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All rights reserved. <a href="https://help.foxbusiness.com/hc/en-us/sections/4405278462107-FAQ">FAQ</a> - <a href="/privacy-policy">New Privacy Policy</a><br>McDonald's franchise owner Scott Rodrick says his business has experienced 'cost pressure' since California's minimum wage increase targeting fast food franchises on 'Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street.'<br>Bebop Waffle Shop closed its doors for good on Monday after a new minimum wage hike made operating costs unsustainable. <br>Corina Luckenbach, the owner of a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/seattle" target="_blank" rel="noopener">West Seattle</a> waffle shop, lamented that she had no choice but to close down her business when the city’s new minimum wage law went into effect on Jan. 1, raising hourly pay to $20.76.<br>"This was my dream. To own my own cafe, to run it how I want to, and to really, like, be in service to people," Luckenbach <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFINM5E8sPA" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">told Fox 13,</a> later noting that she has "cried every day," about its impending closure due to multiple factors.<br>Luckenbach, who founded Bebop Waffle Shop more than 10 years ago after migrating from New York, specified that her business had already been struggling with both high inflation and lower foot traffic due to the increasing popularity of working from home. <br><a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6360889243112" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>NY EXECUTIVE CHEF PROPOSES ELIMINATING THE RESTAURANT TIPPING SYSTEM ALTOGETHER</strong></a><br><span>Waffle shop owner Corina Luckenbach lamented the closure of her business over rising costs to employ workers.</span><span> (FOX 13 YouTube channel)</span><br>"This is financially just not going to make sense anymore. Because, just for me, the increase would cost me $32,000 more a year," she told Fox 13. <br>According to<a href="https://nypost.com/2025/01/02/business/seattle-waffle-shop-shuts-down-due-to-new-minimum-wage-law/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> The New York Post</a>, "The new $20.76 per hour law — which is $4 higher than Washington State’s minimum wage requirement — applies to large and small businesses. It also eliminates tip or benefit credits."<br>Numerous locally owned businesses that once served as gathering places for the community have been forced to close down amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout, and Bebop Waffle shop, named after the owner’s dog, appears to be no exception.<br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/gavin-newsom-critics-said-californias-minimum-wage-increase-would-job-killer-opposite-happened" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong><u>NEWSOM: CRITICS SAID CA WAGE INCREASE WOULD BE A JOB-KILLER; THE OPPOSITE HAPPENED</u></strong></a><br><span>Bebop Waffle Shop owner Corina Luckenbach credited rising minimum wage and reduced foot traffic for the closure of her business.</span><span> (Fox 13 YouTube channel)</span><br><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hochul-spurs-bipartisan-outrage-over-congestion-pricing-reboot-before-trump-block" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>HOCHUL SPURS BIPARTISAN OUTRAGE OVER CONGESTION PRICING</strong></a><br>Luckenbach revealed <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to the media</a> that "the hardest thing" about closing the business is that it is ultimately "taking away a safe space for people."<br>"The stories of like what it meant to people to come in and feel safe and to feel welcomed — I just, I didn’t know," she said tearfully.<br>As 2025 began, nearly half the states in the U.S. saw <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/states-where-minimum-wage-rise-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">minimum wage increases, </a>which meant a pay hike for some 9.2 million workers, according to recent data.<br>Raising Cane's co-CEO AJ Kumaran discusses how the increase in California's minimum wage has impacted his company on 'The Claman Countdown.'<br><a href="https://foxnews.com/download" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP</strong></a><br>An analysis by The Economic Policy Institute says 21 states were set to raise their minimum wage at the first of the year, along with 48 cities and counties that are lifting their pay floors above their respective state minimums — <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-voters-narrowly-reject-18-minimum-wage-first-no-vote-nationwide-since-1996" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mostly in California,</a> Colorado and Washington.<br><i>Fox Business' Breck Dumas contributed to this report.</i><br><br>Get a brief on the top business stories of the week, plus CEO interviews, market updates, tech and money news that matters to you.<br>We've added you to our mailing list.<br>By clicking subscribe, you agree to the Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/privacy-policy" target="_blank">Privacy Policy</a> and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/terms-of-use" target="_blank">Terms of Use</a>, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. 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