The bold regulation, which supporters hope to see replicated nationwide, has been characterised by opposing sides in stark phrases. To backers, it’s a step towards honest compensation for low-wage employees who confronted important danger throughout the pandemic. To opponents, it’s a cataclysmic transfer that may elevate meals costs, result in job losses and power some franchisees to think about closing.

“Individuals don’t perceive that when wages rise, so do the costs,” Mr. Bynum mentioned.

Mr. Bynum has, lately, raised costs to attempt to preserve revenue margins — and every time, he mentioned, he has observed a drop in clients. That, in flip, pressured painful choices about chopping staffing and trimming hours.

The brand new minimal wage will add $3,000 to $4,000 to his month-to-month bills, he mentioned, and whereas he hopes to maintain all eight of his workers, he doesn’t know if he could make the numbers add up.

One worker, Josue Reyes, has labored on the restaurant on and off over the previous decade.

He works the night shift, usually taking the bus after which driving his hybrid bike the remainder of the way in which to the restaurant. Mr. Reyes, 35, mentioned the constant pay raises by the years — he now makes $16 an hour — had helped him considerably. He places a lot of his paycheck towards aiding his mom pay the hire at their trailer park and tries to avoid wasting the place he can.

Whereas one other pay improve will assist him, Mr. Reyes, who has labored in quick meals for a lot of his life, mentioned he feared that earlier than lengthy, jobs would develop into extra aggressive and tougher to maintain.