Lawrence Cheng, whose family owns seven Wendy's locations south of Los Angeles, stands for a photo outside his Wendy's restaurant in Fountain Valley, Calif., June 20, 2024. Cheng used to have nearly a dozen employees at the location during the day. Now, he only schedules seven for each shift as he scrambles to absorb a dramatic jump in labor costs after a new California law boosted the hourly wage for fast food workers on April 1 from $16 to $20 an hour. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)