Applebee's backlash after comments against Obamacare

Last week, one Applebee's franchise owner said he would not hire any more workers and was considering cutting the hours of current employees because of the Affordable Care Act. We're taking a closer look at this interesting story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Zane Tankel, Applebee’s Franchisee, Says He Won’t Hire Because Of Obamacare

Submitted by Radical_Centrist

Apple-Metro CEO Zane Tankel, who owns 40 Applebee's franchises in the New York metropolitan area, told Fox Business Network on Thursday: 

"We’ve calculated it will [cost] some millions of dollars across our system. So what does that say — that says we won’t build more restaurants. We won’t hire more people."

Tankel employs between 80 to 300 people at each of its locations. Obamacare mandates that businesses with more than 50 workers must offer an approved insurance plan or pay a penalty of $2,000 for each full-time worker over 30 workers.

Tankel isn't the only CEO making drastic changes to deal with President Obama's re-election. Last week, Papa John's CEO, John Schnatter, said he'd likely reduce workers' hours.

The community responds to Tankel's plans to avoid costs associated with Obamacare: 

fiberbundle: "Gawd, First they crack-down on hiring illegals and paying them slave wages--now Obama-care--what next for the "poor job creators". What next? Will they start vigorously auditing our tax returns? Heaven forfend!"

hilogirl55: "This is another food establishment that we do not go to. Over priced marginal food with mark ups that provide huge profits for the CEO's and stock holders. So, providing the hard working food service people with decent health care will cause less expansion for these owners, so be it. These people need to take care of the employees they have and in turn said employees will continue to work hard to maintain the profits that is expected by the restaurants."

Incredulous: "This is the Republican mantra...."that rolls back expansion" but the truth is, expansion is rolled back by a decrease in demand for the product being marketed, and this idiot is doing everything in his power to ensure that there is a decrease in demand. The only one negatively impacted by him having to treat his employees like human beings is him and his profit margin. These arrogant CEOs actually believe that people don't know that, and don't know that he is lying."

Join the discussion -- or head over to the Community page for more popular stories from the community.

(Photo: Getty Images)