Starting Monday, most California fast-food workers will earn at least $20 an hour — the highest minimum wage across the U.S. restaurant industry. Yet the pay hike is sparking furious debate, with some restaurant owners warning of job losses and higher prices for customers, while labor advocates tout the benefits of higher wages.
'We know we have to take something at a significant increase when you talk about a 20%-ish increase in wages,' Chipotle Chief Financial Officer Jack Hartung said on an earnings call last month about the California law.Chipotle's 3,400 locations across the U.S. could see a 1% increase in prices to compensate, he added. Starbucks told the Los Angeles Times it plans to offset the higher wages by boosting prices, among other measures.