Panera Bread Raises Wages: Response to CA's New Laws

Photo byAdobe/LELA News

A big donor to California's governor is raising wages at his Panera Bread restaurants. Greg Flynn announced that starting April 1, he will pay workers at least $20 per hour.

The move comes after a new California law set a $22 minimum wage for fast food chains. At first, some thought Panera could avoid the higher minimum because it has bakeries on site. That might have let Panera qualify for an exception.

However, a news report suggested the exception was meant to help Flynn, who has donated a lot of money to Governor Gavin Newsom's campaigns. Both Flynn and Newsom denied there was any special treatment.

Rather than being accused of exploiting a loophole, Flynn raised pay to $20 an hour across his 24 California Panera locations. Panera's dough is made off-site, so the bakery exception likely only applies sometimes.

By hiking wages, Flynn can stay competitive with other big fast-food employers in the state and avoid looking like he gamed the system due to his ties to Newsom. The two rejected claims that donors get unfair advantages when new policies are made.

There are 188 Panera Bread restaurants in California, according to ScrapeHero.

Disclaimer: This article is only for educational and informational purposes. There are no affiliations with any business or organization mentioned.