That is the point of the movement. To free us all up to just live. We pay for the difference in what these employers are willing to pay, versus what it costs to live either way. The federal minimum wage, when enacted, was $0.25/hour. At the time, 1938, that $0.25 could buy the equivalent of $20 in today's goods when the cost for those goods are taken into account from then to now.

I do realize that the cost of living is directly associated with the geographical location. I believe that the business owners need to take a pay cut instead of passing the cost of paying their entry-level employees a livable wage should be taken out of their pockets, and not passed back down to the consumer. If that breaks your business, then guess what? There is a cost for operating in the land of the free. You take less of a cut, so instead of raking in $100k, you rake in $90k to pay your employees a livable wage. Simple as that.

The businesses should do this willingly. Forget the government regulation, this should be standard business practice. Take care of your employees, they will take care of you. Every year that goes by, the quality dips because the disparity of wage versus cost of living gets wider and wider.