Disney, NASCAR, and Kohl’s are among the companies under scrutiny for their financial support of the Trevor Project, a pro-LGBT organization that critics say enables sexual predators. 
The “<a href="https://consumersresearch.org/woke-alert/woke-alert-disney-bank-of-america-nascar-chipotle-kohls-gm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">woke alert</a>” flagging the corporations’ support of the Trevor Project was issued by <a href="https://consumersresearch.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Consumers’ Research</a>, a nonprofit organization that <a href="https://consumersresearch.org/history/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seeks to</a> “educate and protect consumers.”
“These six corporations are among those <a href="https://www.thetrevorproject.org/corporate-partners/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">funneling millions of dollars</a> to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/09/01/mom-discovers-depravity-in-trevor-projects-trans-chat-room/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trevor Project,</a> an organization that hosts a <a href="https://www.thetrevorproject.org/visit-trevorspace/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">private chat room</a> in which adults prey on vulnerable children,” the alert from Consumers’ Research says. 
Bank of America, Chipotle, and General Motors were also identified in the alert, which was intended to “highlight another disturbing example of Woke Capitalism.”
The &#8220;woke alert&#8221; notes that Kohl&#8217;s supports the group with its <a href="https://www.kohls.com/catalog.jsp?CN=Assortment:Pride&amp;cc=di-TN2.0-S-pride" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;Trevor Project specific pride collection.&#8221;</a> Kohl&#8217;s also made a <a href="https://www.kohls.com/catalog.jsp?CN=Assortment:Pride&amp;cc=di-TN2.0-S-pride" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$100,000 donation</a> to the organization. Chipotle also supported the organization with a &#8220;<a href="https://chipotlegoods.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pride line of merchandise</a>.&#8221; The company pledged a minimum of $15,000 to the Trevor Project.
The alert, which provides consumers with ways to reach out to the companies, specifically focused on the organization’s “TrevorSpace,” an online, anonymous chat platform for children as young as 13. 
The website does not utilize age verification and “provides a way for groomers and predators to communicate directly with children without their parents’ knowledge or consent,” Consumers’ Research claims.
Screenshots <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/09/01/mom-discovers-depravity-in-trevor-projects-trans-chat-room/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by the New York Post and included in the alert show discussions of pornography, masturbation, and fetishes on the site. The Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/09/01/mom-discovers-depravity-in-trevor-projects-trans-chat-room/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described</a> the website as a “‘Pandora’s box’ of sexually perverse content, aggressive gender-reassignment referrals, adults encouraging minors to hide their transitions from their parents and many troubled kids in need of psychological counseling.” 
The Trevor Project was <a href="https://decider.com/2022/06/24/trevor-1994-short-film-watch-online/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">named after</a> a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1geRc8LaZfs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">short film</a> produced by the organization’s founders called “Trevor,” which centers around a gay teen who attempts suicide. The organization states that its mission is “to end suicide among LGBTQ young people.”
However, January Littlejohn, a parent advocate with <a href="https://donoharmmedicine.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Do No Harm</a>, argues, &#8220;The Trevor Project has strayed far from their noble beginning as an organization dedicated to preventing suicide amongst vulnerable youth” and is “no longer a safe place for children or teens.&#8221; 
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-72635">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
“Companies donating to this organization need to understand what they are actually supporting, which is the teaching of radical gender ideology, the false notion that a child can be born into the wrong body, onto impressionable children,” Littlejohn added. 
“The Trevor Project fosters a predatory and unsafe environment for minors. The fact that they have features in place that encourage children to hide their search and chatroom activity from their parents is deeply alarming,” Consumers’ Research Executive Director Will Hild alleged. 
He added, “Companies like Disney, General Motors, and Bank of America should not be funding online chatrooms where predatory adults have unfettered access to groom vulnerable children.”
None of the six corporations, nor the Trevor Project, responded to a request for comment.
(Disclosure: The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/introducing-dw-kids">announced plans</a> for kids entertainment content.)
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a free hotline for individuals in crisis or distress or for those looking to help someone else. It is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255.

Phone in the dark

‘Woke Alert:’ Disney, Kohl’s Blasted For Support Of LGBT Group Hosting Anonymous Chats For Teens

Disney, Kohl's Blasted For Support Of LGBT Group Hosting Anonymous Chats For Teens

Bank of America

Children

Chipotle

Disney

General Motors

Kohl's

LGBT

NASCAR

Politics

Social Issues

Suicide

Transgender

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chipotle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chipotle</a> agreed to offer $240,000 in back pay and forward pay to employees at a location in Augusta, Maine, which was shuttered last year after workers attempted to <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/labor-unions?_gl=1*1msw7jf*_ga*NzUzNDA5ODIxLjE2NzkzMjkzNzM.*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTY4MDAwOTI2My4zMC4xLjE2ODAwMjU2NzguNjAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unionize</a>.
The burrito <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/restaurant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restaurant</a> chain agreed to the settlement, which will amount to between $5,800 and $21,000 for each affected worker, while continuing to deny all wrongdoing in association with the closure of the location in July. The National Labor Relations Board filed a complaint in November asserting that the closure was meant to prevent the unionization efforts, while Chipotle said that the closure was a response to staffing difficulties.
“We settled this case not because we did anything wrong, but because the time, energy and cost to litigate would have far outweighed the settlement agreement,” the firm said in a Monday statement. “We respect our employees’ rights to organize under the National Labor Relations Act.”
Chipotle United remarked in a <a href="https://twitter.com/1ChipotleUnited/status/1640395358143406080" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that the company embarked on an “illegal closure of our store and retaliation against our union members.” The settlement will also permit any Chipotle employee impacted by the shuttering of the store to preferentially apply for work at another Chipotle location in the area for the next three months.
“This settlement is a huge win. Chipotle just got put on notice,” the group commented. “Union busting will not be tolerated and there&#8217;s no way around it.”
Chipotle United linked the settlement to the recent departure of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who some lawmakers wanted to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee about unionization efforts within the coffee restaurant chain. Nearly 300 Starbucks locations <a href="https://sbworkersunited.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elected</a> to form labor unions over the past two years, while Starbucks office workers recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/making-our-lives-more-difficult-starbucks-office-staff-revolt-as-company-makes-them-show-up-three-days-per-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> for executives to “respect federal labor laws” after they were told to return to physical office spaces at least three times per week.
Beyond the food services sector, other industries have faced pressure from unions in recent months: Southwest Airlines pilots <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/southwest-pilots-announce-they-may-go-on-strike-one-month-after-airlines-nationwide-meltdown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threatened</a> to strike in May over contract negotiations and the nationwide travel meltdown last year, while members of the New York State Nurses Association <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/thousands-of-nurses-at-two-new-york-city-hospitals-go-on-strike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went</a> on strike at several hospitals in New York City earlier this year and Congress was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-passes-legislation-to-avoid-a-nationwide-rail-strike-bernie-sanders-intends-to-block-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forced</a> to intervene in deliberations between rail companies and labor unions.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) meanwhile signed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-repeals-right-to-work-law-in-major-victory-for-unions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">measures</a> last week to repeal the state’s right-to-work laws, the first time such statutes have been overturned in several decades. Unions had lost more than 143,000 members since the laws entered into effect in 2012, according to an <a href="https://www.mackinac.org/pressroom/2022/more-than-140000-michiganders-have-left-their-unions-since-2012" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, with some unions losing as much as two-thirds of their membership.
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Chipotle recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-passed-a-new-minimum-wage-bill-now-chipotle-is-testing-a-robotic-chip-maker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> a robotic chip machine in southern California after the state passed legislation to create a council with the authority to raise fast food minimum wages to as high as $22 per hour, an increase of over 40% from the $15.50 per hour minimum wages which took effect this year. “We are always exploring opportunities to enhance our employee and guest experience,” Chipotle Chief Technology Officer Curt Garner said last year.

Chipotle Must Pay $240,000 To Employees After They Shut Down Restaurant That Tried To Unionize

Chipotle Must Pay Large Sum To Employees After They Shut Down Restaurant That Tried To Unionize

Business

Labor Unions

Restaurant

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chipotle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chipotle</a> announced the rollout of an automated chip machine in southern <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> on Tuesday.
According to a <a href="https://newsroom.chipotle.com/2022-09-27-CHIPOTLE-PILOTS-ADVANCED-TECHNOLOGY-TO-ENHANCE-THE-EMPLOYEE-AND-GUEST-EXPERIENCE">press release</a>, the company is testing Chippy — an autonomous kitchen assistant designed by Miso Robotics — at a restaurant in Fountain Valley, California, before the Mexican fast food giant considers a “national implementation strategy.” The device has <a href="https://newsroom.chipotle.com/2022-03-16-CHIPOTLE-TESTS-AI-KITCHEN-ASSISTANT,-CHIPPY">already been tested</a> in Chipotle’s technology innovation facility.
&#8220;We are always exploring opportunities to enhance our employee and guest experience,” Chipotle Chief Technology Officer Curt Garner said earlier this year. “Our goal is to drive efficiencies through collaborative robotics that will enable Chipotle&#8217;s crew members to focus on other tasks in the restaurant.”
The company also revealed on Tuesday that select restaurants in California are testing a kitchen management system that will optimize ingredient use and cooking activities — a solution that will eliminate “manual tasks” for employees, according to Garner, while “ultimately enabling them to focus on an exceptional culinary and an outstanding guest experience.”
Chipotle’s rollout of automation solutions occurs weeks after Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/should-raise-alarm-bells-across-the-country-california-paves-road-to-40-minimum-wage-increases-for-certain-restaurants">signed</a> AB 257 — legislation that creates a “Fast Food Council” responsible for drafting “sectorwide minimum standards on wages, working hours, and other working conditions,” according to a <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB257">summary</a> of the bill.
Members of the Fast Food Council are permitted to raise minimum wages up to $22 per hour, representing an increase of over 40% from the $15.50 per hour minimum wage <a href="https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/california-minimum-wage-will-go-to-15-1794438/">slated</a> to take effect in 2023. Last year, Chipotle <a href="https://newsroom.chipotle.com/2021-05-10-Chipotle-Increases-Wages-Resulting-In-15-Per-Hour-Average-Wage-And-Provides-Path-To-Six-Figure-Compensation-In-~3-Years">boosted hourly wages</a> to range between $11 per hour and $18 per hour.
The legislation, which applies only to restaurants with 100 or more locations across the United States, faced considerable opposition from fast food chains. Chipotle joined Yum Brands, In-N-Out Burger, and other firms in spending over $1 million to lobby against the bill, according to a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/errolschweizer/2022/09/05/why-ab257-could-be-life-changing-for-californias-fast-food-workers/?sh=5c756fc93fde">report</a> from Forbes.
The bill also comes one year after a sizable portion of California restaurants were forced to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-third-of-california-restaurants-close-permanently-due-to-lockdowns">close their doors</a> following some of the nation’s most aggressive government lockdowns. In a <a href="https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/corpmcd/en-us/our-stories/article/ourstories.leaders-california.html">letter</a> denouncing the legislation, McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger noted that the provisions impose “higher costs on one type of restaurant, while sparing another.”
“If you are a small business owner running two restaurants that are part of a national chain, like McDonald’s, you can be targeted by the bill,” Erlinger explained. “But if you own 20 restaurants that are not part of a large chain, the bill does not apply to you.”
The legislation includes a carveout for restaurants that operate a bakery that “produces for sale bread as a stand-alone menu item.” Erlinger said that “backroom politicking” could explain the exemption.
An <a href="https://esd.dof.ca.gov/LegAnalysis/getPdf/066D8BA5-C012-ED11-913B-00505685B5D1">analysis</a> from the California Department of Finance said that the legislation introduces a “fragmented regulatory and legal environment for employers” that could “raise long-term costs across industries.” Chipotle has nearly 450 restaurants in the Golden State, according to the company’s <a href="https://locations.chipotle.com/">website</a>.
Businesses have struggled to fill positions as labor force participation has lagged over the past two years — worsening a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/americans-continue-to-opt-out-of-the-workforce">decades-long trend</a> of low engagement in the job market. The metric dropped from 63.4% in February 2020 to 60.2% in April 2020 alone amid government lockdowns and business closures, according to <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CIVPART">data</a> from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of August 2022, labor force participation climbed to 62.4%.

&lt;&gt; on March 5, 2014 in Miami, Florida.

California Passed A New Minimum Wage Bill. Now Chipotle Is Testing A Robotic Chip Maker.

Chipotle Increases Automation After California Passed Minimum Wage Bill

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Brooklyn police are searching for a DoorDash delivery driver who was caught on video contaminating food meant to be delivered to a police office as he stuck a note under the food that read, “Hope that d** taste good b****!”
The video featured a screenshot from the DoorDash app telling the driver to deliver the order from Chipotle to the 61st Precinct’s station house on Coney Island Avenue in Sheepshead Bay.
The <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/14/doordash-driver-contaminates-nypd-cops-chipotle-order/">New York Post</a> reported:
<blockquote>“Ya kno I’m bout to violate the s–t out this order 61st precient [sic],” the video, posted by a user with the handle “So Certified,” was captioned. “I dreamed of moments like this,” it continued. “god u been so good to me like idk how to re pay u.”</blockquote>
“The contamination may be retaliatory in nature as the driver posted a message to his Facebook page saying: &#8216;This is a Facebook public announcement, I don’t violate people food like that … that was personal. we at war,&#8217;” <a href="https://pjmedia.com/uncategorized/rick-moran/2021/07/15/video-shows-doordash-driver-deliberately-contaminating-cops-meal-n1462035">PJ Media</a> added.
DoorDash issued a statement to <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/door-dash-driver-seen-on-camera-contaminating-meal-delivered-to-nypd-officer/3153517/">NBC New York</a> about the incident: &#8220;This behavior is absolutely unacceptable and has no place in our community. We take the trust and respect of merchants, customers, and Dashers extremely seriously. We have deactivated the Dasher and have reached out to the customer involved.&#8221;
Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer, added in a statement that &#8220;the actions displayed by this third-party delivery driver are inexcusable, and we’ve ensured our delivery partner has deactivated the individual’s account,” <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/video-shows-doordash-driver-contaminating-brooklyn-cops-chipotle-order">Fox News</a> reported.
Fox News surmised, “The driver used his hands and genitalia to &#8216;violate&#8217; the order,” adding, “Police sources said it wasn’t immediately clear whether the cop for whom the order was intended sampled the food before realizing it had been tampered with.”
The Daily Wire <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/nypd-officers-leaving-in-droves-75-increase-in-quitting-or-retirement-in-2020/">reported</a> in late April of the mass exodus by members of the New York Police Department in 2020: &#8220;Members of the NYPD grew so disenchanted with their jobs in 2020 that over 5,300 uniformed officers either retired or quit, an astonishing 75% increase over the year before, amounting to 15% of the total number of officers on the force. The impetus for the officers quitting seemed to be the death of George Floyd and the unrest that followed; between May 25 and June 24, 2020, a whopping 272 officers left the force in one month.”
“2,600 officers quit and 2,746 filed for retirement, according to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/04/24/are-nypd-officers-rushing-to-retire-amid-citys-anti-cop-climate/amp/?__twitter_impression=true">New York Post</a>. The 5,346 officers who left the force were nearly 2,300 more than left the force in 2019, when 1,509 officers quit and 1,544 filed for retirement,” The Daily Wire continued. “This year, over 830 officers have left the NYPD. Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, warned, ‘Cops are forming a conga line down at the pension section and I don’t blame them. NYPD cops are looking for better jobs with other departments or even embarking on new careers.’”

A Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. Restaurant Ahead Of Earnings Figures

‘Hope That D** Taste Good B****’: DoorDash Driver Violates Food Meant For An NYPD COP

NYPD

Conservatives and economists have warned for years that hiking the minimum wage would lead to consequences, such as job losses and price increases.
Fast food chain Chipotle is a case study in the consequences of raising the minimum wage, which allows for entry-level workers to gain valuable work experience. Last week, Chipotle announced that it would be raising menu prices by 4% to offset labor costs, a move that comes amidst $15 minimum <a href="https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/politics/2021/05/20/ris-minimum-wage-increase-15-hour-2025/5183683001/">wage</a> <a href="https://www.natlawreview.com/article/state-california-and-many-california-localities-are-set-to-increase-minimum-wage">increases</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/31/business/economy/minimum-wage-15-dollar-hour.html">around the nation</a>. As Business Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-hiking-prices-across-menu-to-offset-higher-wages-2021-6?utm_source=yahoo.com&amp;utm_medium=referral">reported</a>, Chipotle CFO Jack Hartung warned in April that the increased minimum wage would translate to higher costs for consumers.
&#8220;We think everybody in the restaurant industry is going to have to pass those costs along to the customer,&#8221; Hartung said in April. &#8220;We think we&#8217;re in a much, much better position to do that, than other companies out there.&#8221;
Increased prices for imported goods such as corn and avocados have also risen, though Hartung said that issue wouldn’t lead to further price increases – for now.
&#8220;Ingredient costs, there&#8217;s talk about it. We&#8217;ll see where that leads,&#8221; Hartung said last week, according to Business Insider.
Along with the increased menu prices, the outlet also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/some-chipotle-customers-are-complaining-they-received-tiny-burritos-2021-6">reported</a> that customers are now complaining about receiving much smaller burritos and portions than previously.
“Something strange is happening at Chipotle, at least according to dozens of social media posts,” the outlet reported. “Customers have taken to Twitter to show off tiny serving sizes and small burritos. People used dollar bills, rulers, and beer cans for size references.”
Business Insider reached out to Chipotle to determine whether the smaller sizes were due to supply chain disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic, but the restaurant said it was not experiencing any disruptions or supply shortages.
&#8220;Guests of Chipotle have the opportunity to completely customize their meal in restaurants by vocalizing their desired portions, or digitally selecting extra, light, normal or on the side when choosing from the list of real ingredients,&#8221; Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Laurie Schalow said in a statement to the outlet. &#8220;We are not experiencing any supply-chain shortages, and Chipotle receives an abundance of praise for the incredible value its entrees offer with responsibly sourced ingredients chopped or grilled fresh daily.&#8221;
The author of the article, Mary Meisenzahl, ordered a burrito online from Chipotle to test the complaints, and received a burrito just 5 inches long, while her boyfriend’s burrito was larger with multiple additions.
“As with nearly all of the complaints on Twitter, these burritos were ordered through Chipotle&#8217;s app, which means customers don&#8217;t actually see them being made,” Meisenzahl reported.
Business Insider also reported that Chipotle isn’t alone in charging customers more for less:
<blockquote>If its portion sizes are getting smaller, Chipotle wouldn&#8217;t be the only retailer to do so. Retail <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/grocery-consumers-goods-are-getting-smaller-with-shrinkflation-2021-6">brands are increasingly turning to &#8220;shrinkflation&#8221;</a> to avoid scaring off customers with higher prices, instead keeping prices the same for smaller packages and less product.
When it comes to raising prices, companies have two options: &#8220;Do we raise the price knowing consumers will see it and grumble about it? Or do we give them a little bit less and accomplish the same thing? Often it&#8217;s easier to do the latter,&#8221; the consumer advocate Edgar Dworsky told <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/06/01/package-sizes-shrink-inflation/?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&amp;stream=top">The Washington Post.</a></blockquote>
This article has been revised for clarity.

Chipotle: A Case Study In Minimum Wage Hikes

Chipotle, the Mexican fast-food casual restaurant chain, said that it might need to increase the prices of its menu options if there is a mandatory increase to the minimum wage.
According to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-will-raise-burrito-prices-if-a-15-minimum-wage-passes-2021-4">Business Insider,</a> Jack Hartung, Chipotle&#8217;s CFO, spoke of the effect of a $15 minimum wage during the <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/chipotle-digital-sales-doubled-first-quarter-earnings-2021-4-1030330611">company&#8217;s quarterly earnings call</a> on Wednesday. “He said hourly employees&#8217; average minimum wage is about $13 per hour, while <a href="https://www.glassdoor.com/Hourly-Pay/Chipotle-Crew-Member-Hourly-Pay-E15228_D_KO9,20.htm#:~:text=How%20much%20does%20a%20Crew,estimated%20based%20upon%20statistical%20methods.">Glassdoor</a> indicated that a starting hourly wage at Chipotle is about $11,” the outlet reported. 
&#8220;We&#8217;re not that far off of, for example, a $15 number. But let&#8217;s say, for example, that there&#8217;s going to be an across-the-board 10% increase in our wages,&#8221; Hartung said. &#8220;And that would, to offset that with menu pricing, take us 2% to 3% price increase,&#8221; he explained. 
&#8220;All of that is very manageable,&#8221; Hartung added. 
An increase might result in an additional charge of around $0.20 to $0.30 per meal, since the average customer spends about $11 on a burrito or different meal at the food chain, the outlet reported. 
Hartung said that other restaurants will have to take similar actions in order to be successful if there is a mandatory minimum wage. &#8220;We think everybody in the restaurant industry is going to have to pass those costs along to the customer,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We think we&#8217;re in a much, much better position to do that, than other companies out there.”
Last fall, Business Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/15-minimum-wage-higher-menu-prices-waffle-house-potbelly-2020-11">reported</a> that increasing prices of items on menus is known to be a successful action for restaurants responding to the regulation of a minimum wage. “Executives at <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4389524-kura-sushi-usa-inc-krus-ceo-hajime-jimmy-uba-on-q4-2020-results-earnings-call-transcript">Kura Sushi,</a> <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4382882-cheesecake-factorys-cake-ceo-david-overton-on-q3-2020-results-earnings-call-transcript">The Cheesecake Factory,</a> and Texas Roadhouse all said in recent calls with investors that, when states and cities raised minimum wage, the chains responded by raising menu prices,” the outlet reported.
&#8220;Ultimately, in any business, the customer pays for everything,&#8221; Walt Ehmer, CEO of Waffle House, recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-will-raise-burrito-prices-if-a-15-minimum-wage-passes-2021-4">said</a>. &#8220;We don&#8217;t have any other source of revenue other than the customer. So we have to be careful how we treat our customers, and we don&#8217;t stick it to them with giant price increases.&#8221;
Democrats tried to get a $15 minimum wage hike into the stimulus package signed by President Joe Biden last month but <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-some-of-the-big-changes-in-the-senate-passed-stimulus-bill">were ultimately unsuccessful</a>. Their goal was to gradually increase the minimum wage over time, but the provision was taken out of the final version.
Conservatives pushed back against a mandated minimum wage hike due to the fact that it could harm small businesses which can’t afford to hire additional staff if they are required to pay a higher hourly wage to their workers.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/manchin-every-senator-thinks-minimum-wage-should-be-increased">The Daily Wire</a> reported that some Democrats opposed the minimum wage hike in the stimulus bill last month, as well. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia said that every senator wants to increase the minimum wage, but noted that requiring the same minimum wage for every area of the country is not logical.
“Once we get to $11, then it should be indexed for inflation, so it never becomes a political football again,” Manchin said. He also responded to criticism from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). “We come from two different areas of the country that have different social and cultural needs, [and with] that, you have to respect everybody,” he said.
“I look for that moderate middle. The common sense that comes with the moderate middle is who I am. That’s what people expect,” Manchin said. “My state of West Virginia, they know me, they know how I’ve governed. I’ve tried to basically represent them in the best of my ability. These are hard-working, good, commonsense people. That’s what I want and that’s what I keep trying — I try to do.”
Large corporations like Chipotle might be able to manage the mandatory increase, but conservatives argue that workers end up being the ones who are hurt by wage increases when businesses are not able to take on more employees. In addition, some companies might lose customers if they increase their prices, which could lead to lay-offs, as well.

Chipotle Says Menu Prices Could Increase If Minimum Wage Hike Imposed