New Minimum Wage Law Forces Popular Eatery to Close Its Doors Immediately!

Seattle rang in the New Year with a bang—or more accurately, a thud—as the city’s new $20.76 minimum wage took effect, hammering local businesses already teetering on the edge. Among the casualties was the Bebop Waffle Shop, a small restaurant forced to close its doors after 10.5 years of serving the community. But here’s the twist: the shop’s owner, Corina Luckenbach, still supports the very policy that put her out of business. You can’t make this stuff up.

Under the new law, businesses can no longer offset wages with tips or benefits. For Bebop Waffle Shop, that meant an additional $32,000 in labor costs per year. For a small operation, that’s not just a pinch—it’s a chokehold. “This is financially just not going to make sense anymore,” Luckenbach admitted in an interview with KCPQ-TV. And yet, in the same breath, she declared her full support for the minimum wage hike, a stance that leaves many scratching their heads.

In a heartfelt Instagram post, Luckenbach announced the closure, expressing sorrow for ending what she described as a “safe space for queer people” but reaffirming her belief in higher wages. “My hope as a boss has been that every employee leaves better than when they started,” she wrote, adding that informing her staff of the closure “split [her] heart.” Admirable sentiments, sure, but they don’t pay the bills.

Here’s the reality: while the intentions behind policies like this may be noble, the execution often leaves a trail of economic destruction in its wake. Businesses like Luckenbach’s, operating on razor-thin margins, simply can’t absorb these kinds of cost increases. The result? Closed doors, lost jobs, and communities left without cherished local institutions.

Luckenbach’s predicament highlights a broader issue with progressive policies: they often harm the very people they’re supposed to help. Her employees didn’t get a pay raise—they got a pink slip. Customers didn’t get a thriving community hub—they got a shuttered storefront.

The Bebop Waffle Shop’s story is a cautionary tale for policymakers who prioritize feel-good legislation over real-world consequences. If Luckenbach is lucky, she’ll have a change of heart—or “waffle”—on her support for policies that cripple small businesses. Unfortunately, for her employees and the city of Seattle, the damage is already done.