The landscape of dining out in California is shifting as fast food chains implement price increases following a mandatory minimum wage hike to $20 per hour that took effect Monday.
An investigation by the New York Post into several Los Angeles area eateries revealed an impact on meal costs borne by customers.
One notable change was observed at Burger King, where the cost of a Texas Double Whopper meal, billed at $15.09 on March 29, ballooned to $16.89 by April 1 — an escalation close to 12%. Similarly, its Big Fish meal vaulted from $7.49 to $11.49 — a leap surpassing 50%.
Other establishments have followed suit in adjusting their prices. Hart House, the fast-food venture of comedian and actor Kevin Hart, marked up its prices by as much as 25%, the Post reported. Large fries are a tangible example, going from $4.49 to $5.99. Likewise, milkshake prices rose by a dollar across all sizes, and patrons can expect to pay an additional 50 cents for most sandwiches.
At In-N-Out Burger, the inflation is more contained. Customers will notice a modest increase of around 25 cents for burgers and an extra nickel for sodas.
One McDonald’s franchisee said he had no choice but to raise prices, boosting items 5% to 7% in the past three months as he prepared for the new law.
“As a business owner, when you’re dealing with this kind of extraordinary overnight change, you know, a 25% increase in wages, (no) stone has to remain unturned,” Scott Rodrick, who owns 18 restaurants in Northern California, told CNN on Monday.
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