@ForkReport - Hour 2

Junk Fees. No Phones in Restuarants. Food Price Hikes. Eats Around LA.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hey, it's Neil Savedra. You'relistening to kf i EM six forty the
four Purport on demand on the iHeartRadioapp. Let me did you had it?

(00:22):
Let me teach you had it?Got a man? Let me teach
you at it. It's a culumnarytion. Let me teach you to Let me
teach you out y. I amsick forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app.

(00:44):
Hey, everybody, Happy Saturday toyou. It is the four Purport.
I am your friendly neighborhood four reporterNeil Savedra. How do you do?
Happy to be with you on thislovely, slightly windy yet sunny Saturday
afternoon until five three hours that weget to hang together every single Saturday to

(01:04):
just celebrate food. I invite youalways as always to stick around at five
o'clock for Soul col Saturdays with ourfriend Touola Sharp. So go nowhere.
And also don't forget that I'm onthe morning show now from hanging out from
Monday through Friday with Bill Handle andthe Gang, Amy King and Producer and

(01:26):
and of course Cono and the like. So join us there. Won't you
always a good time in the crazinessthere in the mornings. California, a
lot going on here. Junk feesis a problem now, junk freeze.
Having junk free fees all over theplace is a pain in the arts no

(01:47):
matter what. When it comes torestaurants, though, they were starting to
pop up all over the place,this fee here, quality of life fee
here, and it gets obnoxious.It gets to the point where you just
want to hey, what you haveto pay. It doesn't change anything.
You know, you're still paying forthese things, so you might as well

(02:08):
know about them upfront. So Californiahas this new rule to make prices as
clear as possible for the consumers,specially especially especially when we eat out.
So the law says that businesses can'tadd extra fees on top of what they

(02:30):
show on menus or on ads.This is restaurants, this is hotels,
this is concert venues. It's justgetting to be too much. And it's
not that I feel they were beinghidden in most cases or that they're trying
to pull one over on you.There is just something about seeing the cost

(02:52):
of something and going, Okay,that's the cost, and then you kind
of in California, you throw tenpercent on that because you know, we
have such high taxes and then youmove on with your business. But when
there's all these other things tacked on, it makes it very difficult to know
what the night, the evening,or the experience is going to cost you.

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So starting in July, it willbe against the law for businesses to
show one price and then add extrafees later. So, for example,
restaurants won't be able to add servicefees or health and wellness fees on top
of the menu prices. This doesn'taffect tips because those are voluntary, so

(03:38):
you're not going to see those addedon. I know it doesn't feel like
they're really voluntary, but you getwhat I mean. Some restaurants are worried
about this new rule. Why well, they think that it might as they
have to raise their prices, thatthat's going to cause people to not come
in. They may even have toclose down. Now, the thing that

(03:59):
bothers me about this is that itdoesn't change the pay I still have to
pay all those fees. They're justseparate. So we have to get it
through our through our mind as theconsumer that those prices are rolled in now,
it doesn't change what we pay.We were already paying for them.
It was just nickeled and dimed.So I'm not sure why places would have

(04:24):
to close down. And if thatis the case, then we're being played.
It's a psychological game because it doesn'tchange what we have to pay,
we're just knowing it up front.So it came as a surprise to some
that this law applies to restaurants too, because originally we were all cheering it,

(04:44):
chearing it on for like ticket Masteror buying tickets, and you remember,
they have all those weird fees thatpop up and it just becomes unbearable,
sometimes double or more the cost ofwhatever you're buying. So there was
confusion about whether the restaurants could keeptheir current prices and just ad fees on

(05:05):
the menu, meaning that it wouldhave to be visible. You'd have to
be able to see them and knowahead of time. But that's not the
case. Many people don't like theseextra fees at all. Studies show that
seventy two percent of people hate them. But some restaurants add them anyways to
cover things like higher wages, whichwe know here in southern California. In

(05:28):
California as a whole, covers thosewages or those health costs. And this
isn't just happening in California. PresidentBiden wants to get rid of extra fees
or junk fees is what he callsthem, in other areas too, credit
card bills, airline tickets. Somestates are also working on laws that ban

(05:49):
these kinds of fees. And Ithink that's a good thing. We should
know upfront. If we're paying fora plane ticket, that is the cost
of the plane ticket. Once weget all these fees tacked on, then
it's a little bit here and alittle bit there, and a little bit
here and a little bit there,and it gets to be obnoxious. Tell
me what it costs and we'll decide. So before there was all the confusion

(06:15):
with restaurants, but now the AttorneyGeneral's office clarified that all fees must be
included in the prices consumers see period. For example, if a restaurant charges
five percent fee for employee employee healthcosts, and I've seen that one on
many times, they have to showthe total price, like twenty one dollars

(06:42):
for a twenty dollars Molay in Julada. It has to be rolled into the
entirety of the price. If arestaurant advertises a ten dollars lunch buffet,
which would be great, by theway, with a ten percent service charge.
Now they have to say that it'san eleven dollars buffet. You get

(07:04):
how that's working out. Ultimately,I think once we get over there may
be sticker shock at first. Theremay be a time of adaptation and getting
comfortable with it. But I thinkin a long run, it's going to
be better for the consumer and betterfor the hospitality if everybody knows what they're

(07:26):
doing up front. I actually thinkthat it will be more helpful for tips.
I think people that go in andget nickeled and dined end up like
being offended by having the tip ontop of that. But if you go
in and say this is the priceof whatever I'm purchasing, then you understand

(07:48):
that the tip is going to bepart of that. Now you might get
people squabbling, going, I'm notgoing to pay I'm not going to tip
on a twenty one dollar molle inchulada. I would imagine if you're paying twenty
bucks for a mole enchilada, it'sgot rice and beans with But I think
after we get over the initial stickershock, Ultimately, it's going to be

(08:09):
better for everyone to know what we'regonna have to pay, rather than scrambling
to pay all these nickel and dimehere and there. So fingers crossed phones
at the table. We'll talk aboutthat in restaurants when we return. So
go nowhere. One of the funnyresponses I saw to this, I'll i'll
share as well. You're listening toThe Fork Report with Nil Savedra on demand

(08:33):
from KFI AM six forty The fourReport, all Things Food, Beverage and
beyond. I am your well fedhost. Neil Savedra had do you do
man? So my buddy Dana,he and his lovely wife Kathy. You've
met Dana if you've been out toan event. He heads up security for

(08:54):
us and things like that. Whilehe is going to check out my two
here in Beverly Hills area, andI'm very excited for them. They're going
for Mother's Day and we're chatting aboutit and just sounds like a great time.
And when you come across a greatplace and you recommend it to people,
you get kind of excited, likewatching a movie with them that you

(09:16):
love. So I hope they havea magical time together, and I hope
you have some fun plans with yourspecial people as well coming up for the
Mother's Day holiday. Now, onething you'll probably see if you go out
to a restaurant is phones at thetable. And this is one of those

(09:37):
things that is sort of controversial becausethey have brought so much to the culinary
scene, meaning that phones at thetable influencers. Not a big fan of
that term, but you know whatI mean, people that you follow them,
you see their photos, you gothat looks fantastic. I want in
on some of that, and soit's been beneficial to me any restaurants or

(10:01):
places. I mean there's places likeDisneyland that encourages you to amusement parks encourage
you to bring those things out.It reminds people of the excitement, the
fun, and the things that theymight miss out on if they forget about
them. Right. So some restaurantsare now saying no phones at the table,
and that's I think that's fine aslong as it's said up front,

(10:24):
or that it's playful or I don'tknow that it's not like making you feel
bad about things. There's a wayto do it, is what I'm saying.
So they're worried that phones are takenaway from the dining experience, and
I don't disagree with that. Soin Italy you've got one restaurant that gives
free wine if you keep your phonelocked away. And that may be,

(10:48):
you know, based on many differentthings, including the table space there and
the things you might purchase if it'snot there. Well, that's the thing.
Another restaurant in Texas makes you putyour phone in a bag, and
in New York a restaurant covers yourphone camera with a sticker. But I

(11:09):
don't wear a button that says,hey, this is part of my I
mean, I guess a blue beardwhen you're fifty four and a stupid hat
pretty much screams that I'm I didn'tsay it, yeah, but you thought
it. I could feel it,ye, so boom. But one of
the things that I was dying aboutis, and we'll get into the whole
you know the issue with it,but phones can be filthy. So you

(11:33):
and I have had this conversation aboutshoes in the house and how they can
be how they can be filthy.So have a separate, you know,
pair of house shoes when you walkin and you keep your nasty shoes on
the outside of what have You'll bringthem and clean them. So here we
go. They can have germs.I love to beat a food show and
talking about this stuff. They couldhave germs from things like poop, and

(11:58):
so you put them on the table. Well, now it's near your food,
and so people don't think about that. I'm very regular about cleaning my
phone. I may do it onceevery two weeks. I do think that.
You know, they did this studyabout people who had or used dishwashers

(12:20):
growing up and how they tended tohave more allergies and more issues with germs
because it sanitizes the plates. Basically, whereas people like me, we almost
never use the dishwasher that I canremember. We use ours here, but
I also hand wash a lot ofdishes as well, because there's only the
three of us. But I willtell you that I believe in that the

(12:43):
germs are helpful. It just isa little nasty when you think about your
phone being up there if it doesn'tneed to. So using your phone at
the table can be a distraction.That's another concern. It can make you
eat more, which could be good, Plus it can make the meal less
enjoyable. To some not only you, but people sitting next to you.

(13:05):
And some chefs notice this happening intheir restaurants, so they came up with
ways to encourage and I like theterming courage rather than just banning to put
their phones away. For example,one restaurant in Manhattan put a cigar different
cigar boxes on the tables and insidethere's a little note asking people to unplug
by putting their phones in the box. Yeah, it's kind of nice.

(13:26):
So many customers like this idea andchose to use the boxes put it in
there. Not all restaurants are againstphones, as I said, some actually
want you to use your phones atthe table. They know that people like
to share pictures of their food onsocial media, so they make their dishes
look extra pretty on Instagram. Sousing your phone at the table has pluses
and minuses. It can make itharder to connect with the people you're eating

(13:50):
with. Even though phones can beuseful, they can also get in the
way. Some restaurants are trying tobalance that. So be respectful. If
you walk into a place, don'tbe all you know, sassy, or
maybe you can if you want todo your an influence or something or have
a food blog, or like me, have a food show. You just
talk to them say hey, canI come in at a time where it

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wouldn't be a problem. Or whatI do is I always ask the server
do you mind if I take somepictures. I don't want to be a
douche. I'm in there to supportthem, but I also don't want to
ruin anybody's experience. And then there'stimes where the setting of the restaurant is
just so beautiful that if I don'tthink I can get a shot without a
flash, then I just don't doit. You know, I'll take a

(14:31):
picture of the sign outside and sayI had this great meal here. So
if you ever see that, Ididn't feel comfortable taking a picture of the
food because I didn't want to disrupt. You're listening to The Fork Report with
Nil Sevedra on demand from KFI AMsix Forting. Hey, everybody, it's
the four Report, all Things Food, beverage beyond. I am your well

(14:52):
fed host, Neil Savedra. Howdo you do? Thanks for hanging out
on this Saturday from two to five. We're always celebrating food that make it,
the culture behind it, and remindingyou to get out there to eat,
because as we've said many times onthis program before that the local health

(15:15):
when it comes to the economy,it rises and falls on hospitality, and
if we're not going out to eatand things like that, then our neighborhoods
are actually losing money. It's partof the cycle. But what goes on
with that is that in California,with the recent hike four dollars hike in

(15:41):
minimum wage for certain locations, I'vesaid before that's crap. The reality is
it's not just for fast food placesthat have sixty or more locations or how
many people they have, because onceyou have a price hike or in this
case, a wage hike, thenevery little mom and pop place are going

(16:04):
to have to go along with it. Otherwise they're not gonna be able to
fill their spots and their openings either. It's just not gonna happen if somebody
can go. I've seen people thatwould come in and they would apply for
something here at the station and thenthey'd find out I mean, and this
is something where you'd go, Okay, I want to get into audio,

(16:29):
and it's a big deal to meto get into audio. And you'd think
that that would be something part oftheir career trajectory or what have you,
but they'd still go, you knowwhat, I'm sorry, I can get
a dollar more an hour or whateverit is by going to a fast food
place. And once you do that, then everybody has to move up.
In addition to that, what endsup happening is local fast food places have

(16:56):
to run, you know, withthe costs and passing on to us.
More and more, we're doing storiesabout restaurants that are having a hard time
to stay open. Some of themwe talked about last week not even be
able to being able to close.Wax paper is one of them. And

(17:17):
the ability to close because you haveto pay back loans from the pandemic and
all this craziness that has already goneon that has beat the pulp out of
restaurants. So now we have inCalifornia especially this unique problem, and so
the prices are going up. Peopleare complaining about fourteen sixteen dollars meals for

(17:42):
one person through fast food. Well, now they're scrambling. They're trying to
figure out how to take care ofpeople that are leaving. You know,
the customers are just going, youknow, and I'm not paying that,
So you. I have always hadplaces like Taco Bell that make sure that

(18:04):
you have inexpensive options to go inand grab for yourself for your family.
And now we're going in reverse.We started seeing a lot of those go
the way of the Dodo bird.You didn't see the dollar menus anymore.
You didn't see the five dollar mealsanymore. Even the old five dollars foot

(18:26):
longs or whatever at Subway, Ithink they're seven bucks now doesn't have the
same ring to it. And nowMcDonald's I think, trying to stay relevant,
not to mention, they're the onesthat are getting beat up in the
press the most because their prices justseem incredibly high. And then you know

(18:48):
what I start to notice is theystart to notice people going on social media
and taking the food apart and lookingat it. You want somebody to look
at something detailed, check out thethickness of those patties and all the ingredients
on there. Start charging more forit, they will start looking at it
closer. So they are battling this. They be McDonald's, they're battling Burger

(19:11):
King, which I think came upwith a five dollars meal of some kind
before. Now you've got McDonald's makingthe statement, yes, we're going to
go back and find a five dollarsoption as well, because even a happy
meal now is what six bucks somethinglike that, So be on the lookout

(19:32):
for that. It's coming. Therehas been a pushback and you have been
heard that it is getting ridiculous andthe price hikes are bothersome for the quick
what should be quick and cheap food. So start looking for those deals coming
back as long as they can handlethe price. These fast food places are

(19:52):
going to do it because they're startingto hemorrhage because people are everyone that they
figured, hey we can count onthese people. They're not doing anymore.
They're going to other places to findinexpensive food, and you could do it
if you look around. People arestarting to go it's cheaper to go to
a chili's now and sit down thanit is to go through a drive through,

(20:14):
and that's where it starts to throwthings off. Maybe that's a good
thing. Maybe we start giving loveto our local chains again. You're listening
to the Fork Report with Nil Savedraon demand from KFI AM six forty.
Hey, everybody, Neil Savadra herewith a Fork Report. How are you
Happy Saturday to you yelp. Everyyear, it's its tenth annual Top one
hundred Places to Eat in the UnitedStates and features twenty eight California restaurants.

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Keep in mind that when it saysrestaurants, it actually takes into consideration food
trucks, cafes, delis. Soit's really cool that they put this all
together and they tie it in witha couple different factors, not only by
community suggestions, but they taken ofcourse reviews, ratings, geographic representation,

(21:07):
equal share of submissions of top ratedrestaurants, and then they put them in
these categories and they spit out theTop one hundred places to Eat in the
United States. Very cool to seetwenty eight California places on there, most
of any state, by the way, with seventeen of those restaurants being in

(21:30):
Los Angeles, Orange County and RiversideCounties, including the top spot. So
the top spot went to downtown LA'sBroken Mouth, which I have not been
to, but will mind taste theirmenu in a minute. They are a
Hawaiian Korean fusion eatery and it's ina food hall and they serve all kinds

(21:53):
of cool stuff like classics, likespam, mashubie and Hawaiian style meat June,
so that's like thinly slighed beef withan egg batter. They've got a
five star rating and more than thirteenhundred reviews, and they really just it's

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not a massive menu at all.They have brunch served all day, They
have a plate lunch, and thenthey have all a cart of course,
they have just a little bit ofsweet for those of you want to cap
off a little bit of sweetness.They have a Brioche bread pudding with cranberries
and granola that sounds really really good. So they have a Terry chicken sandwich.

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It's grilled Terry chicken, greens mayoserved on a Brioche bond that sounds
heavenly. Cucumber kim cheese, freshcucumbers, red onions, red chili flakes.
They have grilled Terry chicken thighs.They have Hawaii's meat June, which
is egg battered ribbi beef sliced inthis meat June sauce. They've got shrimp

(23:08):
in garlic butter that looks fantastic.They've got avocado toast, which really I
saw a picture of it looked stunning. It was avocado mash cucumber chili flakes
served on a whole grain toast,but looks just divine. So they took
top honors. Big shout out toLee's home style Broken Mouth. Good for

(23:33):
them for taking that top spot aroundthe country. By the way, but
there's others too. It's in OrangeCounty. You have sun Bliss Cafe there
in anaheim A Sababa Falafel Shop inGarden Grobe, Little France Coffee and Bakery,
and Mission Viejo Trust in Santa Ana, Santana, Mason Cafe and Market

(23:57):
Data Point, ohmg, Omasaki byGino in Santa Ana and gosh, humanity,
what is it? Corazon Taste ofMexico and Brea, Los Angeles has
Apoo's Cafe, Rajas Con Krema Lordand Banada. There's more riverside the Nook

(24:22):
Cajun Cafe in Norco and No No'sRestaurante in Marietta. So very cool.
We should be proud. That's agreat list representing southern California here. So
good on you folks. Keep doingwhat you're doing, baby, And I
gotta get a little bit of thattaste of this Broken Mouth maybe tonight I

(24:47):
say yes, but it looks deliciousand a bunch of smiling faces there by
the looks of things. That's whatmakes good food. Don't forget. You've
got Toila Sharp coming up at fiveo'clock, and then you've got Steve Gregory
and Unsolved at seven, and thenBefore the Coast at nine. So stick
around. We've got more Fork Reportto come as well. You've been listening

(25:11):
to The Fork Report, you canalways hear us live on KFI AM six
forty two to five pm on Saturday, and anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.