Speaking to Fox Business’ “Varney & Company” “Bar Rescue” host and Executive Producer Jon Taffer explained why an alleged push from the Biden Administration to push the industry to switch from gas stoves, which many argue work the best, to the allegedly less-effective electric stoves would be a disaster. In fact, Taffer argued that the decision would “haunt” the restaurant industry and cause major issues.
Specifically, he argued that the restaurant industry would face a severe economic challenge if it had to make the switch due to the increased regulatory compliance cost and the massive investment required to get the new stoves. Pointing to those issues, Taffer explained that the presidential election “means something” as a result.
As background, many on the conservative and libertarian right argue that Biden’s regulatory agencies are crafting regulations that would lead to the phasing out of gas stoves. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is looking into the safety of the stoves, alleging that pollutants from them can cause respiratory and health issues, and the Department of Energy is considering efficiency regulations that critics argue could lead to the demise of gas stoves.
Speaking to “Varney & Company” about the regulatory issues, Taffer explained the scale of the issue, saying, “These are not small matters. They’re economic matters, they’re culinary matters. These regulatory issues haunt us as an industry.”
Explaining why the presidential election matters, Taffer said “We know that if Trump comes in and he’s regulatory issues with regard to no gas in our kitchens and all of these regulatory issues that are haunting us, to tell you the truth, would disappear if Trump should become president.”
Taffer also put the gas stove issue in more economic context by describing the issues that inflation and the economy are causing for the restaurant industry, saying, “Menus are being compressed. Inventories are being compressed. Labor forces are being compressed. Small square footage and footprints, sizes are being compressed. And this is the way we’re dealing with these elevated costs.” He added, “I see a lot of compression in every aspect of the business.”
Explaining one potential way the industry can deal with those issues, Taffer pointed to his own “Taffer Tavern model” as an example of success, saying that it is a “smaller footprint, and it compresses all of those elements to create a different economic model that works in today’s environment.” He added, “In the independent restaurant world, we need to get better at managing these costs and managing this compression.”
This isn’t Taffer’s first appearance on “Varney & Company.” In a May of 2023 appearance on the show, he explained how labor force issues are wreaking havoc, saying, “Since April, we’ve hired over 900,000 employees. We need a lot more, but we’re forecasting record travel this summer. Record hotel occupancy. Restaurants are booming, but we’re challenged because we need people to fulfill all the business that we have now.”
And, explaining the restaurant industry’s push toward automation, Taffer told Varney, “We can’t find the employees [to] do it, so we have to solve the problem. If we can’t solve it with employees, then we’re going to go to automation.”
Watch Taffer here:
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