2y ago

Can a Worker-Owned Restaurant ... Work? | South Seattle Emerald

southseattleemerald.com

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Restaurants run on hierarchy, or so I’ve always been told. There’s got to be someone in charge, someone giving orders, in order for the whole thing to run right.... The last person I worked for, one of the most experienced and talented restaurant people I’ve ever met, always said it’s best to run a restaurant as a “benign dictatorship.”
I mean, liberals (and authorities like owners/executives/managers/politicians) will tell you this about literally everything, not just restaurants. So there's no particular reason to believe them, and many millennia of history filled with reasons to not believe them. shrug
- @StrayCatFrump @ray @socialism benign dictator is an oxymoron
I used to frequent a collectively owned bakery in Berkeley. It was lovely, but they put fricken walnuts in almost everything.
I asked my friend who worked there what was up with that... She said "We operate through consensus and a couple people really like walnuts. Discussions of changing the recipes actually get contentious."
Nice read, very reassuring to know it's working nicely and everyone is paid fairly and generously. That probably helps improve staff morale and feelings about their job
I guess it also greatly helps having the divestor be extremely passionate about anarchy in general, since something like this has to be really well planned, explained and executed if the existing workers aren't familiar with it IMO.
It is executed in a capitalistic manner somewhat though, involving buying shares and stuff, but aside from that, it's pretty indisputable that this ownership type is providing a much fairer environment for the workers.
But... but... but... but... THAT'S COMMUNISM!!!! 😱
This is cool, but it still operates as in the sphere of capitalism in the end. It still has to accrue capital, invest, and act in many ways the same as a capitalist company. Only difference is the workers share the capital.
Again, it's cool, but it doesn't bring real socialism.
- I thought socialism is when workers share the capital?
  
  No. Socialism seeks to abolish capital.

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