WFCN – Not long after California passed legislation raising the minimum wage for fast food employees, In-N-Out Burger increased the cost of several items at its California outlets.
According to the burger company, due to location-specific factors, the cost of a Double-Double burger, fries, and a drink has increased by $0.25 to $0.50 since April 1.
“We increased our prices in California restaurants to match the raises that the Associates at those locations received,” Chief Operating Officer Denny Warnick stated in a statement on Thursday.
Fast food employees now receive a $20 starting salary per hour instead of the previous $16 under the Fast Act, which went into effect on April 1. In response to its passing, CEOs at restaurants such as Chipotle and McDonald’s declared they will raise pricing to balance pay gains.
Image: CBS 8
San Francisco and Los Angeles have reported price rises.
As of right now, KTLA-TV reports that the Double-Double combo in Los Angeles County is $11.44, up $0.76 from the previous year.
Additionally, locations in Daly City and San Francisco have reportedly seen price increases, according to Bay Area station KRON-TV.
In-N-Out workers in California start out making between $22 and $23 per hour, according to Warnick.
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Prices won’t increase “that much,” according to the president of In-N-Out. Formerly, President of In-N-Out, Lynsi Snyder, promised that despite the new minimum wage regulation, the prices at the beloved burger company on the West Coast would remain unaffected.
The private corporation won’t experience significant pricing increases in California following the passage of the Fast Act, according to Snyder in an April interview with NBC’s TODAY.
“I was sitting in VP meetings going toe-to-toe saying, ‘We can’t raise the prices that much, we can’t,'” declared Snyder. “Because I felt such an obligation to look out for our customers.”
The cost of fast food has increased by 4.8% since 2023.
In contrast to normal inflation, which has increased by 24%, fast food costs have increased by 4.8% since last year and 47% since 2014.
Survey data collected by a group of reporters from 18 different U.S. markets was utilized in a recent USA Today article to analyze costs over the last ten years.
A medium Big Mac meal now costs $9.72 in 2024, up from $5.69 in 2014, according to the poll, a gain of over 70%. From $7.89 in Houston to $15 in Seattle, a medium Big Mac meal was the most expensive option.