In-N-Out Burger confirms customers can thank Democrats for higher menu prices: 'The economy is kind of bad'

In-N-Out Burger, the most recognizable California fast-food chain, has raised its menu prices because of a new minimum-wage law in California.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a law increasing the state-mandated minimum wage at fast-food restaurants from $16 per hour to $20 per hour. The law took effect on April 1.

'When I came to In-N-Out and I was spending $20 on a meal, it's definitely something that I did not expect at all.'

Democrats who supported the law said it was necessary to provide workers with a living wage. But there are consequences of forcing restaurants to raise their minimum wages by 25% because employers rarely absorb the cost of increased wages. Typically, they pass the cost onto the consumer or their employees (in the form of layoffs). And almost immediately after Newsom signed the law, some employers announced layoffs. Other fast-food chains raised their prices or said they would increase automation.

Earlier this year, In-N-Out president Lynsi Snyder said that she didn't want to raise menu prices out of an "obligation" to her customers.

But that's exactly what the burger chain was forced to do.

"On April 1st, we raised our prices incrementally to accompany a pay raise for all of the Associates working in our California restaurants. The price increase was also necessary to maintain our quality standards," In-N-Out confirmed to KTVU-TV.

Now, the starting minimum wage for In-N-Out employees is between $22 to $23 per hour, depending on the restaurant location.

Menu board at In-N-Out burger restaurant in Pleasant Hill, California, September 30, 2013. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

The price of a double-double meal — which includes a burger, fries, and a drink — now costs as much as $13.63 in San Francisco, KRON-TV reported. The same meal costs about $11.44 in Los Angeles County, according to KTLA-TV.

The Democrat-instituted mimimim-wage hike is directly responsible for the price increase, an In-N-Out spokesperson confirmed to KTLA.

Customers, meanwhile, said they understand the prices because they recognize the economy is "bad."

"The price increase? I understand because the economy is kind of bad. Food's going up, all type of stuff," frequent In-N-Out patron Chris Hachlica told KTVU.

"Especially coming from Georgia, California prices are a little bit higher. But when I came to In-N-Out and I was spending $20 on a meal, it's definitely something that I did not expect at all," Khalil Coleman told KTVU.

News of In-N-Out's sticker shock comes after an analysis from the Hoover Institute discovered that California's new minimum wage law has cost the state more than 10,000 jobs.

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