Operating in anticipation of minimum wage hikes

The minimum wage (and the likelihood of its continued climb) has been making a lot of news lately, with a recent Eater report predicting Seattle’s minimum wage increase could upend the industry. The concerns about impacts to the industry aren’t so far-fetched: A study by Harri found that restaurants around the country have responded to minimum wage increases by raising menu prices (71 percent), reducing employee hours (64 percent) and eliminating jobs (43 percent) — all factors that can impact a restaurant’s service model and quality, as well as guest traffic. As the Eater report suggests, the changes can affect the overall experience of dining out, ushering in new service charges, more QR codes in place of servers, and more robots in the kitchen in place of kitchen staff. It’s a future worth contemplating, particularly if your restaurant operates far differently now but might have to modify operations to accommodate economic pressures going forward. Looking at your service model, where is there room for adaptation if needed? Where might you be able to weave in tech-supported changes that make your operate more efficiently while still upholding your values and making your restaurant feel like the same business guests know?