Punch Pizza. http://t.co/WZYrNLbmX1 #SOTU pic.twitter.com/jbtJcAJyep
— Craig Elimeliah (@CraigElimeliah) January 29, 2014
Tonight Punch Pizza began to trend on Twitter after one of it’s owners and an employee were greeted as special and featured guests at the State of the Union.
Here is what you need to know about this little pizza place:
1. They Raised The Employee’s Wages
(Getty)
Punch Pizza landed on the President’s radar because they are an example of companies choosing to raise the wage’s of their employees.
2. Obama Wants Them to Be an Example to the Country
(Getty)
Tonight in the State of the Union, President Obama used Punch Pizza as a stepping stone to talk about his ambition of raising the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10. Here is what he said about the minimum wage:
Tonight, I ask more of America’s business leaders to follow John’s lead and do what you can to raise your employees’ wages. To every mayor, governor, and state legislator in America, I say, you don’t have to wait for Congress to act; Americans will support you if you take this on. And as a chief executive, I intend to lead by example. Profitable corporations like Costco see higher wages as the smart way to boost productivity and reduce turnover. We should too. In the coming weeks, I will issue an Executive Order requiring federal contractors to pay their federally-funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour – because if you cook our troops’ meals or wash their dishes, you shouldn’t have to live in poverty.
Of course, to reach millions more, Congress needs to get on board. Today, the federal minimum wage is worth about twenty percent less than it was when Ronald Reagan first stood here. Tom Harkin and George Miller have a bill to fix that by lifting the minimum wage to $10.10. This will help families. It will give businesses customers with more money to spend. It doesn’t involve any new bureaucratic program. So join the rest of the country. Say yes. Give America a raise.
3. There are 8 Locations in Minneapolis
Punch pizza is a relatively large Minneapolis franchise with 8 locations around the Minneapolis are.
4.Nick Chute and John Soranno Were at the State of the Union
Congrats to John @PunchPizza for being a change agent & being recognized by the #POTUS at the #SOTUS. pic.twitter.com/YpFiaAl5xr
— John Marino (@john_marino) January 29, 2014
Talking about the two representatives of Punch Pizza representing the company at the State of the Union, President Obama said:
In the year since I asked this Congress to raise the minimum wage, five states have passed laws to raise theirs. Many businesses have done it on their own. Nick Chute is here tonight with his boss, John Soranno. John’s an owner of Punch Pizza in Minneapolis, and Nick helps make the dough. Only now he makes more of it: John just gave his employees a raise, to ten bucks an hour – a decision that eased their financial stress and boosted their morale.
5. They Have Great Yelp Reviews
(Yelp)
