![Jae C. Hong A customer uses a self-order kiosk to order at a Wendy's restaurant owned by Lawrence Cheng and his family in Fountain Valley, Calif., Thursday, June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/7065aa52089a45f59b74d7b6dbfd7c46/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x&wm=false)
A customer uses a self-order kiosk to order at a Wendy's restaurant owned by Lawrence Cheng and his family in Fountain Valley, Calif., Thursday, June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
![Jae C. Hong Part-time employee Adriana Ruiz, 18, works on an order in the kitchen at a Wendy's restaurant owned by Lawrence Cheng and his family in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. California's minimum wage increase that went into effect in April and saw fast food workers across the state go from making $16 to $20 overnight is already having an impact on local operators who say they are reducing worker hours and raising menu prices as the sudden increase in labor costs leaves them scrambling for solutions. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/2683ff71e6574d77906d652b1e316309/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x&wm=false)
Part-time employee Adriana Ruiz, 18, works on an order in the kitchen at a Wendy's restaurant owned by Lawrence Cheng and his family in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. California's minimum wage increase that went into effect in April and saw fast food workers across the state go from making $16 to $20 overnight is already having an impact on local operators who say they are reducing worker hours and raising menu prices as the sudden increase in labor costs leaves them scrambling for solutions. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
![Jae C. Hong Lawrence Cheng, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, hands an order to a customer at his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. When California’s minimum wage increase went into effect in April, fast food workers across the state went from making $16 to $20 overnight. It's already having an impact, according to local operators for major fast food chains, who say they are reducing worker hours and raising menu prices as the sudden increase in labor costs leaves them scrambling for solutions. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/ccd27323275c4ae5bd81a2a3427d9e61/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x&wm=false)
Lawrence Cheng, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, hands an order to a customer at his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. When California’s minimum wage increase went into effect in April, fast food workers across the state went from making $16 to $20 overnight. It's already having an impact, according to local operators for major fast food chains, who say they are reducing worker hours and raising menu prices as the sudden increase in labor costs leaves them scrambling for solutions. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
![Jae C. Hong Lawrence Cheng, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, works in the kitchen at his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. Cheng used to have nearly a dozen employees at his Fountain Valley location during the day. Now, he only schedules seven for each shift as he scrambles to absorb a dramatic jump in labor costs after a new California law boosted the hourly wage for fast food workers on April 1 from $16 to $20 an hour. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/e927c74290594149bb3b0c07b60c42b0/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x&wm=false)
Lawrence Cheng, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, works in the kitchen at his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. Cheng used to have nearly a dozen employees at his Fountain Valley location during the day. Now, he only schedules seven for each shift as he scrambles to absorb a dramatic jump in labor costs after a new California law boosted the hourly wage for fast food workers on April 1 from $16 to $20 an hour. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
![Jae C. Hong Lawrence Cheng, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, stands for a photo outside his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. Cheng used to have nearly a dozen employees at the location during the day. Now, he only schedules seven for each shift as he scrambles to absorb a dramatic jump in labor costs after a new California law boosted the hourly wage for fast food workers on April 1 from $16 to $20 an hour. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/1e50de86e999402aabf5d6b1cb6d38ed/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x&wm=false)
Lawrence Cheng, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, stands for a photo outside his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. Cheng used to have nearly a dozen employees at the location during the day. Now, he only schedules seven for each shift as he scrambles to absorb a dramatic jump in labor costs after a new California law boosted the hourly wage for fast food workers on April 1 from $16 to $20 an hour. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
![Jae C. Hong Lawrence Cheng, center, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, takes orders from customers at his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. California's minimum wage increase that went into effect in April and saw fast food workers across the state go from making $16 to $20 overnight is already having an impact. "We kind of just cut where we can," said Cheng. "I schedule one less person, and then I come in for that time that I didn't schedule, and I work that hour." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/2662888ee3ea4bd199138516e9b5e506/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x&wm=false)
Lawrence Cheng, center, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, takes orders from customers at his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. California's minimum wage increase that went into effect in April and saw fast food workers across the state go from making $16 to $20 overnight is already having an impact. "We kind of just cut where we can," said Cheng. "I schedule one less person, and then I come in for that time that I didn't schedule, and I work that hour." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
![Jae C. Hong Lawrence Cheng, left, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, works with part-time employee Adriana Ruiz at his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. When California’s minimum wage increase went into effect in April, fast food workers across the state went from making $16 to $20 overnight. It's already having an impact, according to local operators for major fast food chains, who say they are reducing worker hours and raising menu prices as the sudden increase in labor costs leaves them scrambling for solutions. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/2a5f811dfb25408f8af9927c2c96e88e/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x&wm=false)
Lawrence Cheng, left, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, works with part-time employee Adriana Ruiz at his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. When California’s minimum wage increase went into effect in April, fast food workers across the state went from making $16 to $20 overnight. It's already having an impact, according to local operators for major fast food chains, who say they are reducing worker hours and raising menu prices as the sudden increase in labor costs leaves them scrambling for solutions. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
![Jae C. Hong Part-time employee Adriana Ruiz, 18, cleans a table at a Wendy's restaurant owned by Lawrence Cheng and his family in Fountain Valley, Calif., Thursday, June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/2652c2c7e8bd42f88d7948cc3637dff6/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x&wm=false)
Part-time employee Adriana Ruiz, 18, cleans a table at a Wendy's restaurant owned by Lawrence Cheng and his family in Fountain Valley, Calif., Thursday, June 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
![Jae C. Hong Lawrence Cheng, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, works on an order in the kitchen at his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. When California’s minimum wage increase went into effect in April, fast food workers across the state went from making $16 to $20 overnight. It's already having an impact, according to local operators for major fast food chains, who say they are reducing worker hours and raising menu prices as the sudden increase in labor costs leaves them scrambling for solutions. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/5d5b2bab09a14e06a2b62eb80ae4b08a/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x&wm=false)
Lawrence Cheng, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, works on an order in the kitchen at his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. When California’s minimum wage increase went into effect in April, fast food workers across the state went from making $16 to $20 overnight. It's already having an impact, according to local operators for major fast food chains, who say they are reducing worker hours and raising menu prices as the sudden increase in labor costs leaves them scrambling for solutions. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)