Fast food workers' wages have become a topic of controversy in recent weeks, as employees took to the streets claiming fast food giants aren't paying them enough to survive.
Enter Moo Cluck Moo, a Detroit-area burger joint profiting while still paying its employees $12 an hour. Brian Parker, the restaurant’s co-founder, explained the philosophy behind paying workers more than the the state mandated-minimum wage of $7.40 an hour.
“The number one investment is human capital,” he told HuffPost Live. “We are investing in the process, in better foods, better quality, better service and better people.”
Parker said his own experience making minimum wage at a job growing up motivated him to ensure his workers earned a living wage. Indeed, fast food workers say they struggle to make ends meet on just above the minimum wage. Media outlets and advocacy organizations recently criticized McDonald's after the company released a sample employee budget that advised workers to get a second job if they wanted to pay their bills on McDonald's wages.
To be sure, as a smaller company Parker's business model is different than those of fast food giants, meaning it may be difficult for the likes of McDonald's and Wendy's to adopt a similar policy. Still, paying employees well is working for Moo Cluck Moo; the company is looking to expand, Parker told the Daily Beast earlier this month. And he expects the success will continue.
“We feel we have a good idea [and] we feel consumers will gravitate towards that good idea and support us,” he told HuffPostLive.
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