Get ready to pay more for your Grand Slam.

A Florida restaurateur who operates roughly 40 Denny’s locations and five Hurricane Grill & Wings franchises in Florida, Virginia and Georgia intends to add a 5 percent surcharge to customers’ bills to offset costs from ObamaCare beginning in January 2014 when the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented.

“People are trying to find ways to avoid the penalties and to avoid having to pay for ObamaCare,” John Metz told FoxNews.com. “Everyone’s looking for a way to not have to provide insurance for their employees. It’s essentially a huge tax on all us business people.”

To further offset the costs, Metz, who oversees roughly 1,200 employees as president and CEO of RREMC Restaurants, LLC, said he also will slash most of the staff's time to fewer than 30 hours per week. That change will be announced to employees next month, he said.

“I want to explain it to everybody, to let them know what’s coming down the pike,” he said. “We like to keep our employees informed.”

The changes will force some front-of-the-house employees to look for second jobs, Metz said, but he simply cannot afford the penalties associated with ObamaCare.

“It’s a great concept,” he said. “We want to have everyone insured. The problem is, who is going to pay for it and how are we going to accomplish this?”

Under the current law, employers with more than 50 full-time (or equivalent) workers will be charged a penalty for the number of employees exceeding 30 full-time staffers who are not covered. With an average of 35 full-time employees per location, Metz said the $2,000 penalty would total roughly $70,000 per restaurant. Current coverage costs Metz up to $6,000 annually per full-time employee, he said. He currently provides coverage to about 250 employees.

“It’s going to be a big issue for all of us — for my employees and for me,” said Metz, who has been in the industry since 1975. “The ones that are working more than 28 hours, they’re going to act as if I’m cutting their hours and they’ll have to find another job.”

At Denny’s restaurants operated by Metz, the average check is $9, he said, meaning the ObamaCare surcharge if implemented would be 45 cents on that bill. At Hurricane Grill & Wings locations, where the average bill is $14.50, the surcharge would total 72 cents.

Metz said he believes the entire restaurant industry — even high-end locations — will ultimately embrace the idea.

“That is what I foresee and that is the easier, least painful way to deal with these added costs,” he said. “In a true playing field, everybody will impose this, from McDonald’s to Denny’s to even maybe the fine dining restaurants in order to have the funds to be able to pay for either insurance or the penalty for not providing insurance to their employees.”

Metz also is urging his employees to consider contacting their local elected officials in hopes of finding another solution to offset his looming increased costs.

“It’s never good news, but it is what it is,” Metz said of increasing customers’ checks. “We really should look for a better or different way to pay for [ObamaCare]. I think what we’re going to ultimately see here is a European-type system where we have a value added tax or a national sales tax.”

Metz continued: “I have a choice: try to live within the rules, or go out of business.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/11/15/florida-restaurateur-to-impose-surcharge-for-obamacare/#ixzz2CJm2uGlS

These key ingredients have created some appetizing results for shareholders. In the latest quarter (fourth quarter 2011), Denny’s net income rose to $112 million from $22.7 million in 2010. For the year (ending 2011), Denny’s revenue was down $10 million to $538 million (due to increased franchise expansion); however, franchise revenue is continuing to grow and that income reduces the risk-profile of the consolidated portfolio.



Perhaps the biggest impact to Denny’s has been the balance sheet. Since 2005, Denny’s has decreased its total debt by 60% and the Total Debt/Adjusted EBITDA has decreased from 5.1x (in 2005) to 2.7x (in fourth quarter 2011). As of the latest reporting period, Denny’s had total debt of $221 million.
...from forbes

yeah, I Can see how a continued OBama presidency will FORCE them into such measures,,,

Msharmony, I think we have many Obama haters on here. He is President whether we like it or not!

So,if you don't like what he does,you hate him?

well, I survived eight with Bush,, they will survive eight with OBama too

whether they can admit it or not,,,lol

like the President says, people are nothing if not resilient

All the people on here that said they would leave the country if Obama was reelected, did they leave yet?

I said the same about Romney, but I dont think I could have left so quickly either,, , in their defense




moving takes resources and planning,,,for most

I'm just moving to where marijuana is legal.

did Soros leave in '04 like he promised?

asked some of my liberal American Friends in '08 whether they were going back now and put their Shoulder to the Wheel,and help "rebuild" the USA!
Answer was ,lets give it some time!

Asked them again a few days ago,and they looked at me like this:

Where is all dem oBamby haters be at? Let's slap 'em 'round a bits.

On another site they be calling fo killin' repubs.

Dat what ya'll wantin' to do?

I'd go for a little of that Wendy's hot and juicy. If, she ain't all old and dried up.

Dennys food tastes like butt so I don't eat there.

“Everyone’s looking for a way to not have to provide insurance for their employees. It’s essentially a huge tax on all us business people.”

Another stupid fast food restaurant to boycott. I don't think that will be a problem for me.

However, if I have to boycott Taco Bell that will hurt.

Not for long at the rate he's going. He thinks hes a dictator with his little mandates and forgets about the little thing called the constitution.

There are a lot of Obama haters in this country, actually over 60 million in the last election proved that.