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Janean Chun
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Blog Entries by Janean Chun

Applebee's Waitress 'Disgusted' By Anti-Obamacare CEOs' Wealthy Lifestyles

(3473) Comments | Posted November 21, 2012 | 9:21 AM

When Krista Trovato learned that an Applebee's franchise owner and the CEO of Papa John's were railing against the costs of implementing the Affordable Care Act, she said she felt "disgusted."

A former Applebee's waitress, Trovato struggled to afford food for her family on a salary of $2.85 an hour...

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John Metz Denny's Obamacare Surcharge Stirs Big Mess For Restaurant Chain

(13936) Comments | Posted November 20, 2012 | 7:00 AM

Don't expect to hear more about an Obamacare surcharge from Denny's franchisee John Metz.

Denny's chief executive John Miller privately reached out to Metz to express his "disappointment" with the Florida franchisee's controversial statements about Obamacare, which sparked a wave of backlash for the national restaurant chain over the...

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John Metz, Denny's Franchisee And Hurricane Grill & Wings Owner, Imposes Surcharge For Obamacare

(38545) Comments | Posted November 13, 2012 | 4:27 PM

While some business owners threaten to cut workers' hours to avoid paying for their health care, a West Palm Beach, Fla., restaurant owner is going even further. John Metz said he will add a 5 percent surcharge to customers' bills to offset what he said are the increased costs of...

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Applebee's Backlash Sparked By Zane Tankel's Obamacare Slam

(9269) Comments | Posted November 13, 2012 | 9:12 AM

Heated comments from an Applebee's franchise owner sparked viral outrage against the giant restaurant chain, marking a new phase in the war over Obamacare.

Over the weekend and on Monday, Applebee's employees and customers expressed their anger over comments made on the Fox Business Network last week by Apple-Metro CEO...

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Jennifer Anderson, Davis Ace Hardware Owner, Apologizes For Urging Employees To Vote Romney

(2201) Comments | Posted November 12, 2012 | 2:31 PM

An Ace Hardware store owner in Davis, Calif., said she is "deeply sorry" if she offended customers or employees by sending a letter to her workers trying to persuade them to vote for Mitt Romney. Still, Jennifer Anderson doesn't regret her in-house political campaigning and has implied that employees will...

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Zane Tankel, Applebee's Franchisee, Says He Won't Hire Because Of Obamacare (VIDEO)

(14510) Comments | Posted November 9, 2012 | 9:36 AM

An Applebee's New York area franchisee is the latest CEO to go public threatening drastic plans to avoid costs associated with the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.

"We've calculated it will [cost] some millions of dollars across our system. So what does that say -- that says we...

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Marijuana Businesses Expected To Boom After Colorado, Washington Pot Legalization

(607) Comments | Posted November 7, 2012 | 5:11 PM

For marijuana entrepreneurs like Ean Seeb, the legalization of recreational marijuana use in Colorado and Washington in Tuesday’s election is more than a game-changer.

ā€œIt’s the start of a tipping point,ā€ said Seeb, co-owner of Denver Relief Medical Marijuana Center.

ā€œI think it’s about damn time,ā€ said Ryan...

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Doomsday Preppers, Crif Dogs And Goldman Sachs, Vindicated By Hurricane Sandy

(13) Comments | Posted November 5, 2012 | 5:37 PM

Brian Shebairo, the owner of hipster hot dog haven Crif Dogs in Manhattan's East Village, just made it through Hurricane Sandy's devastating power outage without closing down. Now he's sitting on 210 gallons of gas -- during a quasi-apocalyptic fuel shortage -- in anticipation of another looming crisis: the nor'easter...

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Cliff Otto, Saddle Creek President, Emails Workers About Consequences If They Vote For Obama

(8589) Comments | Posted November 5, 2012 | 7:48 AM

With election day bearing down on voters, another CEO is trying to influence how employees vote -- and indirectly hint that they may lose their jobs if Barack Obama is re-elected.

"Saddle Creek has a clear position on very important issues that have a profound effect on our company and...

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Sandy Boosts Business For Zipcar, Bike Shops

(6) Comments | Posted November 2, 2012 | 6:23 PM

Some New York City businesses are thriving in the wake of a post-hurricane crisis that has crippled the city's subways and left drivers idling in nightmarish '70s-flashback gas lines.

Zipcar rentals have been flying out of the company's lots in New York in recent days, thanks to a...

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Hurricane Sandy Gas Shortage: Dry Pumps Could Last For Days

(2695) Comments | Posted November 1, 2012 | 7:32 PM

Gasoline shortages are hobbling businesses and hampering recovery efforts throughout communities hard hit by Hurricane Sandy, a situation that experts say could persist for several more days.

Even as local authorities seek to alleviate the shortages, they can't fix the biggest obstacle separating thirsty vehicles from gasoline: power outages that...

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Michael And Nicky Bronner Of Unreal Candy: Halloween Treat Fight Leads To Big Business (VIDEO)

(235) Comments | Posted October 31, 2012 | 7:59 PM

When 12-year-old Nicky Bronner awoke the day after Halloween 2009 to find his parents had confiscated the previous night's booty, he lost it. His father, Michael, explained the candy wasn't good for him, and Nicky set out to prove him wrong. Instead, he was horrified to learn the ingredients in...

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Hurricane Sandy Disrupts Food Distribution, 'Thousands Of Trucks' In Limbo

(172) Comments | Posted October 31, 2012 | 1:18 PM

Thousands of truckloads of food that were headed for stores in the Northeast are stuck on roadsides and in warehouses following the crippling blow Hurricane Sandy dealt to the nation's food distribution system.

Though the system is struggling in the face of uncertainty, no one who spoke to HuffPost on...

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NYC Small Businesses Open After Sandy

(8) Comments | Posted October 30, 2012 | 8:07 PM

NEW YORK -- Many of New York City's small businesses were open and bustling Tuesday after Hurricane Sandy passed, while larger chains like Starbucks remained shuttered. In fact, some small businesses never closed because of the storm.

Big Nick's Burger & Pizza Joint at 77th...

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Tourists Stranded In New York By Hurricane Sandy Take Hit In Costs, But Remain Upbeat

(13) Comments | Posted October 30, 2012 | 12:15 AM

Living in Manila, Philippines, Martin Gaw is used to hurricanes. He has seen hurricanes and typhoons that lasted four days, during which water levels were waist-deep. But he didn’t expect to spend his fall vacation in New York City bunkered down at the JW Marriott on Central Park South, watching...

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Euro Lounge In North Arlington: Hurricane Sandy Could Take Us Down, Owner Fears

(8) Comments | Posted October 29, 2012 | 12:00 PM

Hurricane Irene dealt a major blow to Frank Vazquez's business. Now Sandy threatens to destroy it.

Vazquez co-owns Euro Lounge, an upscale Spanish restaurant and club in North Arlington, N.J., with Manny Alvarez. "The economy has been horrible, then we got hit with [Irene]," Vazquez said. "Sometimes we don't even...

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Romney's Small Business Record Hotly Debated, But Surveys Offer Figures For Both Sides

(116) Comments | Posted October 25, 2012 | 3:55 PM

Mitt Romney frequently speaks of helping small businesses, but President Barack Obama has questioned whether his record speaks louder than words.

"Governor, when you were in Massachusetts, small businesses' development ranked about 48, I think, out of 50 states, in Massachusetts, because the policies that you're promoting actually don't...

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Obamacare Forces Small Business To Trim, But Not Eliminate, Health Care Coverage, Survey Says

(568) Comments | Posted October 24, 2012 | 6:52 PM

Most small businesses don't plan to entirely drop health care insurance because of the Affordable Care Act, but their employees may be saying goodbye to some key benefits.

A mere 3 percent to 4 percent of employers of all sizes said they would drop benefits in 2013...

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Scott Van Duzer, Obama Hugger, Joins Campaign Trail And Gets VIP Treatment at Debate, Rally

(772) Comments | Posted October 24, 2012 | 11:04 AM

Scott Van Duzer, the owner of Fort Pierce, Fla.-based Big Apple Pizza and otherwise known as the Obama hugger, struck again this week.

This time, he not only hugged the president, but also fist-bumped the first lady.

The Obama campaign invited Van Duzer to attend the debate in...

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Fact Check: Romney Claims Small Businesses Create Two-Thirds of Jobs

(344) Comments | Posted October 22, 2012 | 11:26 PM

As the final presidential debate inevitably transgressed from foreign policy to the economy, Mitt Romney stated, "Two-thirds of our jobs come from small businesses."

Whether that's true or an overstatement depends on your definition of small business. When both Republicans and Democrats portray small businesses as creating anywhere...

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