At Philly's Best Pizza, 2022 was a difficult year.
Inflation raised the prices on nearly every ingredient.
Now, the cost to employ workers is going up too.
"I'm basically kind of not making money," said Shawn Path, owner of Philly's Best Pizza and Subs. "The employees are getting their paycheck but not me."
Shawn has owned the pizza shop in Eldridge for nearly 20 years.
Unfortunately for him he's having to pass the rising costs of doing business onto the customer.
"Very soon I'm going to have to increase the price I don't have nay choice," Shawn said. "I had to pay the employee minimum wage then I have to increase the price, it's very hard on us."
In Towson, Coffee Talk Cafe only employs two people, Nara Khakurel and his wife spend seven days a week at the shop.
Now, to ring in the new year he has a new menu, with increased prices.
"We are kind of pressured to increase the prices maybe six or seven percent for most of the sandwiches and coffee," said Khakurel.
Khakurel says he understands there are benefits and drawbacks to the minimum wage increase. He says the increase may keep people happy and allow them to spend more in the local economy. Though there are negatives.
"For workers who are less skilled and have no work experience it may be tough for them to get a job when minimum wage is high," Khakurel said.
Nara doesn't see the increase causing too much harm, for Path it's a different story.
"One more year I'm going to watch and then I'll probably go into a different kind of business. Sell it or close it or something like that," Path said.
Maryland's minimum wage is only going up, but both small businesses are hoping for inflation to settle down.
