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FRED (the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis), has useful data. First, all food/beverage hospitality workers in California.[1] Huge COVID transient, followed by
by Animats 1y ago
FRED (the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis), has useful data.
First, all food/beverage hospitality workers in California.[1] Huge COVID transient, followed by recovery to almost the pre-COVID level. But no further increases.
Full-service restaurants had a similar transient, but never came back to pre-COVID levels. Employment peaked in mid-2023, and has declined since. Full-service restaurants didn't get the $20 fast food minimum wage. But workers there may have tip income.
California does not have a lower "tipped minimum wage", and all tips go to workers.
What FRED calls "limited service restaurants and other eating places" shows about the same curve as full-service restaurants.[3] This includes both the fast food chains and the fast-casual restaurants. If you have to order at a counter, it's "limited service", even if they bring out the food later.
So, the part of the restaurant industry that wasn't affected by the increase shows about the same trend as the part that was. Basically, post-COVID, onsite eating never fully came back. Food delivery became a much bigger part of the industry.)
Those stats are regardless of business size. California's minimum wage law for "fast food" applies only to businesses with at least 60 locations. But it also includes such
things as 7-11 stores that sell hot dogs and pizzas heated up on site. So, not an exact match to the FRED categories.
Overall, the COVID transient and its aftermath is bigger than all other visible effects.
[1] https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SMU06000007072200001SA https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SMU06000007072200001SA
[2] https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SMU06000007072251101A https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SMU06000007072251101A
[3] https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SMU06000007072259001SA https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SMU06000007072259001SA
- socalgal2 1y agoWhy did it only affect California and not other states?
- vineyardmike 1y ago…the California minimum wage?
- sieabahlpark 1y ago[dead]
- com2kid 1y agoSimilar patterns in Seattle, many once popular sit down restaurants are now empty and only serve as sources for delivery. Huge buildings with dozens of tables sit empty.
- wkat4242 1y agoWow here in Spain it's nothing like that. We still go out for dinner a few times a week (especially around lunch time when most restaurants have a 3-course menu for €12-14)
- dmoy 1y agoIn Seattle a single restaurant burger will run you €12-14. A restaurant with a proper three course meal is like €80++, assuming zero alcohol. For the restaurants, their rent is pushing like €250-300/m^2 (or much higher in some locations, much lower if you drive more)
- wkat4242 1y agoJeez... If Trump wasn't enough to discourage me from visiting America, the prices sure do! For us that's a LOT of money.
- com2kid 1y agoI was in Spain at the start of the year and I was impressed that drinks could be had for a price that only had one digit! I was also a bit confused about why beer was cheaper than water at some restaurants. That one threw me for a loop.
- wkat4242 1y agoYes when going out a beer is usually 3 euro or so. There's a few places where it's 5 euro and people complain about the price :) However some places like Ibiza are super expensive. 15 euro for a beer or 22 for a mix. And yes bottled water is often more expensive in the supermarket than wine or beer too. In a restaurant you can often get tap water for free. Take into account that wages here are much lower than the US though (probably less than half) and lower than nothern europe too.
- exe34 1y agoDid it? I haven't looked into the data. The trends seem familiar where I live in the UK and the few places I've visited since the COVID incident.
- BoardsOfCanada 1y agoI assume she's referring to the claim in the article.
- ajross 1y agoI don't see that it did? The linked article is specific to CA data, it's not a broad survey.
- socalgal2 1y agoIt's in the second sentence > In unadjusted data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, we find that employment in California's fast food sector declined by 2.7 percent relative to employment in the fast food sector elsewhere in the United States from September 2023 through September 2024.
- nickpsecurity 1y ago[flagged]
- gddgb 1y ago[dead]