Celebrity Chef Warns California Minimum Wage Hike Could Force Small Restaurants to Close, Urges Tech Upgrades

Celebrity chef Robert Irvine believes California's new $20 minimum wage will cause over 20% of small, mom-and-pop restaurants to go out of business. He thinks it will spur other states to also raise minimum wages.

Since the wage hike took effect, Irvine's restaurant tech company GRUBBRR has seen a 77% rise in service requests from struggling restaurants.

Irvine argues restaurant technology upgrades could prevent closures and layoffs. His "Restaurant Revamp" campaign aims to digitally transform restaurants.

By year's end, Irvine predicts 44% of quick-service restaurants will have new front or back-of-house technology to increase revenue and offset higher labor costs.

Irvine encourages worried businesses to embrace restaurant tech innovations tailored to their operations and vision. He invests heavily because he sees it as the industry's future.