A man filmed an empty Taco Bell location and blamed the lack of customers on the state’s newly mandated minimum wage for fast-food workers, but many viewers had a different take on the situation.
History teacher and content creator Efrain (@the_realefrainb) uploaded a video of an empty Taco Bell restaurant to his TikTok account four days ago. The video has received 1.2 million views since being posted.
In the short clip, Efrain pans his camera around the restaurant that doesn’t have a single visible customer.
“Hello TikTok. So this is me coming to Taco Bell after the $20 an hour law,” he says, referring to California’s new minimum wage of $20 an hour, which took effect April 1, 2024, for fast-food workers who are employed at chains with 60 or more locations around the country.
Efrain continues to say, “This is how is looks, see? No people here. This is what California has come to. A $20 an hour job for fast food equals nobody’s gonna be wanting to pay these high prices.”
Despite Efrain’s footage showcasing the empty Taco Bell, a number of viewers disagreed with his explanation of why there was no one in the restaurant.
A number of viewers pointed out that Taco Bell restaurants are always empty because customers usually opt for the drive-thru.
“As someone who has worked at six different Taco Bell, locations, four of them being in California, this is normal for a dining room in the middle middle of the day,” one person wrote.
“They’re in the [drive-thru]. Taco Bell dining room has been empty since the 90s,” echoed another.
A few commenters thought that Efrain’s blame was misplaced.
“I’m SO TIRED of finger[s] that SHOULD be pointing at CORPORATE GREED being instead pointed at the struggling working class,” wrote one person.
“$41k salary isn’t much especially in California .. and you’re complaining bout it,” pointed out another.
“The corporation has enough to pay you. Most people can’t afford fast food let alone go to the supermarket!” said a third, referring to the rising cost of groceries.
@the_realefrainb #california #20dollarwaiges #califonialaws2024 #notgood #cali #californiajobs #notok #omg #badeconomy #economics #politians #outcome #politics ♬ original sound – Efrain
In a follow-up video, Efrain claims he spoke to the manager of the empty Taco Bell.
“Employees are quitting. They are cutting their hours. And this location, where I am from, used to have people dining in. They’re saying nobody dines in,” Efrain says the manager told him.
“This is not OK,” he adds. “This is a liberal situation. Not OK guys. The manager said the same thing.”
However, viewers were still unconvinced that the problem lay with the increased minimum wage.
“In and out has been paying $22/hr for a while and their burgers are still under $5,” pointed out one person, making the argument that Taco Bell could also pay its employees more without raising prices and risking empty restaurants.
“You do know [the] CEO of McDonalds made 18 million last year. Why don’t you focus on that,” asked someone else.
Another suggested the issue is “Not a liberal situation, it’s a corporate greed problem.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Efrain via TikTok direct message and to Taco Bell via email.
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