Panera Bread exempt from California’s $20 minimum wage law after owner donated to Gov. Newsom: report
https://nypost.com/2024/02/28/business/panera-bread-exempt-from-california-wage-law-after-newsom-donation/ California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that exempts Panera Bread from a new $20-an-hour minimum wage hike for fast food chains after the billionaire owner of several of the chain’s locations donated to his campaign, according to a report.
In September, Newsom, a Democrat, signed into law a measure that raises the minimum wage of food fast workers from $16 an hour to $20 an hour.
But the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST Act) includes an unusual carve-out that exempts “chains that bake bread and sell it as a standalone item,” according to Bloomberg News.
Newsom reportedly sought the exemption, which benefits among others Greg Flynn, the billionaire CEO of Flynn Restaurant Group, the company that owns some two dozen Panera Bread locations in the state.
Flynn, who attended the same high school as Newsom, has been involved in business dealings with the California governor, according to Bloomberg News.
He has also contributed to Newsom’s political campaigns.
In 2014, Flynn, who is the largest franchisee in the US with thousands of brands including Applebee’s, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s, acquired a Napa Valley resort that was managed by Newsom’s hospitality firm, according to disclosure forms.
Flynn has a net worth valued at $1.1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He has donated at least $164,800 to Newsom’s campaigns.
The Post has sought comment from Flynn, Newsom, and Panera Bread.
Flynn told Bloomberg News that he played no role in crafting the bread exemption.
Newsom told reporters last month that the exemption was “part of the sausage-making” in politics.
Anonymous
Michelle Korsmo, head of the National Restaurant Association, told an industry conference last year that “everyone’s scratching their head” about the bread exemption. “You may be celebrating or you may be lamenting the bakery exemption,” Korsmo was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. “But remember, all of that comes through relationships.” The governor’s office told Bloomberg News that the law was the “result of countless hours of negotiations with dozens of stakeholders over two years.” Flynn was publicly critical of the legislation when it was first floated in 2022. He said that raising the minimum wage of fast-food employees would have an adverse business effect on franchise owners. Flynn quietly lobbied Newsom’s aides to reconsider whether Panera Bread can be considered fast food, according to Bloomberg News. The exemption for bread sellers was inserted into the legislation after the union that was pushing for the hike in minimum wage accepted it as a concession aimed at getting the governor’s support, the report stated. Earlier this month, Chipotle executives warned that consumers in California should expect to see “significant” price hikes due to the minimum wage hike. Jack Hartung, Chipotle’s chief financial and administrative officer, told investors on an earnings call that the price hikes are necessary to keep up with increasing labor costs. McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski warned in October that the Big Mac maker would also need to hike the price of its menu items in California. The chain has increased prices nationwide amid rampant inflation, including charging $18 for a Big Mac meal. Earlier on Wednesday, Panera Bread agreed to pay $2 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the chain of misleading customers about fees and menu prices for delivery orders.
Anonymous
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Based Hunter Biden
Anonymous
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I'm from the future, and Panera bread is a bake your own bread establishment with no employees.
Anonymous
>>1272473 >Panera Bread exempt from California’s $20 minimum wage law after owner donated to Gov. Newsom: report implications as every large corp donates to both sides
newsome is a sharp motherfucker. he looks presidential, has the charisma, and will pwn someone like hannity easily with obscure figures and facts off the cuff endlessly.
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>>1272473 Man, those Murdoch boys really have a hateboner for Newsom.
Anonymous
>>1272478 Well, he is articulate, clean, and has no Negro dialect.
Anonymous
>>1272473 How will Panera keep any workers when they can just go work at literally any other fast food place for higher wages? It seems like this wasn't very well thought out
Anonymous
>>1272487 Some people are absolutely desperate for work at any payrate.
Anonymous
>>1272478 >sleaze ball piece of shit from california who got recalled in his own state, didn't do his mask policy and says he is going to repeal the 2nd amendment >getting elected to president lol no
Anonymous
>>1272499 >sleaze ball piece of shit from california who got recalled in his own state, Uhm sweetums the recall failed
Anonymous
>>1272473 >NYPost Into the trash this Trump run propaganda piece goes!
Anonymous
>>1272504 >look it up >this actually happened >noooo were the good guys this must be fake Anonymous
>>1272499 He really does look like a sleezeball used car salesman though, doesn't he?
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Good thing he's not black otherwise Democrats would be calling for him to step down.
Anonymous
Don't get me wrong, I can see why Panera would get looked at, but Panera is hardly the only major chain to bake and sell bread. Starbucks would also be, for example. Fortunately there aren't that many of them.
Anonymous
>>1272499 >lol no strong argument.
Anonymous
>>1272517 Argument checks out.
If he had a chance it would have been in 2020, but Democrats dragged good old Joe Zombiden out for some weird reason.
Anonymous
>>1272520 fucking embarrassing words.
God damn this child that's got his own
God damn this child that's got his own Thu 29 Feb 2024 09:20:51 No. 1272537 Report Quoted By:
>>1272482 >Well, he is articulate, clean, and has no Negro dialect. Biden:"2 out of 3 aint bad, jack"
>>1272514 >He really does look like a sleezeball used car salesman though. You're right!
I just realized how much he looks like tRump and his boys!
We had a panera bread here in a suburb just north of toronto. it was in a prime spot, on yonge st, and it lasted 6 yrs.
rents are crazy for prime real estate.
The krispy kreme lasted 2 yrs in the same spot, it took all the biz away from tim hortons for 1 yr, then the novelty died off.
now the building has been empty for 3 yrs, a tax wright off.
>>1272516 >Starbucks Do quite well here.
there a a lot of them, but then there are a lot of well to do suburbanites about(Rich CHyynese(importers) and persians[oil money] and russian mafia).
Anonymous
>>1272517 ok, he is a sleaze ball piece of shit from california who got recalled in his own state, didn't do his mask policy and says he is going to repeal the 2nd amendment. And for those reasons he would not be electable.
If he thought anyone outside california didn't hate him he would have run in 2020 or 2024
Anonymous
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>>1272526 Typical non sequitir to try avoiding your absolute failure of a """president""""
Anonymous
>>1272500 Remember how when trump got impeached we heard about how even just getting impeached was terrible? A recall attempt is the same. Newsome just keeps failing upward like Biden did.
>SF crime ridden shithole >make this man governor >ignores his own covid policies to have expensive dinner >takes bribes >crime gets worse across state >guns bad, sues ATF for not being bad enough >hair still hasn't moved in years due to petrochemical hair gel that requires CA Prop 65 cancer warnings Anonymous
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>>1272510 This, but unironically.
It's fake news created by Republicans.
Anonymous
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>>1272628 Does it really matter what people actually think though. As the creepy dembots in /news/ display, he will be the only choice whether we like it or not. Just like the last 2 elections when the democrat populous advertisement failed where it succeeded with Obama, they crammed their choice, hillary/biden, down our throats removing any naturally popular picks, sanders, internally. We get the choice after they pick. Democracy!
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>>1272628 >Remember how when trump got impeached we heard about how even just getting impeached was terrible? A recall attempt is the same A recall is not the same as an impeachment, sweet child.
>SF crime ridden shithole >make this man governor >ignores his own covid policies to have expensive dinner >takes bribes >crime gets worse across state >guns bad, sues ATF for not being bad enough >hair still hasn't moved in years due to petrochemical hair gel that requires CA Prop 65 cancer warnings Being removed from office because you're shit at your job and being removed from office because you've violated your oath of office and your conduct would be criminally prosecuted were you not in office are not the same thing. Your false equivalence is quite severe here.
Anonymous
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>>1272473 What a talented administrator.
Anonymous
>>1272473 such accountability. much recovery. nice work democrats!
Anonymous
>>1272736 >Newsom's campaign and PAC spending as of the recall - $75 million >Flynn's contribution to Newsom campaign - $164,800 Either this narrative makes no sense or Newsom is a really cheap date?
Anonymous
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I could see McDonald's selling mini loaves of bread like the pies are in that they bake in store to get around this law.
Anonymous
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>>1272738 Who knew the Jimmy John’s lobby was so powerful?
Anonymous
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>>1272497 Illegal immigrants.
Anonymous
>>1272738 how much did they contribute to the PAC spending?
how much did they contribute to outside of campaign spending
how much did they contribute to previous campaigns without getting anything in return?
what sort of business are they doing with politicians or their relatives in the private sector?
Anonymous
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>>1272758 Firstly, I don't care about PAC spending. Donating to a campaign and donating to a PAC are two wildly different things with different regulations. This article specifically refers to donation campaigns as the lynchpin of the conspiracy. Secondly, why are you asking me this? Its your conspiracy, anon. You prove it.
Anonymous
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>>1272487 Once the wages go up, all those other places are going to cut back on labor as much as they can and it won't be as easy to get a job with them.
Anonymous
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>>1272487 You misunderstand. Literally any other fast food joint will get yeast + flour for $0.50 and sell bread and circus under the min wage floor.
Anonymous
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>>1272474 >Jack Hartung, Chipotle’s chief financial and administrative officer, told investors on an earnings call that the price hikes are necessary to keep up with increasing labor costs. >McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski warned in October that the Big Mac maker would also need to hike the price of its menu items in California. Or megacorporations could pay less to the do-nothing parasitical Wall Street investors?...
Why is this never mentioned as an option? It's always "labor costs are too high!" and "we need to raise consumer prices!".
Anonymous
So a carve-out that will cause Panera Bread locations in CA to not have any employees anymore? Gotta love when democrats reveal they don't understand economics.
Anonymous