Restaurants

California's $20 minimum wage spurs QSR kiosk boom

Photo: Adobe Stock

June 11, 2024

In April, California increased its minimum wage to $20, which has resulted in quick service restaurants' self-service kiosk adoption to increase, according to a Food on Demand report.

As food chains look for ways to increase revenue while decreasing labor costs, many are choosing restaurant automation tools such as self-service kiosks and drive-thru voice bots. Chains have also raised their menu prices, cut down on labor and reduced their store hours because of the increased minimum wage, according to the news outlet.

"There's only so much price that the restaurants can take before consumers stop coming," Brandon Barton, of kiosk provider Bite, told the news outlet. "You have to think about innovative ways to change your business model to make the same amount of profit, right? I don't think anybody's going to be okay with making less money than they did last year or the year before."