Restauranteur states he pays about $750,000 on security to deal with boisterous diners
Key takeaways:
- The CEO of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants informed CNBC on Wednesday that cranky diners have cost his business $750,000 a year in security expenses.
- "We never paid a dollar on security in our restaurants before Covid," Cameron Mitchell stated.
- "It's challenging for managers," on top of lacking staff as well as increasing prices and supply chain problems, he added.
Cameron Mitchell's business affected by security expenses:
Cameron Mitchell, chief executive of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, informed CNBC on Wednesday that intractable diners have cost his business $750,000 a year, on top of supply chain jams and growing inflation that has already damaged his bottom line.
"We never paid a dollar on security in our restaurants before Covid, but now we spend about three-quarters of $1 million a year on protection to protect our managers and our team from some unruly visitors that happen in our restaurants," Mitchell told on "Squawk Box," adding that while there's only a "small proportion" of rowdy diners, they still impact staff security.
Mitchell compared wild diners to disobedient passengers on airplanes, who have induced a record number of disruptive and violent happenings for U.S. airlines this year. CMR is an independent and privately-owned restaurant firm that operates 40 restaurants nationwide from Beverly Hills in California to New York City.
Tensions between patrons and staff, especially over Covid safety guidelines, have dogged businesses over the previous two years. Mitchell stated he considers the raucous diners his team has encountered are fueled by "rage in general."
"It's challenging for managers. And then they're dealing with short staffing. Then we've got the rising costs and supply chain problems," Mitchell said. "Our individuals are always running to get the product in, etcetera that we ought, so it's complicated for our day-to-day functions out there," he added.