Heidi Parker nailed it in her recent letter to the editor. Human nature is the reason why people cannot resist intruding into the business of others. When gossip turns to retaliation, it’s another story.
Envy of others, preached by one political persuasion, drives a wedge between citizens and breeds this kind of behavior to snitch.
If someone has more than others, many automatically assume or infer that it must be ill-gotten; seldom do they consider the sacrifices others have made to be in a better position. Many lack understanding of the economics and challenge of owning a business; that, coupled with a general distrust of others and virus-related paranoia fed the incident with Makris restaurant in Concord.
Full-service restaurant net profits averaged 6.1% in 2017. That $15.95 entrée nets a restauranteur about $1. Margins are tight, competition is fierce, regulations are increasingly burdensome, commodity prices fluctuate wildly and the ancillary costs (licenses, insurance, benefits, etc.) add up quickly.
For restaurant owners, 65-plus hours would be on the low end of a typical work week. Often business owners are demonized as if they won life’s lottery and are traveling on easy street; nothing could be further from the truth.
The stoolpigeon(s) who complained (wrongly) about Makris were not just misinformed, they had contempt for someone they thought was “getting away with something” or perhaps they are just jealous of the success of others.
People need to concentrate on their own current situation and if that isn’t enough, get a hobby!
Bill Bunker
Barnstead