Cafe Panache closed :(

Don't forget many of the "chains" around here are owned by local residents as well.

 

well, if you now have to pay an additional 9% for your meal, are you willing to also add 20% or more onto that? it begins to border on ridiculous- $30 meal, plus $2.70 taxes, plus 20% if service warrants it- $6.00- that's $38.70 for dinner and 2 drinks for 1 person.

it just starts to add up.

 

Read the rules of etiquette for tipping:
You DO NOT tip the tax!!!!

 

i didn't include the tax in the tip- what are you telling at me for?!?

 

yes, but i think branding helps keep many of them afloat if they are doing a good job to begin with. mom and pops have NO advantage to winning new customers except word of mouth, especially if marketing dollars and staff are in short supply.

but yes- support locally owned chains too. unless it's starbucks. feh.

 

Let's figure that out. Wife and I eat in Broadlands and spend $60 for a meal.
My car gets 20 miles/gallon. Drive 3 miles round trip.
$5.40 in tax and .54 in gas equals $5.94.

Eat in Fairfax County. Drive at least 20 miles round trip.
$3.00 in tax, $3.60 in gas equals $6.60.

I still save money and the time in traffic getting to and from Fairfax.
I'll still eat here.

 

yeah, tax won't make me drive further to eat. i will still eat out where i enjoy eating out. but i think it WILL make me more concious aboutr using good coupons for places i enjoy...

 

Not yelling at you, Redon. If I was referring to you, I would quote it. I literally had a similar conversation yesterday with a few people about this and the subject of tipping came up.
A lot of people look at the total on their bill and leave a percentage of the total amount. It was implied that the increase in the county tax would increase the amount of tip they left as well.

 

I'm already a coupon hound. Had breakfast this morning with Skins Fan at IHOP. Why IHOP? I had a buy one/get one free breakfast coupon!!

 

good enough. i will call off the hit squad coming to paint your shutters electric pink thereby putting you in violation of HOA rules.

 

isn't there already 5% sales tax?

 

I'm against a meals tax for Loudoun County, but did you know that the town of Leesburg already has a 3.5% meals tax? I'd never noticed it - just paid the bill.

 

I think a nice addition would be a Gluten Free restaurant!!!!

 

it'd be interesting to see market research on the concentration of gluten and or nut allergic residents here... could have merit if there are enough of "you people" out there"!

 

Having lived in VA Beach in the early 80's where we had a food tax since we lived in a "resort" town (I'm thinking total tax was 14%) and we ate out often anyway, a food tax here would not keep us from eating out. You can vote against it all you want, but all that will happen is that they'll raise our property taxes again or figure out another way to get the money.

 

I think the trick would be to put together a menu that doesn't have any "substitute" items. Dishes that are naturally gluten/nut free would probably attract normal clientel since they wouldn't be eating modified versions of gluten/nut foods, which usually end up tasting weird.

 

Never noticed it either. Here's the county-produced Fact Sheet on the tax:
http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=2378

It says that Leesburg, Purcellville, Hamilton, and Middleburg all have a meals tax already. The tax would be expected to draw about $13 million per year.

I know that one of the positions Supervisor Miller ran on was diversifying the tax revenue base to not just be property taxes and spread the pain to more than just residents. This new tax would be valid at Dulles Airport, too. I'm thinking this is our supervisors making good on their promises.