tommy

hmm. rocco's conversation on the cell phone did seem almost fake. very TV-like, where the person repeats what he heard on the other end. how many people do that? of course, the directors could have suggested that they do that whenever possible to make the scenes make more sense. are you sure you can't find out if someone is in the hospital? what if your wife got into a car accident and you called the area hospital. are you saying they wouldn't tell you if she was there or not there? i know little about these new rules, but that seems extreme.

errr, you're really not actually offended by that, are you?

i happen to like the theme song (although it's not half as good as the Queer Eye song).

i look like i have a freakin mullet. i gotta get a haircut.

do you think that the cook who wasn't getting paid and said as much was in on it? when you say that we would have heard more about it, do you mean here on egullet, or on the show. Oh...believe me we were not getting paid. ah good. another ridiculous accusation shot down.

as far as i know. Thanks, the brain isn't working well tonight. don't worry. this comes from 18 years of staring at computer screens and having discussions with people who may or may not exist. you don't want that. trust me.

as far as i know.

david, where's that shot of the steak sandwich that i was holding up? i was hoping the lighting was perfect.

do you think that the cook who wasn't getting paid and said as much was in on it? when you say that we would have heard more about it, do you mean here on egullet, or on the show.

Absolutely...it's likely a very good product-line for a business in the right sitauation, even a restaurant I suppose. I was just wondering skeptically whether it would really be the best option for this particular restaurant. =R= who knows. seems like a valid option to me.

i've never worked in the industry in that capacity, but i know from other experiences that payroll can be done several ways. outsourcing is just one of them. regardless of the type of business. i think you hit the nail on the head with your last sentence.

for a short-term loan, i don't think a few percentage points make a difference. if you're suggesting that it was all just made up and orchestrated, well then i'm afraid that we'll probably never know. however, if you want to discuss the likelihood of a business using Open for a line of credit, i can tell you that it happens. and sometimes without cameras around. in addition to that, as i stated above, accountants routinely run payroll for small businesses.

Sorry you feel that way Tommy. Considering recent events and all, and what people may be thinking, I was just trying to offer a little advice. I'd hate to see an eGulleteer head the wrong way when it comes to this. oh nick, you misunderstood. i wasn't referring to your above post, which was clearly level-headed, helpful, and came from a good place.

Sorry for the many questions...Why is that? Is that the way restaurants generally operate? Is it because they handle cash, or because of the wage structure, or some other factor(s)? Would Rocco's be typical in that regard? I just assumed that a business of that size (with that many employees) would opt for the relatively inexpensive outside payroll service. From my (albeit limited) experience, I consider an outside service to be the default setting. =R= why is that you ask? because sometimes businesses don't have all of their ducks in a row. an accountant handles these issues in no time at all. that's part of what they do for a living. it's not as strange and as indicative of a bigger problem as some here seem to want it to be.

Previous experience, but I'm certainly no expert. =R= the amex blue card has been giving people loans for about 10% for years. and that's a plain old retail credit account. what experience do you have with small business loans throught the Open network? just wondering.

one can be almost certain that they have an accountant that they can call to, yes, cut the checks manually, with all of the appropriate withholdings. it happens all of the time. as far as AMEX's rates, i haven't used amex for a loan in quite some time, but i'd imagine they're on par with every other major bank/money lending institution. why would you think otherwise?

On the What's Wrong with Merlot thread, Craig said: well i guess you just saved craig a post. that was nice of you. unless, of course, he appreciates the book in the sense that it gets novice wine drinkers into wine within 20 minutes.

don't forget about the striped bass. seems appropriate for what you're looking for.

guns also come in handy to intimidate people over the internet.

i love nancy's wines, and wish it were more convenient for me. i suspect craig might actually appreciate willie. what says you, craig? also, i think you're missing the point of the book to some extent. it's also for people who will become become real connoisseurs, but who want a really good concise jumping off point. and some of the readers even have money i'd bet.

whatever it is, i'm sure they could get a loan from Open. the restaurant cost what, 4 million? we're not talking about charging it on a credit card. we're talking about a line of credit or a loan. i dare say that i could get a loan for whatever amount it is. i'm sure they could. I'm sure that THEY could but if you or I (or any other AMEX customer) went to them and asked for twenty grand to cover the payroll they'd say no way. Besides, why would they have to borrow the money in the first place? Why wouldn't they just write checks from the business account to pay the employees? It just doesn't make any sense, if they had enough cash to cover the payroll (as they said they did) then why not write business checks and take taxes out after. Sorry, this whole thing is beyond shady. I've been dealing with AMEX for almost 14 years and they don't cut ANYONE any slack. Rocco obviously doesn't have any money left to pay the employees. Baaaaaad business any way you slice it. In front of the cameras or not. tim, we're talking about a business loan here.

oh dear.

it's 11 bucks. that's barely a bottle of wine. and after you read it, you'll be saving a *lot* more money because you won't be buying shit wine. when is your birthday?

i love the champagne with the tuna, especially if it's a bit spicy. my only question is what time and what should i bring. i'm not sure what "Campeche" is, but if it's acidic (please excuse my ignorance), i'd avoid sweeter wines. but i'm a freak. the vegetable salad. are they grilled? how's that done.