Thread by @RickSmithShow

John Schall: In August of 2020, there were two El Jefes, and now there are 7 with an 8th under construction. We've added 200 employees to our workforce in the last 18 mos.
@eateljefes @MinimumWageBiz #RaisetheWage

John Schall: When you pay living wages as opposed to just minimum wages, it makes a world of difference. It reduces employee turnover and word gets out when you pay fair wages, benefits, paid time off, etc., making it easier to find new employees.
@eateljefes @MinimumWageBiz

John Schall: Every state around PA has some kind of $15/hr min. wage EXCEPT for PA, which is still at $7.15.
@eateljefes @MinimumWageBiz #RaisetheWage

John Schall: One of my employees at our Bethlehem, PA, store talked at a press conference about the difference it made when he came from a min. wage job to working for El Jefe--he could help his mom pay rent, he finally had paid time off.
@eateljefes @MinimumWageBiz #RaisetheWage

John Schall: We start at $13.50/hr in PA with an effective wage of about $16/hr with tips. Employees who've been here longer made $17-18/hr plus tips. I'd still like to increase that but we're doing everything we can in a competitive environment.
@eateljefes @MinimumWageBiz

John Schall: I would argue strongly that paying a living wage & reducing turnover in staff is better because paying the cost of hiring/training new people is incredibly expensive.
@eateljefes @MinimumWageBiz #RaisetheWage

John Schall: We started Business for a Fair Minimum Wage. We got the $15/hr min. wage passed in Massachusetts 4 or 5 years ago. It went up a bit every year; I think this year it's at $15/hr. Paying a fair minimum wage is good for workers AND business.
@eateljefes @MinimumWageBiz

John Schall: I don't have a big corporate overhead in my company. It's me, a financial controller who's worked for me for 16 yrs, two regional managers who've worked for me for about 20 yrs, & my Mexican-American chef (16 yrs w/ me). (con't)
@eateljefes @MinimumWageBiz

John Schall: (con't) These are the people who run my company day-to-day. Having that longevity makes it possible to grow, especially during a pandemic.
@eateljefes @MinimumWageBiz #RaisetheWage

Check out El Jefe's Taqueria's website here:
eljefestaqueria.com
@eateljefes @MinimumWageBiz #RaisetheWage