Billionaire Tilman Fertitta, sole owner of Landry’s Inc., a corporation responsible for a number of recognizable chain restaurants including Landry’s Seafood, Claim Jumper, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Rainforest Cafe, and McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks, said that he can’t afford to give his employees in San Francisco healthcare.
Billionaire Fertitta employs as much as 60,000 people. Recently San Francisco requires certain types of businesses to contribute to their workers’ healthcare coverage. That means Fertitta has to offer healthcare to his San Francisco employees out of his profit or pass the costs to consumers.
Fertitta believes that San Francisco shouldn’t mandate his restaurants to pay employees’ healthcare. “Do you realize, all the restaurants in San Francisco, we all have an added charge?” says Fertitta. “We have a 3 percent or 4 percent or 5 percent add-on to the menu because they make us give all our employees full healthcare. We can’t afford to do it.”