All About Fifth: Interview with Stone Park Cafe's Josh Grinker

All About Fifth , the Fifth Avenue BID blog, has an interview with Stone Park Cafe chef and co-owner Josh Grinker about seasonal cuisines, challenging wines and more. Interviewer Rebeccah Welch asked Grinker: What are the greatest challenges and rewards of being a small business owner?

Grinker: I will give you a short answer to what I see as a very complicated problem. The system is not set up to support small businesses, despite what the politicians say to the media. The tax system is screwy, insurance is a nightmare and there is a maze of local agencies that make doing business very difficult. Both locally and on a Federal level there are inherent policies that if properly enforced would drive virtually all small business owners in this city out of business. This is a problem, because it means as a business owner you live with constant insecurity. Who knows when a Department of Labor officer will show up at your door and start harassing your employees or a Department of Sanitation officer will cite you for having some windswept papers at your doorstep. Immigration is another huge hurdle. I was a student of labor history in my younger years and owning a small business and employing and being basically responsible for the livelihoods of twenty five people has totally changed my perspective on the issues of advocacy. Advocates and bureaucrats have no idea what they are doing or how their actions impact the economy and ultimately people’s lives.

Read the rest of the interview here