I talked to many independent coffee shop workers, and they used to get minimum wage. While Starbucks offered better wages, access to health insurance at a certain level, and now even tuition assistance. Starbucks probably had more unpredictable scheduling, not sure if they have changed that bit.

Amazing story of how a NY Times article caused Starbucks to reverse their immoral scheduling policies.

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/us/starbucks-to-revise-wo...

> Roughly half the minimum-wage workforce is employed at businesses with fewer than 100 employees, and 40% are at very small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

[1] https://www.epionline.org/oped/who-really-employs-minimum-wa...

Hmmm. How many of these are franchise-related?

"Some of these businesses are small diners or independent grocery stores; others are franchisees that own a handful of stores affiliated with a recognizable brand. (For instance, over 80% of McDonald’s locations are owned by franchisees.) In either case, the profits and executive pay at the country’s largest businesses have nothing to do with the stark economics these small-business owners face: single-digit profit margins."

If over 80% of McDonald's locations are owned by franchisees, then it's likely that MANY of these are franchise-related (also, profits and executive pay at McDonald's would certainly have something to do with the related economics of franchise fees and the back-end of the supply chain).