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Local restaurateurs warn proposed food-handler card would burden low-wage staff
Summary
A Berkeley County restaurateur told commissioners a proposed $22–$32 food-handler card would impose costs and training time on high-turnover staff and called the measure a 'money grab' absent evidence it would reduce foodborne illness.
Travis Bishop, a local restaurant owner, told the commission that the proposed mandatory food-handler card—quoted during the meeting as costing $32 for two years and $22 for one year—would impose recurring costs and labor-time burdens on employees in an industry with high turnover.
"It's another $32 on top of all the other fees that we have to pay," Bishop said, arguing that the training time and replacement costs would be significant for employers and workers. He said many restaurants already rely on ServSafe managers and internal training and questioned whether the card would change behavior in the kitchen. "I'm a call it a money grab because that's what it feels like to us," he said, pressing the county to demonstrate the public-health benefit before imposing the requirement.
Commissioners acknowledged industry concerns and noted recent Board of Health discussions. The chair and other commissioners said they wanted more information from the health department before advancing the proposal; the item remained tabled at this meeting.
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