The sky is the limit , But what happens when they start getting that wage ?

Bill Text - AB-1228 Fast food restaurant industry: Fast Food Council: health, safety, employment, and minimum wage. (ca.gov) (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1228)

Places that bake their own bread for an odd reason are exempt.

Oh those unintended consequences .

"Given that the average profit margin in the fast food industry is just 6–9 percent, those costs are almost certain to be passed along in terms of higher prices or lost jobs."
California Declares War on Fast Food Industry | Cato at Liberty Blog (https://www.cato.org/blog/california-declares-war-fast-food-industry?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=Cato%20Social%20Share)

This will hasten the move to switch to automated service now that it becomes a more competitive alternative for fast food owners.

For one, this kind of policy financially incentivizes fast-food companies to speed up their investment in automation. Over the last few years, many Americans, myself included, have been to McDonald’s and used touch screens to place our own orders instead of interacting with cashiers. Well, the more arbitrarily expensive you make human labor, the more companies are incentivized to hurry up and embrace automation.
California’s latest socialist policy will hurt the workers it’s meant to help (washingtonexaminer.com) (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/californias-latest-socialist-policy-will-hurt-the-workers-its-meant-to-help)

However ,if South Carolina were ever to adopt such a ridiculous min wage ,I would go back to work. $20 an hour to make burgers ? I'm in.

The result will be an acceleration of the move to replace people with machines. Already you place your order at a kiosk in McDonalds. The next move will be machines to make and package the food products. More machines and fewer people.

Newsome is just so out of touch .
Rep Barbara Lee ;running for Senate in California has called for a $50 /hr minimum wage .

During a recent debate with fellow candidates Adam Schiff head Katie Porter and Republican Steve Garvey ;all of whom defended $20-$25 ,she upped the ante on those calling for chump change min. wage.

Heck how can someone pay for an $18 Big Mac meal on peasant wages like that ?
California's wage law could pave the way for $18 Big Macs (restaurantbusinessonline.com) (https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/workforce/californias-wage-law-could-pave-way-18-big-macs)

Lee said
“Just do the math — of course we have national minimum wages that we need to raise to a living wage, you’re talking about $20, $25,” Lee said. “Fine, but I have got to be focused on what California needs and what the affordability factor is when we calculate this wage.”

Oakland congresswoman defends her push for $50 an hour minimum wage (sfgate.com) (https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/oakland-congresswoman-calls-for-50-minimum-wage-18670219.php)


But think about it . If you REALLY want to lift people out of poverty and guarantee them access to their Micky D's Big Macs ;then why not lift the minimum wage to $1,000/hr ? </sarc>


https://i0.wp.com/www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/files/2012/08/weimar-mutilated-300x236.jpg

picture of hyperinflation in German Weimar Republic

Hard to know how to respond to that. Even $25 is ridiculous. Many college grads don't start at that level. Why would someone go to the trouble of getting a degree in elementary education when she could just save the expenses of college and start flipping burgers at 25 an hour?

It would've put my salary as a manager below minimum wage for most of my tenure.

So how much does a busser get at one of Newsom founded PlumpJack Cafe ????????????

$16/hr

Gavin Newsom's restaurant offering job at $ 16 per hour despite new state law of $ 20 per hour for fast food workers (nypost.com) (https://nypost.com/2024/04/04/us-news/gavin-newsoms-restaurant-offering-job-at-16-hr-despite-new-state-law-of-20-hr-for-fast-food-workers/)

and what do customers pay ? Here are some menu options

pickleback chicken wings ($21)
wagyu angus burger ($28)
southern fried game hen ($43)
harris ranch prime ny strip ($67).

All of which was utterly predictable.

I rarely go to restaurants these days . Even in SC it is not all that unusual to pay up to $100 a meal

I make up for it by having a few days of beans and rice ;or local supermarket' manager's specials ' to balance the cost.

For the wait staff I always give generous cash tips .(especially now that the IRS army is scrutinizing credit card tips in it's lust to extract money from the folks )

The impacts of the increase in minimum wage in California is now known .

Employment in fast food decreased while prices increased.

BRG_Impacts of $20 Min Wage Report_2.18.25_FINAL.pdf (https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qwllx1iv8q1ecudz6z59v/BRG_Impacts-of-20-Min-Wage-Report_2.18.25_FINAL.pdf?rlkey=zy6b96c3s5ngjeactf3 0hui77&e=2&st=guugtn2c&dl=0)


There was 10,700 jobs lost between June 2023 and June 2024.Prices rose by 14.5%

Brilliant !!! So what is California going to do about it ?



They are going to vote to increase the fast food minimum wage to $20.70 .
California could bump fast-food minimum wage to $20.70 | Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/california-could-bump-fast-food-minimum-wage-2070-2025-02-26/)