The California Restaurant Association (CRA) has launched a new campaign, “What The Fork?!”, to draw attention to the impact of state and local regulations on restaurant operations. The campaign began with billboards inside Terminal B at Sacramento International Airport and is supported by social media ads targeting the Capitol region.
“Forty percent of California restaurants we surveyed reported that they did not make a profit last year,” declared Jot Condie, President + CEO of the California Restaurant Association. “We’ve been ringing alarm bells as iconic restaurants shutter and, still, lawmakers add more burdensome regulations, so it’s time to get the attention of our guests, their voters.”
According to CRA representatives, many restaurants are still repaying loans taken during pandemic closures while facing rising costs for rent, food, utilities, insurance, and labor. The association points to over 400,000 regulations imposed by lawmakers as contributing factors.
“Our ‘What The Fork!’ campaign will raise voter awareness to pressure lawmakers to stop legislating all of us into a hole,” declared Condie.
The CRA argues that hundreds of new laws each year create legal vulnerabilities for restaurants and lead to increased costs for consumers. Raising menu prices is described as a last resort for many establishments struggling with closure threats.
“This isn’t an exaggeration; neighborhood restaurants are at the brink,” said Fred Glick, Incoming Chair of the CRA Board and Brewpub Chieftain at Karl Strauss Brewing Company. “Voters deserve to know that the high prices we are all paying are a result of California lawmakers incessantly adding more unnecessary hoops and added costs.”
Dolores C. Jackson, CRA board member and part of Lolita’s Mexican Food family ownership in San Diego stated: “We aren’t big corporations that can absorb added costs; every time they pass another unnecessary rule, lawmakers are eating into the 3-5 cents that small neighborhood restaurants are making on the dollar.”
The organization also highlights the broader community impact when local eateries close. Restaurants contribute significantly to funding public services such as safety programs, schools, and infrastructure.
For more information about policies affecting restaurant prices or to sign their petition visit https://www.calrest.org/wtf.
