California fast-food managers rake in massive raises – despite restaurants hiking prices, shutting stores over $20 minimum wage

Managers at California fast-food restaurants have quietly raked in massive raises – despite major chains hiking prices and some shutting locations after the state passed a $20 minimum wage.

While the pay bump for workers from $16 an hour has garnered much of the attention, a separate provision that has received less notice since the controversial law went into effect April 1 also boosted pay for managers at quick-service restaurants by 25% — to least $83,200, from $66,560.

At the fast-growing chicken chain Raising Cane’s, general managers in the state can now see their annual pay reach $174,000 from bonuses based on their location’s sales and profit, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Monique Pizano, a 27-year-old general manager at a Raising Cane’s location in Carson, Calif., about 15 miles south of Los Angeles, saw her annual base salary rise from $79,000 to $85,000 after the law was implemented, the Journal reported.

Pizano, who manages 96 employees, is eligible for a monthly bonus of between $5,000 and $7,500 if she hits certain financial milestones with the Baton Rouge, La.-based chain — which has around 90 of its 700 restaurants in California.

The Carson location attracts an average of 700,000 customers per year and does around $9 million in annual sales.