Comments on: Is Chinatown’s Parking Jake or a Joke?

By: TroyJMorris

TroyJMorris — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:30:46 +0000

I’m not denying that it’s gross receipts which do not have a direct correlation between profits nor customers.

What I am saying is using that is not a gross misrepresentation. What is a gross misrepresentation is anyone not using real data and hyperbolic statements like “BUSINESS IS DOWN 50%!”

Again: Down from when? What is your definition of “business?” Is it customers? Is it profit? Is it revenue?

At least the sightline article tries to answer the question “Has parking affected business” as opposed to the Times’ article which… I still have no fucking clue what it was trying to do, actually.

I never claimed these businesses were bustling– but I’m having a hard time believing it’s because of parking. As you stated, there has been increases in numerous other costs, restaurants ALWAYS decrease in business during the winter.

Again, I’m not disputing that business is down, I’m disputing the fact that unless one takes an intelligent look using numbers and not hyperbolic statements, then we’re all just wasting our time and not finding possible solutions.

I’m willing to bet, it is NOT parking that’s the problem. Why? I’ve heard this same shit for years and years and multiple cities. I just can’t buy it without facts.

By: I-Miun

I-Miun — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:53:55 +0000

The B&O tax is a tax of gross sales. How can you directly say that an increase in gross sales is an increase in customers? At the end of last year, most businesess have had to increase prices by 5-10% because of increased costs (min wage increase, food & transportation, etc). This means that even if your customers dropped or at best stayed the same, you would still see an increase in sales. But do not mistake increase in gross sales as profit. last year we saw increases in food prices, some items as much as double or triple! so a 5% increase in sales would not even cover it.
How often do you guys come down for dinner in the ID? if your answer is less than twice a week, then you don’t know what businesses are going through here first hand. Please come by and see for yourself if these restaurants are all bustling with business.

By: TroyJMorris

TroyJMorris — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:52:50 +0000

Gross misrepresentation? They were gross receipts. Used to illustrate in increase in sales as a proxy for customer traffic.

That’s still not perfect, which they state, but it’s a hell of a lot better than some restaurant owners who don’t know their own KPI’s screaming the sky is falling because of a maximum $5 over two hours across highly demanded neighborhoods– many with great mass transit options– like rails, which are being used with greater frequency.

But whatever, we can just freak out instead.

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:15:34 +0000

This B&O tax data is not reflective of the neighborhood’s small business. The tax data used in this article was cherry-picked and only comprises 14 establishments in the entire neighborhood. Moreover, it is skewed by some very large businesses.

The 4Q11 B&O tax of $2.98MM compared to 4Q10 tax of $2.84MM is extremely large for only 14 businesses! The State B&O tax rate is only 0.471% and the City B&O tax rate for restaurants is only 0.215%. This totals a combined B&O tax rate for restaurants of 0.686%. Assuming the $2.98MM of B&O tax used here in 4Q11 comprises both State and City B&O tax, that implies gross receipts of $434MM in 4Q11 alone! I can tell you the largest of restaurant operations like PF Chang’s only does about $3-4 million per restaurant a YEAR!

The gross misrepresentation of data here is obscene.

By: Guest

Guest — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 04:55:09 +0000

Unfortunately, the data cited in Sightline is cherry-picked B&O tax data representing only 14 establishments in the Chinatown / ID. Furthermore, the cherry-picked data used in that article does not reflect the neighborhood. The data used showed $2.98 million of B&O tax in 4Q11 compared to $2.84 million of B&O tax in 4Q10. This is where Sightline got the 5% increase. Govem the B&O tax rate for a restaurant at the State level is 0.471% of sales and 0.215% at the City level; assuming the $2.98 million reflects both State and City B&O tax, that implies sales in 4Q11 alone of $434 million ($2.98 divided by 0.686%) for 14 establishments! In one quarter! The largest of restaurant operations like PF Chang’s only do $3-4 million per restaurant in an entire year! So this data clearly includes some very large businesses and is not reflective of the majority of the businesses in the neighborhood!

Unfortunately, this data is a gross misrepresentation of the neighborhood.

In addition, the SDOT data citing 78% parking occupancy in Sept 2011 fails to cite the the occupancy data before the implementation of the extended hours was 89%. So in the first month after implementation of extended parking hours parking usage already declined 11% (extended hrs were implemented Aug 2011). Decline in usage is only expected to increase with time, as many people still came down to the Chinatown/ID in Sept not knowing they had to pay for parking until 8pm!

By: Mark Rushing

Mark Rushing — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:07:03 +0000

We need an insider in the tax offices to leak emails revealing the conspiracy to make the Seattle Times look bad…