Starting Monday, April 1, more than half a million Californians are expected to get a pay raise.
California fast-food restaurants that have chains of more than 60 national locations will have a minimum wage increase to $20 an hour.
Greyson Bramble and friends just applied for a McDonald's job after hearing about the minimum wage increase.
“I thought McDonald's was less than minimum wage but I saw $20 an hour and I thought, I could either struggle applying for an In and Out [job] or make $20 an hour at McDonald's, so yeah, I'm applying to McDonald's,” Bramble said.
To combat the changes, some chains are cutting their workforces and increasing their menu prices.
McDonald's, Chipotle and Starbucks have all mentioned raising prices to cover the cost of the wage increase.
Kassie Rubio, visiting from Rancho Cucamonga, says if something changes and the prices for food increase, they might want to go elsewhere.
“I would more than likely just sit down at a restaurant because the prices are almost the same,” Rubio said.
College student Ethan Bolger agrees.
“If it gets too expensive that's not going to be great for me and I don't know if I would be able to come here as much as I want to,” Bolger said.
California's minimum wage for most other jobs is $16 per hour.
