California’s $20 Minimum Wage Forces 91-Year-Old Owner Shuts Down Iconic Hollywood Arby’s After 55 Years: ‘Final Nail in the Coffin’
One of Hollywood’s most iconic restaurants has shut its doors for good.
The Arby’s Roast Beef franchise closed on Saturday after an impressive 55 years in business, as reported by KTLA.
The restaurant is the latest casualty of Bidenomics and Governor Newsom’s $20 minimum wage law.
Marilyn Leviton, the 91-year-old sole owner of the franchise since its opening in 1969, cited a combination of devastating economic factors for the closure. Among them, California’s recent legislation that raised the minimum wage for fast food workers to an untenable $20 per hour proved too burdensome.
In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed a law raising the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $20 per hour.
“Eighty percent of the workforce, these fast food places—80 percent of people of color, two thirds—are women, the majority are breadwinners and we have the opportunity to reward that contribution, reward that sacrifice and stabilize an industry in turn. What a remarkable moment,” Newsom said in September during the bill signing.
Leviton revealed to KTLA 5 News that the franchise had been teetering on the brink of closure for years, due to Fauci’s lockdown, nearly forcing its shutdown, had it not been for federal loans that temporarily kept the business afloat.
Gary Husch, Leviton’s son-in-law and the general manager of the establishment, echoed these sentiments. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Husch emphasized that the combined effects of inflation, the pandemic’s impact on foot traffic, and the draconian wage increase directly led to their difficult decision.
“With inflation, food costs have skyrocketed and the $20-an-hour minimum wage has been the final nail in the coffin,” Husch said.
WATCH:
“Final nail in the coffin.” 91-year-old owner forced to close iconic Hollywood Arby’s over California’s $20 minimum wage pic.twitter.com/nCndWCfj4h
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 19, 2024
Restaurants across the state of California have cut more than 10,000 jobs since Democrat lawmakers mandated a $20 minimum wage, according to a major trade group.
According to the California Business and Industrial Alliance (CABIA), thousands of restaurant workers have lost their positions as businesses are forced to cut labor costs and raise their prices in order to survive.
“Several major chains – including McDonald’s, Burger King, and even low-cost favorite In-N-Out Burger – jacked up prices to offset the higher wages. Many had to cut employee hours, and some have expedited a move to automation,” the New York Post reported.
The beloved restaurant chain Rubio’s Coastal Grill, announced that it would be closing 48 locations statewide due to the unaffordable costs of doing business.
Two major Pizza Hut operators in California will lay off all of their delivery drivers due to a new law raising the minimum wage to $20 per hour for fast food employees.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) carved out an exemption for Panera Bread from the state’s new insane $20 minimum wage law because its billionaire CEO Greg Flynn donates to his political campaigns.
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