol due to extreme cold.
(Architect of the Capitol photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Photographs Division)

The presidential inauguration ceremony will take place on what could be the coldest inauguration day since 1985.
The forecast high for Washington, D.C., is in the upper teens to low 20s.
It is likely that Donald Trump will be inaugurated indoors due to the cold.
The high on Inauguration Day has only been below freezing once since 1985, in 2009.

The 2025 United States Presidential Inauguration is now more likely to be moved indoors due to the coldest weather for an inauguration in 40 years for Washington, D.C., with a high in the upper teens to low 20s.

This will be the first inauguration to be held indoors in 40 years. The record for the coldest January inauguration is currently held by the second inauguration of Ronald Reagan in 1985, when the temperature at noon for the swearing-in ceremony was only 7 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather for this year’s inauguration is forecast to somewhat mimic that of 1985, which took place on Jan. 21. The high temperature that day was 17 degrees, with sunny skies and afternoon wind chills in the minus 10 to minus 20-degree range. The parade was ultimately canceled, and the swearing-in ceremony had to be held indoors.

The Rotunda is prepared as the inclement weather alternative for each inauguration in the event of inclement weather, according to the Associated Press.

The 2025 Inauguration will be similarly sunny, with wind chills in the lower teens or single digits and winds gusting up to 35 mph in the afternoon. During the ceremony, the temperature will hover in the lower 20s.

Alternate plans are required for the more roughly 250,000 guests ticketed to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds and the tens of thousands more expected to be in general admission areas or to line the inaugural parade route from the Capitol to the White House.

Trump said some supporters would be able to watch the ceremony from Washington’s Capital One area on Monday, a day after he plans to hold a rally there. He said he would visit the arena after his swearing-in.

The current forecast high for Inauguration Day is only a couple of degrees above the current record for coldest afternoon high on Jan. 20, though it would break the record for the coldest Inauguration to take place on that date.

Only one other year had a sub-freezing high on inauguration day: Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009.

The warmest January Inauguration Day took place in 1981 for Ronald Reagan’s first inauguration, meaning Reagan’s two inaugurations hold the record for the warmest and coldest January Inauguration.

Warmer inaugurations have happened though: Before the 20th Amendment was enacted, Inauguration Day traditionally took place on March 4, which has an average high of 50.2 degrees. Jan. 20 has a cooler average high of 42.9 degrees.

The all-time record high for a U.S. presidential inauguration was set in August 1974 with the Inauguration of Gerald Ford with a high of 83 degrees, though that was a non-traditional inauguration date prompted by the resignation of Richard Nixon.

Here’s a look at some other notable inauguration day weather.

Snowiest Inauguration: William Taft, 1909

On the day of William H. Taft’s 1909 inauguration, nearly 10 inches of snow fell, setting the record for inauguration day. The snow and wind began the day before, with strong winds toppling trees and telephone poles. Trains were stalled and city streets clogged. All activity was brought to a standstill. Sanitation workers shoveled sand and snow through half the night. It took 6,000 men and 500 wagons to clear 58,000 tons of snow and slush from the parade route.

Inauguration of William H. Taft, 1909
(Library of Congress)

Fun fact: Historically speaking, there is approximately a 30% chance of snow on the ground in Washington, D.C., from a previous system for the date Jan. 20.

Worst Inauguration Day Travel: JFK, 1961

On the eve of John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961, 8 inches of snow fell causing the most crippling traffic jam of its time. Hundreds of cars were stranded and abandoned. The president-elect had to cancel dinner plans and, in a struggle to keep other commitments, is reported to have had only 4 hours of sleep. Former President Herbert Hoover was unable to fly into Washington National Airport because of the weather and missed the swearing-in ceremony. By sunrise, the snowfall had ended and the skies cleared but the day remained bitterly cold.

An army of men worked all night to clear Pennsylvania Avenue, and despite the cold, a large crowd turned out for the swearing-in ceremony and inaugural parade. At noon, the temperature was only 22 degrees with the wind blowing from the northwest at 19 mph making it feel like the temperature was just 7 degrees.

Fatal Inaugurations: William Henry Harrison, 1841, and Franklin Pierce, 1853

The weather has caused two inaugurations to have fatal implications, and the most historically significant fatality was that of William Henry Harrison in 1841. Harrison decided to brave the elements and deliver the longest inauguration speech ever, an oration lasting an hour, and 40 minutes.

It was a cloudy, cold and blustery day, and the National Weather Service has estimated the temperature at noon to be approximately 48 degrees.

Harrison, who wore neither hat nor overcoat, also rode a horse to and from the Capitol ceremony. He subsequently caught a cold that developed into pneumonia. Harrison died a month later.

Inauguration of President Franklin Pierce, 1853
(Library of Congress)

The second inauguration with a fatal effect was that of Franklin Pierce in 1853. The morning of the inauguration, there was heavy snow that continued until about half an hour before the ceremony. Skies looked to be brightening by noon, but the snow resumed shortly after Pierce took the oath of office.

The heavy snow dispersed much of the crowd and ruined plans for the parade. Abigail Fillmore, first lady to the outgoing President Millard Fillmore, sat on the cold, wet, exposed platform during Pierce’s swearing-in ceremony. She caught a cold that developed into pneumonia and died at the end of the month.

Rainiest Inauguration: Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1937

The first inauguration to be held on Jan. 20 – Franklin D. Roosevelt’s second inauguration in 1937 – also set the record for the heaviest rain on inauguration day. The day was cold and rainy, with sleet and freezing rain in the morning. Between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., a period that includes the swearing-in ceremony, nearly three-quarters of an inch of rain fell.

Inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1937
(Library of Congress)

Roosevelt insisted on riding back to the White House in an open car with half an inch of water on the floor. Total rainfall for the day was 1.77 inches, which remains the rainfall record for Jan. 20.

First Outdoor Oath: James Monroe, 1817

The first seven inauguration ceremonies from 1789 to 1813 were conducted indoors, making James Monroe’s 1817 inauguration the first that was held outdoors in the weather. Luckily, it was warm and sunny that day, with an estimated temperature at noon of 50 degrees.

Sara Tonks is a content meteorologist with weather.com and has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Georgia Tech in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences along with a master’s degree from Unity Environmental University in Marine Science.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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