In 2025, the federal minimum wage is officially a “poverty wage.” The annual earnings of a single adult working full-time, year-round at $7.25 an hour now fall below the poverty threshold of $15,650 (established by the Department of Health and Human Services guidelines). The limitations of how the federal government calculates poverty understate how far…
De jure, the restaurant has to make the difference up if they make less than minimum wage after tips. De facto, wage theft is about twice as much as all other forms of theft combined.