RAMW Splits from NRA

[Michael Landrum]

Heartening news from Tim Carman: click.

It seems that the NRA won't let them feed off of Virginia and Maryland restaurants, so they are doing what they need to do in order to keep their fingers in as many pies as possible.

Good to see restaurants in New York are wising up. Maybe we'll get smart here in DC and follow suit.

A "restaurant association" that does nothing for workers and strong arms small businesses with impunity, while making fat money off of others' efforts and dreams and pursuing its own political agenda, has no business pretending to be any thing other than what it is.

[Sthitch]

Please forgive my ignorance, but how is it that they strong arm restaurants?

[Michael Landrum]

Please forgive my ignorance, but how is it that they strong arm restaurants?

The good old-fashioned way: "Nice restaurant you have here. Sure would be a shame if something bad were to happen to it. You should maybe think about joining our little club here and then maybe nothing will. And don't worry, our biggest sponsors are SYSCO and Clyde's, so you know we'll take good care of you. Real, real, good care of you."

They are a self-serving, parasitical organization where often-times the parasite has grown larger than its hosts. They are openly hostile to employee's rights. They are openly hostile to first-time food service operators having a chance to get their foot in the door. They shamelessly prey and profit on the dreams and labors of chefs and restaurateurs through the open, disgusting exploitations of the RAMMIES. They manipulate and hide the fact that a major source of funding is from (and therefore their agenda is set by) the type of factory, big truck suppliers that are the very synonym of anathema to the majority of members of this site, and whose interests are inimical to small, artisinal, family, local and craft producers--and openly destructive of the environment. They hide the fact that they are primarily a lobbying arm for legislation that few on this board would support (anti-food trucks, anti-smoking ban, anti-minimum wage increase, anti-health insurance etc.).

One thing to be clear, they do not, do not, represent or work on behalf of independent restaurants, restaurant workers, farmers or chefs. Nor should they be allowed to perpetrate this hoax against the local restaurant community and the local dining community.

[Miami Danny]

The good old-fashioned way: "Nice restaurant you have here. Sure would be a shame if something bad were to happen to it. You should maybe think about joining our little club here and then maybe nothing will. And don't worry, our biggest sponsors are SYSCO and Clyde's, so you know we'll take good care of you. Real, real, good care of you."

They are a self-serving, parasitical organization where often-times the parasite has grown larger than its hosts. They are openly hostile to employee's rights. They are openly hostile to first-time food service operators having a chance to get their foot in the door. They shamelessly prey and profit on the dreams and labors of chefs and restaurateurs through the open, disgusting exploitations of the RAMMIES. They manipulate and hide the fact that a major source of funding is from (and therefore their agenda is set by) the type of factory, big truck suppliers that are the very synonym of anathema to the majority of members of this site, and whose interests are inimical to small, artisinal, family, local and craft producers--and openly destructive of the environment. They hide the fact that they are primarily a lobbying arm for legislation that few on this board would support (anti-food trucks, anti-smoking ban, anti-minimum wage increase, anti-health insurance etc.).

One thing to be clear, they do not, do not, represent or work on behalf of independent restaurants, restaurant workers, farmers or chefs. Nor should they be allowed to perpetrate this hoax against the local restaurant community and the local dining community.

Histrionics aside, no one is being forced to join this trade association.

[Michael Landrum]

Histrionics aside, no one is being forced to join this trade association.

And you say this because you have such a deep understanding of how the restaurant business works?

Actually, many, many restaurants do feel coerced into joining, due to the economic and PR power RAMW wields, often exploitatively.

Just so you know, hijacking threads through pathetic, attention-grabbing potshots from the side about an industry that you are not a part of and a community that could care less what you think falls under the category of "histrionics" much more so than passionately exposing truths about malignant institutions that effect and diminish one's field, from a position of having a real stake in the matter. Of course, one would have to actually be a part of something to understand that.

[DonRocks]

[Kindness on both sides, please.]

[Michael Landrum]

[Kindness on both sides, please.]

That was me being kind.