Panera Bread is exempt from following one of Californiaās newest laws, according to multiple reports. The new law will raise fast-food workersā minimum wage to $20 per hour and will take effect beginning April 1.
The new law doesnāt recognize places that operate āa bakery that produces for sale on the establishmentās premises breadā as fast food, according to the lawās text.
Why the line was drawn at bread remains unclear.
However, Newsom pushed for the exemption, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. One of the primary beneficiaries of the exemption is Greg Flynn, a billionaire and longtime Newsom donor who has two dozen Panera Bread locations in California.
Besides flour, yeast, water, milk, and egg, the rest of the ingredients are food additives. The CFR section in my comment above says that bread is produced by baking it.