Letter to the editor: You'll need a loan for that cone

In his column “Klavon’s wage hike great for business and workers,” reliably liberal Joseph Mistick lauds the owner of Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor in the Strip for increasing his starting wage to $15 an hour, in line with the current push for a similar nationwide minimum. The owner claimed he had 16 positions that went unfilled until he doubled wages, only to receive over a thousand applications.

Every business owner must make staffing and payroll decisions, yet one can only imagine how much the cost of a single scoop of Rocky Road will henceforth set you back going forward at Klavon’s.

While I have never sampled any of Klavon’s offerings, I would expect that the art of centering, balancing and shaping a scoop of Rocky Road on a cake cone must involve exhaustive training. Furthermore, adding a second or (gasp!) even a third scoop would surely require a master’s-level degree in ice creamology. One must cede the fact that talent of that level must be rightfully compensated. Thus, you can be certain that you will benefit from the expertise of a near $20 per hour (after tips) experience if you are tempted to see and taste for yourself.

The owner says more people are coming in because they want to “support a business that’s taking care of their employees.” Mistick says even if we pay a little more, it is no big deal if we are doing the right thing.

If you plan on stopping by as a family of four, you may want to look into a home equity loan.

Bill McMaster

Delmont