News/Commentary

Wall Street elites ‘miss an administration like Trump’, hope Biden doesn’t run for second term

July 9, 2022 | | Print Article

Successful restauranteurs are often privy to the thoughts and moods of their patrons, and according to New York City’s San Pietro owner, Gerardo Bruno, the word in his establishment, frequented by the elite of Wall Street, is really bad news for President Biden: They miss Trump.

As Americans in general, and New Yorkers specifically, struggle under the triple weights of soaring inflation, violent crime, and staff and supply shortages, Bruno says “no one is happy” on Wall Street, and they don’t want to see a second Biden term.

“From a year ago until this day inflation has gotten much worse,” Bruno said on Fox Business’s “Cavuto: Coast to Coast.”

“When you hear the minimum wage is $15, it is not true because we are paying $26, $27 for people that never worked in a restaurant,” he explained. “The prices at the food and vegetable markets have doubled.”

“I don’t understand why you cannot find American products anymore,” Bruno continued. “You have to fight for American meats, you have to fight for American-produced vegetables, everything comes from overseas. If you want to serve decent fish, let’s say salmon — a good salmon is $17, $18 wholesale price.”

 


(Video: Fox Business)

 

While the hospitality industry as a whole was damaged by COVID lockdowns and mandates, NYC was particularly hard hit and restauranteurs are continuing to struggle.

New York Eater (NYE) keeps a “regularly updated roundup” of restaurant closures across the Big Apple, and the numbers are staggering.

“More than two years after New York’s first indoor dining shutdown, restaurants and bars continue to struggle,” NYE reports. “More than 1,000 have closed since March 2020 due to the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the difficulty of tracking restaurant and bar closings, experts say that number could be even higher and will likely take months or even years to assess.”

The latest restaurants to make NYE’s list include the last remaining Howard Johnson’s in Lake George; Under the Volcano, home to James Beard’s 2022 nominee for best New York chef, in Murray Hill; Bobby Van’s in the Financial District; and The Ainsworth, an upscale sports bar in the East Village.

All four establishments closed their doors for good on Friday.

Opened in Manhattan in 1992, San Pietro boasts of its “elite corporate clientele” and “warm European values and sensibilities.”

Born in Salerno, Italy, the Bruno boys, Gerardo, Antonio, Giuseppe, and Cosimo, came to America in 1976 and “became a modern-day immigrant success story.”

The award-winning San Pietro is a family venture, and Cosimo serves as the restaurant’s chef and sommelier.

It, like so many of the nation’s business owners, has seen a dramatic shift in consumer attitudes since Joe Biden took office.

“With the previous administration, at least people were out eating, and they wanted to go to work,” Bruno said. “Our street, 54th street, was packed.”

“What I overhear,” he continued, “no one is happy. No one is happy.”

“They really hope he [Biden] is not running again,” Bruno stated. “And they miss an administration like Trump.”

Melissa Fine
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