“I’ve sent an open letter to [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom. Not only have we seen the cost of almost everything go up exponentially in the last few years, but also faced new regulations and mandates. If I were to match our increased costs with menu pricing, we would be forced to charge about $40 for a cheeseburger. We can’t explain that to the customer.”

Siyamak sits down with Brian Back, who established his restaurant in the Bay Area to serve as a community asset and foster unity among people. He shares the challenges he faces with laws, regulations, and escalating costs. Additionally, we speak with John Kabateck, president of the National Federation of Independent Business, who has observed several restaurants and their owners within his organization’s membership facing difficulties in California.

“I wanted to do something that was neighborhood-scaled; I wanted to do something in my community. I wanted to have a place where family could be generating tax revenue and building community. I was naive until I opened this business. I’m spending most of the money that we earn on debt obligations to the state,” Mr. Back said.

*Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Epoch Times.