California Food Wage

Operations

MOD Pizza shuttered 26 restaurants during the first quarter

Five units were in California but the fast-food wage there was not to blame, the fast casual said. The closed restaurants in 10 states and the District of Columbia were "underperformers."

Financing

All eyes are now on California's fast-food restaurants

The Bottom Line: It’s not certain yet how the $20 wage will impact chain restaurants. But one thing is clear: Most of the companies affected are small businesses that are already facing profit challenges.

The Bottom Line: The restaurant industry has a traffic problem and consumers are fretting about prices. But the $20 fast-food wage in California makes it difficult to market any kind of value.

With all the last-minute sniping by members, the next meeting of the Fast Food Council promises to be a doozy.

With the changeover just days away, state officials have fleshed out what employers and their staffs should expect.

An update last week attempts to address lingering questions about what companies would be impacted by the upcoming fast-food wage hike. It looks like Panera Bread is not exempt after all.

The newly formed California Fast Food Workers Union is already looking to raise the $20-an-hour minimum wage that takes effect April 1.

Unions will have a large presence on the nine-member Fast Food Council, which will be chaired by a career Senate staff member.

The nation’s largest restaurant economy is about to raise hourly pay for limited-service restaurant workers by 25%. Price hikes are on their way. But will high prices drive diners away?

Backed by the deep-pocketed SEIU, the California Fast Food Workers Union aims to organize quick-service workers across brands. It will likely be the source of two members of the state's new wage-setting Fast Food Council.