Minimum wage increases are all the rage today in places like Seattle and Los Angeles, where local governments are phasing in a $15-an-hour minimum for labor over the next few years. While some can look forward to a slightly bigger paycheck, restaurant owners and employees alike are concerned about what these increases will do to their industry. In June, the Wall Street Journal estimated that profit margins for restaurants in cities or states with rising minimum wages could shrink by one to four percentage points, based on a study by Moody’s Investors Service. Now, minimum wage staff typically don’t make up most of a restaurant’s team. So why the lost profits? Moody’s says that employers will probably introduce across-the-board raises to keep veteran workers happy and maintain theContinue Reading …