Waffle House wages | Is it right for companies to blame price hikes on worker pay rises?

Joe Rogers III, CEO of Waffle House, recently announced a long-awaited pay rise for his workers.

After months of labor disputes, Waffle House employees will see their base pay rise to a minimum of $3 in June, and within two years to a minimum of $5.25.

However, he added a rather substantial caveat in a video message announcing the wage hikes—higher pay, says Rogers, means higher prices at stores across the US.

“We need to increase menu prices to pay for this journey, and we have more ability to do that in some places and less ability in others,” he said.