---
title: "LaCrosse Tribune: Protesters few but vocal; critics still abound"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/b5e74a70-59a3-4c79-9114-d220141b2582
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/lacrosse-tribune-protesters-few-but-vocal-critics-still-abound-2026
category: "General"
published: 2015-07-13T07:02:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T03:20:54.385Z
image: https://1851franchise.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewimage.1851franchise.com%2Fauthor%2Ff6b69df61a7e0c25a97afce1df1b7ceb5133.jpg&w=3840&q=75
---

# LaCrosse Tribune: Protesters few but vocal; critics still abound

**TL;DR:** President Obama spoke about his plan to raise the overtime pay threshold, which Toppers Pizza President Scott Gittrich says will affect the restaurant industry. Gittrich believes the change will hit small businesses, including Toppers Pizza, hard and may lead to changes in hours, pay, or benefits for employees.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2015-07-13. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/lacrosse-tribune-protesters-few-but-vocal-critics-still-abound-2026).*

## Story

President Obama spoke on July 2, 2015, at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse about his plan to raise the overtime pay threshold. Toppers Pizza President Scott Gittrich weighs in on how the new proposal would affect the Whitewater, Wisconsin-based franchise.

“It is going to hit the restaurant industry pretty hard,” Gittrich told the LaCrosse Tribune. “You’ll see Toppers as well as other restaurants scramble to make changes and retain some semblance of profitability.”

In conjunction with many business leaders and economists, Gittrich sees small businesses being most affected by this change. He also thinks that this could force many businesses to change hours, pay or benefits to employees to control costs or pass them along to the consumer.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- General (sector)
- restaurant industry (topic)
- Toppers Pizza (company)
- small businesses (topic)
- overtime pay (topic)
- University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (location)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/lacrosse-tribune-protesters-few-but-vocal-critics-still-abound-2026). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/b5e74a70-59a3-4c79-9114-d220141b2582).