Frank Scavio, co-owner of Paesans Pizza in upstate New York, is known for speaking his mind on social media—and sometimes griping about customers who have annoyed him (or, as he calls them, “stunads”).
So when a colleague asked his opinion about paying employees a “livable wage,” Scavio stayed true to form in a TikTok video posted earlier this month and delivered a screed guaranteed to get views—and to generate controversy. The video went semi-viral, especially after it was shared by @WallStreetApes on X and garnered more than 422,000 views. (Scroll to the bottom of the page to watch the video.)
In the video, Scavio is asked how he would respond to “people who say we’ve got to pay livable wages to teenagers being cashiers at Burger King and Hooters.”
Scavio, who co-owns the five-store Paesans brand with his brothers, replied with disdain: “They live in their mom’s basement. What livable wage?”
“I always love that people that never owned a business, never took a risk, want to tell us what to pay people,” Scavio continued. He said employee wages are determined by “the market,” which “dictates everything.”
Boosting the minimum wage, he said, drives some restaurants out of business, pointing to a Hooters location in Colonie, New York, that closed down after the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year. Hooters is in trouble, Scavio said, because “the business model doesn’t work anymore.”
“For me, I wish the minimum wage was $25 or $30 an hour,” he added. “Why? Because then I can charge more money for pizza. In return, I make more money.”
Scavio pointed out that most restaurants get by on a profit margin between 10% and 20%. “If you’re not making that kind of money, you’re gonna go out of business.”
He pointed out that highly motivated pizza restaurant employees can start as drivers or dishwashers and work their way up to a managerial position or higher. “Then you say, ‘Hey, I’m gonna open my own pizzeria or open my own franchise with Paesans, whatever may be the case….That’s how it works.”
“McDonald’s cashier jobs are not meant to feed five kids, feed a family,” Scavio said. “It’s meant for you to have a job while you’re in school, in college. You’re working your way up. You’re trying to better yourself. That’s what a lot of these entry jobs are…. All the people who wanna chirp that I should pay this and you should pay this, open up your own business….I wish I could pay $100,000, $200,000 [to] every single employee. I’d open up 4,000 stores because everybody would want to work for me. But the business model wouldn’t work because then people would have to pay $100 for a slice of pizza.”
Predictably, the video sparked a firestorm of comments on Paesans’ TikTok page, as users were quick to take sides on a political wedge issue. One commenter stated, “Thank you for letting me know where I will never spend my money,” while another wrote, “Raise the minimum wage just to spite this guy.”
One commenter posed a wryly sardonic question: “Are tears the main ingredient in your pizza?”
Others sided with Scavio. “The higher the minimum wage is, the higher everything is, both in the restaurant and out,” one TikTok user wrote. “The same people complaining about the price of everything [are] the same people complaining that they want [a] higher minimum wage.” Another remarked, “If you want to get paid more, you need to expand your skills, period.”
The “livable wage” video wasn’t even the most viral one Paesans Pizza has posted on TikTok. In a June 18 video that racked up more than 2.7 million views, Scavio related the story of a customer who called in to order a pizza “with everything” but quickly hung up before any questions could be asked. That customer was later presented with a pizza boasting 26 toppings and a bill for $84.77. “What a stunad,” Scavio exclaimed. “Next time I see him, he’s gonna get a ‘do not come back’ gift card.”
@paesanspizza Everyone has opinions on what businesses should pay. Frank has a question: If you know the formula, why not open a restaurant yourself❓Let’s talk about margins, labor costs, and reality.❗️ #paesanspizza #pizza #pizzeria #business #restaurant ♬ original sound – Paesanspizza
