Jon Taffer, longtime bar and nightclub expert and host of Paramount Network’s “Bar Rescue,” has apologized for stating that “a hungry dog is an obedient dog” while speaking about American restaurant employees receiving COVID-19 unemployment benefits on “The Ingraham Angle” on Fox News. Taffer suggested to host Laura Ingraham that these workers were being incentivized to laze about rather than find employment again.
Laura Ingraham: “What if we just cut off the unemployment? Hunger is a pretty powerful thing.”
Bar Rescue guy: “They only feed a military dog at night, because a hungry dog is an obedient dog. Well, if we are not causing people to be hungry to work…” pic.twitter.com/Pw5C6n6l02
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) August 13, 2021
Taffer, who has fronted “Bar Rescue” for eight seasons and counting, took to Twitter and other platforms today after the segment aired last night, stating that his comment “was an unfortunate attempt to express a desire for our lives to return to normal.”
“I recognize this has been a challenging year for everyone, and I am eager for the hospitality industry to come back stronger than ever,” Taffer added.
Taffer had indicated during the conversation that, while he is not an economics professor, he believes that a two-person household jointly receiving $1600 in unemployment benefits per week is being demotivated from the job hunt, saying that the median income for an American household is $63,000 annually and the recipients are getting about $20,000 more than that ballpark figure. Taffer then proposed that the government give these “additional benefits” to employers to incentivize people to go to work.
Ingraham then propounded that unemployment benefits should be slashed altogether, but not for the “truly hungry,” only for those “who can work but refuse to work.” “The government is literally putting anvils in many ways on people’s shoulders either through the mandates, regulations and now through free money… The Piper eventually has to be paid,” she continued.
Regarding an interview I did yesterday, I want to sincerely apologize for using a terrible analogy in reference to the unemployment situation. That was not my intention and I greatly regret it. 1 of 2
— Jon Taffer (@jontaffer) August 13, 2021
Social media sleuths criticizing Taffer’s opinion were quick to find that the pub professional had relied on the government for relief during the pandemic, obtaining two PPP loans that totaled nearly $61,000.
Looks like @jontaffer relied on the government. pic.twitter.com/7pe2koR0wN
— BRT🏳️🌈🇺🇲 (@BioRecTech) August 13, 2021