Affordability is the headline issue, but this conversation shows what it looks like on the ground: rising food and labor costs, a broken permitting process, and local policies that can make or break a restaurant. If you care about inflation, small business, or what’s really happening in blue-city politics, this one gets specific fast.

Eric Messersmith and Tiffany Marie Brannon are joined by L.A. native Sean Ahaus, owner of Vito’s Restaurant in Santa Monica, for an unfiltered look at how politics shows up in everyday business decisions. Sean doesn’t just talk theory - he describes the real pressure of razor-thin margins, six-month licensing delays, and the frustration of trying to keep a neighborhood institution alive while vacant storefronts multiply around him.

You’ll discover:

• Why rising food costs are hitting restaurants in ways customers rarely see

• How tariffs are affecting everything from beef to to-go containers and paper supplies

• Why Sean says the biggest problem isn’t regulation itself, but instability and delays

• What happens when permits, licenses, and city departments create months of unnecessary bottlenecks

• How union influence, city council politics, and special interests shape business decisions in Santa Monica

Tiffany and Eric press Sean on beef prices, government inefficiency, overregulation, and the decline of local businesses across Los Angeles-area communities. Sean, who is also a licensed business and restaurant broker, brings firsthand insight into the financial side of restaurants and the practical reasons so many beloved places never make it.
If you want a raw, local perspective on why businesses are closing, why policy feels disconnected from reality, and what it would take to actually help entrepreneurs succeed, this episode belongs on your list.

Essential listening for voters, restaurant owners, business builders, and anyone trying to understand why “affordability” has become so much more than a slogan.