‘Bar Rescue’ Star Jon Taffer Apologizes After Comparison of Restaurant Workers to ‘Obedient Dogs’

Bar Rescue host Jon Taffer apologizes after a viral clip of the star comparing restaurant workers to military dogs on Thursday’s episode of Fox News‘ The Ingraham Angle has made the rounds on social media –– igniting a storm of backlash. In the clip, Taffer and the host called for the federal government to cut unemployment benefits in order to combat the widely discussed “labor shortage” afflicting the foodservice industry.

“I have a friend in the military who trains military dogs and they only feed a military dog at night because a hungry dog is an obedient dog,” Taffer said in the video. “Well, if we are not causing people to be hungry to work, then we’re providing them with all the meals they need sitting at home.”

“I’m completely with you Laura, these [unemployment] benefits make absolutely no sense to us,” he added. “And on top of the impact of not getting employees and not being able to run our businesses, in my industry, meat prices are up 10 percent, chicken prices are up 15 percent.” Taffer took to Facebook on Friday, apologizing for the inconsiderate comments he made. “Regarding an interview I did yesterday, I want to sincerely apologize for using a terrible analogy in reference to the unemployment situation,” he wrote in the very brief statement. “That was not my intention and I greatly regret it. My comment was an unfortunate attempt to express a desire for our lives to return to normal. I recognize this has been a challenging year for everyone, and I am eager for the hospitality industry to come back stronger than ever.”

Taffer’s spoken on Fox News about the ongoing “crisis.” He recently shared his opinion in April, answering that the restaurant industry could only get back on track if owners could find workers to take jobs. “The fact of the matter is the enhanced unemployment is causing the same problem you just talked about in the health care industry. We can’t get our employees back. It’s a crisis for us,” Taffer said. “Customers are coming back….But if we don’t have employees, we can’t serve those customers. So now we’re dealing with that.”