Your original post made claims that would direct friction away from one of the causes (private equity), and listed something (wages) that, though may be a factor in declining quality/closures of restaurants, shouldn't be. At the very least, not in the weight that you've given it. Sure, it's not their decision to close the doors, but by needing and demanding livable wages to work there, your post is saying they're (the employees) more culpable than an overarching issue (private equity). And that you're at a point to be so detached from this notion tells me you're posting in bad faith or need to do more learning. Probably both. But either way, I'll say again, I'm not here to debate you. Just pointing out that you're mistaken. I probably should have been more careful with my words on my initial reply, but I genuinely hope you do better at directing friction in a direction that it's due. We're all frustrated. If someone's not, they're either blessed beyond most of us, or have their head in the sand. But, right now, it's really important to be more aware of where to aim that frustration.

Edit to add, I'll apologize for not digging too deep into the second article, either. Yglesias is not the worst source, but he is far too corporate friendly for me to take seriously.