Not an April Fool’s joke: Minimum wage for fast food rises to $20

On April 1st, the minimum wage for fast food workers increased to $20 per hour. Last year, the law was passed to provide for the 500,000 people in the restaurant industry who are adults providing for a family. With the rise in inflation across the entire worldwide economy, many found it increasingly difficult to keep up when their salaries were not increasing at a similar rate.

According to NBC, “A recent report from the state’s Legislative Analyst’s Office found the $16 minimum wage was hardly enough to keep up with California’s cost of living, especially in coastal communities and major metropolitan areas.”

An often overlooked part of the fast food industry is that 40% percent of the workforce is made up of immigrants. When individuals come to America for a new opportunity, many often do not have substantial wealth, and so they must work hard and often work multiple jobs.

In an interview with HR Grapveine, Ingrid Vilorio, a immigrant to the United States who has worked at McDonald’s and Jack in the Box, said through a translator that “the $20 raise is great. I wish this would have come sooner…because I would not have been looking for so many other jobs in different places.”

Not only is the raise in salary beneficial to fast food workers, but some think that it can be beneficial for the customer. Ethan Price, a 10th-grade student at Corona del Mar High School, believes that “taking care of the workers provides better service. With this bill in effect, it will alleviate stress from many citizens trying to make ends meet.”

However, another lens to view this new law is the impact it may have on business owners. Alex Johnson, a business owner of 10 Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and Cinnabon restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area, calculated that increasing his employees’ wages will cost him an additional $470,000 each year. He said, “I try to do right by my employees. I pay them as much as I can. But this law is really hitting our operations hard,” Johnson said.

Whether this minimum wage increase will prove to be effective, or slow down small businesses, only time will tell.