Cost-cutting, private equity, and the ‘Thai shrimp mafia’: What really drove Red Lobster into bankruptcy - "Waves of customers hungry for under-priced shrimp. A skeleton crew of waiters overwhelmed by the unexpected demand. Tables occupied for long stretches of time, forcing new patrons to wait ages to be seated. Such was the chaos that engulfed the popular seafood restaurant chain Red Lobster last summer when it made its "endless shrimp" promotion a permanent menu item. The endless shrimp debacle would ultimately cost Red Lobster $11m, making up a significant proportion of its $73m net loss last year, and has been widely blamed for the company's decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday. But a closer look suggests that the endless shrimp incident was really a symptom of deeper factors. Court documents, experts, and former employees described a spiralling combination of bad management decisions, destructive buyouts, and even the suggestion of shrimp-related impropriety by senior executives... “What’s truly happened with Red Lobster is that the consumer base has changed and Red Lobster hasn’t,” food industry consultant Darren Tristano told Business Insider. “Red Lobster isn’t losing to a competitor in their space – they’re losing to competitors outside their space.”
Red Lobster Manager 'Polices' Diners Sharing Endless Shrimp - "A user on TikTok is calling out Red Lobster after alleging that he was monitored and made to feel “uncomfortable” on a recent trip to Red Lobster. In a video with over 162,000 views as of Saturday, TikTok user Marlin (@facen4ward) describes what he says was “one of the worst experiences I’ve had at a restaurant in a long time.”... According to Marlin, he visited Red Lobster with his family and ordered two endless shrimp meals and two kids’ meals for his family of six. The plan, he says, was to share the food, something he says is common in his family. “We were told that if we were caught sharing the meals with our family with our kids, they would charge us for more endless shrimps,” he explains. Later, he adds, “The manager was walking around trying to be friendly, but she was actually policing us looking to see if we were sharing food.”... “How can a restaurant tell you if you can share your food,” a user wrote. “That’s the fun part eating off of each other’s plates.” “I tried to order coconut shrimp and the guy said to upgrade my son’s meal to [all you can eat] and take his. They probably think you won’t tip, racism sucks,” added another."
When you outright admit that you were trying to have people eat for free, and call the restaurant racist for stopping that
Red Lobster shuttering 100 restaurants is a loss for Black communities
Red Lobster parent company CEO says he'll 'never eat' the shellfish again after failure of company - "'It wasn't the second helping on all-you-can-eat, but the third' that hurt profits, a Red Lobster executive said to analysts at the time in 2003. This time, the deal was also wildly popular - with some customers staying for hours to see how many the could eat. One girl managed 108 in four hours. 'I set a new record at my local Red Lobster, this is my greatest achievement in life' the poster explained in her video... Hospitality experts are puzzled that the chain didn't see how badly it could go wrong - especially since they were repeating a mistake."
Red Lobster offered all-you-can-eat shrimp. That was a mistake. - Los Angeles Times - "All-you-can-eat offers can be effective marketing strategies to get people in the door in the competitive world of casual dining — Applebee’s offers $1 margaritas dubbed the Dollarita, buffet chains such as Golden Corral and Sizzler promise abundance at a flat rate, and Olive Garden, one of Red Lobster’s main competitors, has long lured customers with unlimited salad and bread sticks. But Red Lobster made a few crucial missteps with the shrimp deal, said Eric Chiang, an economics professor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a self-proclaimed buffet aficionado. The company not only started with a low price point, but offered a prized and pricey menu item that can serve as an entire meal — not many customers at Olive Garden, he noted, are going to stock up on bread sticks and salad alone. “Most people will also order the Taste of Italy,” he said, “or something that gives you meat and pasta.” Chiang said the most effective loss leaders, a term for products that aren’t profitable but bring in enough new customers or lead to the sale of enough other items to make the offer worthwhile, use cheap ingredients. A good example is 7-Eleven’s Free Slurpee Day, he said, as the company gives away about 15 cents of ice and syrup to customers who then pay to fill up their gas tanks. Consumers are especially drawn to all-you-can-eat deals and buffets during tighter economic times, Chiang said. “This is a story of inflation,” he said. “All you can eat for $15? That gives customers a sense of control. Like we’re not being gouged, not being nickel and dimed for every dessert.”... In 2003, the chain, which at the time was owned by Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden, offered a similarly disastrous all-you-eat crab special for around $23. So many people came back for seconds, thirds and even fourths, executives said at the time, that it cut into profit margins. Before long, the company’s then-president stepped down... Despite the turmoil, the company, which until this week touted about 700 locations, remained a brand so beloved that it earned a reference in Beyonce’s song “Formation,” in which she describes post-coital trips to Red Lobster. After the song’s release, the company said it saw a 33% jump in sales, but that glow was short lived and had faded long before the ill-fated shrimp deal was brought back last year... During a presentation to investors in February, Thiraphong Chansiri, the chief executive of Thai Union, expressed frustration with the situation surrounding Red Lobster, saying it had left a “big scar” on him. “Other people stop eating beef,” he said. “I’m going to stop eating lobster.”"
Meme - 9mmSMG @9mm_smg: "Be a long time chain. Offer an endless shrimp deal. Have certain groups bring their entire families in, order 1-2 all you can eat shrimp meals then have their entire family feast. Have to have waitstaff monitor people. They go to tiktok and cry racism. Imminent bankruptcy from shrimp fraud. We can't even have Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
Here *black user's TikTok video where he complains that when he ordered fewer meals than the number of people he had in his party, they weren't allowed to share shrimp and the manager was policing them*"
Meme - Black Scat Buyer @BlkScatBuyer: "They decided to host endless shrimp and it's black people fault that they decided to that marketing scheme and it failed the price of business maybe not say endless shrimp with policies behind it maybe try a different promotion to gain traction maybe have better food to get more$"
Thrax (MD) @diomedesthraex: "Did you ignore the part of the video where they mention that the endless entree is only for the two people it's purchased for? Was your impression that this is well received or even followed in the video? Why was the manager hovering over the table?"
Meme - Dour Visage @DourVisage: "Red Lobster Closure Map based on the Presence of non-Hispanic Black People according to the US Census Map of 2020: I think we have a correlation. Bubba Gump's quest for Endless Shrimp was the death knell for many locations."
Dour Visage on X - "While my local Red Lobster doesn't have the, uh, "problem" my e-friends report, I have it on good authority that a legion of Bubba Gumps descended upon their other locations for endless shrimp like the old Plagues of Egypt."
Nine people arrested after two men stabbed in Bristol
Europe has entered a new political era - "You should ignore many of the headlines about the European election results. Excitable forecasts of a tidal wave of populism were not realised and most of the headlines will be some version of “Centre holds in face of far-Right surge”. Two things to realise: first, headlines like that are an example of what is now called “cope”. Second, Europe has entered a new political era. The nature of EU wide politics has clearly shifted. The most dramatic outcome, Emmanuel Macron’s bold decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call snap elections, reflects the way France is a forerunner or microcosm of wider European shifts. The results show, unsurprisingly, much variation between member countries. Even so, patterns emerge. First, there were major gains for the so-called “far Right” (actually populist or national collectivist right). This was most marked in France, Germany, and Austria but happened more widely... there were significant losses for Greens and liberals (most dramatically in France and Germany) and smaller but still significant ones for the radical left. One feature that deserves emphasis, not least because of the marked contrast with UK politics (at least for now), is the marked movement to the populist Right among younger voters (under 25). This was clearest in France and Germany but can be seen almost everywhere."
Time to arrest the "far right" to "save democracy"
EU vote will drag bloc further Right than ever before - "All have in common an antipathy towards Brussels overreach, migrants and the EU’s net zero target."
Olaf Scholz has been humiliated – and Germany is now in crisis - "As the provisional results for the European election came in on Sunday, the shock to the German system ran deep. All three parties of the ruling coalition haemorrhaged votes with the Greens plummeting particularly low. Anti-establishment parties made gains. The far-right achieved record results. With regional elections in the autumn and federal elections next year, Germany could be headed for the biggest political upset in the history of its post-war democracy... Young Germans, too, have sent a very clear message to their government. For the first time, 16- and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote in the European elections and it seems that young people are even more unhappy with their government than their parents and grandparents. A little over a quarter of 16-24-year-olds voted for the coalition parties, 16 per cent for the AfD. Collectively the message from German voters is clear: mainstream politicians don’t address their concerns. Asked what the biggest problem facing Germany was at the moment, a survey in May showed voters putting migration and refugees a clear first, followed at a distance by energy and climate, the economy, pensions and the war in Ukraine. Yet the Green’s top candidate Terry Reintke lists “Feminism” and “Social justice” as her concerns on her social media profile. It’s one of many examples where the parties’ priorities are ill-matched to those of voters, and it’s perhaps unsurprising that a survey last week showed over half of Germans think none of the political parties would be able to tackle the challenges facing the country. Of course, Germany isn’t alone with the problem of deep disaffection among voters. In France, President Emmanuel Macron has called an early election following his party’s defeat and the surge of far-Right candidates in the European election. In Britain, the Tories seem set for a wipeout, with Reform UK picking up so many of their voters that some polls put them only a couple of points behind. The shock to political systems across the West is deep and Germany’s case shows that if the established parties don’t listen to their increasingly angry electorates, people will find other vents for their frustration. No political party can take its voters for granted. Those that do, harm not just themselves but erode trust in democracy itself."
Scholz spells 'sheer catastrophe' for 'developing country' Germany, Deutsche Börse chief says - "The head of Germany’s stock exchange has claimed the nation is becoming a “developing country” and called his own market “a junk shop”. Theodor Weimer, chief executive of Deutsche Börse, said a “lack of leadership” by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition was putting international investors off Germany. In a speech to business leaders, Mr Weimer said the eurozone’s largest economy was “economically on the way to becoming a developing country”. “I don’t want to spoil your evening, but one thing is clear: our reputation in the world has never been so bad,” he said... “We have become a junk shop,” Mr Weimer said of the low value of the German stock market. Mr Weimer also took aim at the country’s migration policy, which is a key focus for Germany’s hard right party AfD. The executive criticised the lack of skilled workers with language skills who were recruited to come and work in the country. “Our migration policy – I don’t want to get too political – is seen by everyone as completely wrong,” he said. “Our focus on do-gooderism is not shared anywhere.”"
Man detained in mental hospital after trying to set up Pakistan's first gay club - "A Pakistani man who tried to set up the country’s first gay club has been detained in a mental hospital by local authorities. The man, who chose not to give his identity in an interview with The Telegraph, had filed an application to set up the club in Abbottabad, the conservative northern city where Osama bin Laden was found and killed. In the application filed to the deputy commissioner (DC) of the city, the man said the club was to be a “great convenience and resource for many homosexual, bisexual and even some heterosexual people residing in Abbottabad in particular, and in other parts of the country in general.” Gay sex is illegal in Pakistan and can be punished by two years up to life in prison. The conservative religious culture also makes it difficult to be openly homosexual, although in practice the laws are rarely applied. Displays of affection are also frowned upon among heterosexual couples, with fornication before marriage a crime. The application stated that in “the envisaged gay club, tentatively to be called Lorenzo gay club, there would be no gay (or non-gay) sex (other than kissing).” “A clearly visible notice on the wall would warn: no sex on premises. This would mean that no legal constraints (even obsolete ones like [anti-sodomy] PPC section 377) would be flouted on the premises”... the application was leaked on social media, prompting fury from locals and politicians in the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where women face limits on their ability to access education and on socialising outside their homes. Naseer Khan Nazir, a leader of the Right-wing Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PATY), said that if permission for the club was granted, there would be “very severe consequences.” Another MP from the party said that he would douse the building with petrol and set it on fire. The leader of Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI), a conservative religious party in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly, claimed that the man trying to set up the club had recently returned from a visit to the UK... Religious parties have accused the applicant of working on behalf of a foreign state and called for Abbottabad’s DC to be dismissed simply for considering the application."
Damn colonialism!
Haunted by Weimar - "During the turbulent years of the Weimar Republic, the idea that there are limits on the people’s power to amend the constitution was raised in public discourse by Adolf Hitler... Limitations on constitutional amendments are a technology. They are not always—as they are currently presented by judges and jurists in Israel—the last line of defense for those committed to democracy. There is another reason this tale from the later days of the Weimar Republic is important in the Israeli context. Nowhere else, except perhaps in Germany, are the Weimar lessons as prominent as in the Israeli constitutional debate. With the Holocaust always in the background of any public discussion in Israel, the Weimar lessons have always been part of the constitutional discourse. The recent debate over the Netanyahu government’s attempt to overhaul Israel’s constitutional system was no exception. While the Israeli Supreme Court refrained—for reasons I will explain below—from explicitly referring to the Weimar lessons in its recent judgment invalidating a constitutional amendment, the lessons still influenced the judgment and therefore merit a close historical examination... According to Barak, “Jewish and democratic” is the core of the Israeli state that cannot be changed by a constitutional amendment or any legal means. The idea that the judiciary would take the liberty to strike down constitutional amendments in the name of eternal values was antithetical to Kelsen’s thinking. Like Schmitt, Barak is willing to break all constraints of legality to protect the state’s basic political decision. Like Schmitt, Barak leaves the people only one choice to overcome his interpretations: a revolution, and not one that is constitutional... For years, public opinion polling demonstrated that the Israeli Supreme Court enjoys the support of 70 to 90 percent of the public, more than any other institution. In view of this data, it was not surprising that the Supreme Court was one of the first courts in the world to seize the idea that the judiciary’s source of legitimacy is public confidence... in recent years as opinion polls showed that its public support has dwindled. Unsurprisingly, in striking down the reasonableness constitutional amendment, the majority of judges do not speak anymore in the name of public confidence. Only the dissenting judges mention it. While the mass demonstrations against the reform showed strong support for the court among certain parts of Israeli society, the mass demonstrations against the court showed that it has lost its consensual status."
Usually left wingers say Constitutions should be living documents. But when it suits the left wing agenda, they are sacred
Germany bans neo-Nazi group Hammerskins - "The move set "a clear signal against racism and antisemitism", Germany's interior minister said... "Right-wing extremism remains the biggest extremist threat to our democracy. That's why we continue to act very decisively," said German interior minister Nancy Faeser."
Time to ban AfD before it gets too popular, because we know the "far right" is responsible for all the anti-Semitism in Germany today!
FIRST READING: Ottawa brags about putting up $1.7 million to create 10 pasta jobs - "Italpasta is essentially having taxpayers front the money for redesigning part of their production line. “Why can’t Italpasta get a credit line like the rest of us? Who is their lobbyists?” was the social media reaction of Roman Baber, Conservative candidate in the nearby riding of York Centre. “If profitable Canadian businesses can’t invest in their own business without government ‘assistance’ we are in way worse shape in Canada than we thought,” read a reply by Conservative MP Kyle Seeback... the fiscally conservative Fraser Institute, for one, has called FedDev Ontario a “corporate welfare slush fund,” naming it as one of an archipelago of federal corporate welfare agencies. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation — another fiscally conservative think tank — regularly places FedDev Ontario on its annual list of agencies to defund in order to restore a balanced budget. “The CTF assumes that ending FedDev Ontario would save taxpayers $267.8 million annually,” it wrote in a 2022 list. And FedDev Ontario is just one of seven “regional development agencies.” The CTF puts their combined annual cost at $1.3 billion annually — roughly the annual cost of the CBC... But $170,000 per job is a bargain compared to some of the other per-job rates obtained by Trudeau government subsidies in recent years. This time last year, the federal and Ontario governments promised $13 billion in production subsidies to Volkswagen if the automaker built an EV plant employing an estimated 3,000 people. The $13 billion doesn’t get repaid; it’s mostly tax credits. If the figures hold, that’s $4.3 million per job."
Posthaste: Why Canada is better able to handle the costs of an aging population than other countries - "In the United States, which faces a shortfall in its social security program and “dramatically” higher health care costs, the value of future unfunded liability is almost US$80 trillion or US$236,000 per person, she said. That is nearly three times larger than the current U.S. government debt of US$26 trillion and almost three times the size of the economy. By comparison, Canada’s unfunded liability of $70,000 per person for health care and social assistance is a fraction of this, according to a 2018 estimate by the C.D. Howe Institute. Canada is better prepared for two reasons, said Freestone. First the Canada Pension Plan is fully funded, thanks to the establishment of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in 1997. The second is immigration ."
Italians want to ditch this 'monstrous' dining experience that tourists love - "Italians aren’t too happy with our love of alfresco eating on holiday, with some branding outdoor seating areas — where people chow down on pizza and pasta — ‘monstrous’... In Rome, locals say they are fed up with restaurants and bars putting tables and chairs all over the pavement, and in the way of parking spaces."
UK court rules that extension of police powers to intervene in protests is unlawful
Time for left wingers to step up their campaign to ruin people's lives
Erdogan Condemns Eurovision as a Threat to Traditional Values - "Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a sharp critique against the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), describing it as a disgraceful threat to traditional values. President Erdogan accused the annual music competition of promoting "gender neutrality" and undermining traditional family values... "At such events, it has become impossible to meet a normal person." Erdogan said... The president’s statements reflect the longstanding stance of his ruling party, which is known for its anti-LGBTQ+ policies. Amnesty International reports that LGBTQ+ individuals in Turkey continue to face harassment and discrimination. Turkey has abstained from participating in Eurovision for the past twelve years. President Erdogan emphasized this decision, stating, "We have done right by keeping Turkey out of this disgraceful competition.""
Clearly, Erdogan is naive and gullible, falling prey to far right misinformation. He doesn't understand that Islam is the most feminist religion
President Raisi's death sparks off fireworks, celebrations in Iran - "Raisi wasn't just the President of Iran, he was the person touted to succeed Ali Khamenei as the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran... A theocratic hardliner, Raisi was known to be responsible for crushing dissent and free speech in Iran, and enforcing the harsh "hijab and chastity law" to restrict women's attire. The law gave unlimited powers to the morality police in Iran... He was one of the four members of the 'death committee' formed in 1988 to try political prisoners. The 'death committee' conducted summary trials and executed thousands of political dissidents. Iranian authorities secretly kidnapped and "extrajudicially executed" more than 5,000 people between July and September 1988, according to Amnesty International... A 2021 survey by the Group for Analysing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) revealed that 47% of Iranians have switched from being religious to non-religious... "Iran's dead president Raisi executed thousands of Iranians and raped women in political prisons. His nickname was the 'Butcher of Tehran', wrote Mahyar Tousi, the founder of Mahyar Tousi TV. People in Syria were seen "passing out baklava in celebration" of the Raisi chopper crash. The celebrations in Iran that went through the night have, however, prompted the Iranian government to react. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been deployed at several places in Iran to "prevent an uprising", reported The Iran International, a portal of exiled Iranians. One has to remember that those celebrating risked arrest, and even death, for acting against the hardline state. The smoke from the fireworks shows, there is a bigger fire on the ground against the repressive regime in Iran"
Meanwhile, left wingers are mourning the death of the Butcher of Tehran, and blaming Israel for his travelling in bad weather, and claiming the helicopter pilot was a Mossad agent
Libraries install panic buttons after surge in 'disruptive behaviour' - "National charity Libraries Connected has said they would like staff to start wearing bodycams, hire security guards and install panic buttons to combat the rise in anti-social behaviour. This comes after librarians have had to deal with incidents of book throwing, people being loud and disruptive in the public space and even climbing onto the roof... It also suggested that there is a 'safe place' that is lockable and has radios and phones where staff can retreat to seek help, in case of an emergency. And workers can take courses in subjects such as 'conflict training'. Last year a number of libraries in Bristol resorted to hiring security guards because they are no longer a 'safe space' for readers. Filwood Library in Bristol was one of those worst affected, and it had to close over the summer in 2021 because of children climbing on the roof. The head of libraries in the city said many were forced to hire security because other readers were so 'intimidated' by teenagers."
Clearly, with political will we could have 24 hour libraries for people to hang out in
Henry Winstanley - Wikipedia - "Henry Winstanley (31 March 1644 – 27 November 1703) was an English painter, engineer, and merchant who constructed the first Eddystone Lighthouse after losing two of his ships on the Eddystone rocks. He died while working on the project during the Great Storm of 1703... Winstanley was recorded as having expressed great faith in his construction, wishing he might be inside it during "the greatest storm there ever was". The tower was destroyed on the night of 27 November 1703, during the Great Storm of that year. Winstanley was visiting the lighthouse that night to make repairs, and he lost his life."
Meme - iamyesyouareno @iamyesyouareno: "When are they going to build Africa?"
"We built Europe, black people built European civilization, we gave then four hundred years of labor. toil, death, we built the American and European empire"
"Black peoote built civilizations. We taught Europe to build civilizations."
"Lol bru black people built Greece , Asia, Egypt and Europe. Black people taught Europeans how to walk, read , write and wash ! There nothing new"
"Black people built Europe and that's fact"
Social media to blame for people feeling less safe, minister says - "knife crime nationally has risen by 7.2 per cent to nearly 50,000 offences, close to the past record high of 51,200, according to the Office for National Statistics. In London, which accounts for more than a third of all knife crime in England and Wales, it hit a record high of more than 14,500 offences last year."
Time to arrest more people for transphobia
