Atlas Restaurant Group announced plans to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour for all employees nationwide. The increase, which will be implemented next month, September 2021, will impact nearly 30 percent of the company’s 1,200 employees across Maryland, Texas, and Florida.

The restaurant group will ensure that earnings for all employees, including tipped workers, will reach a minimum of $15 per hour. The current minimum wage in Maryland is $11.75, $7.25 in Texas, and $10 in Florida. The current minimum wage at Atlas Restaurant Group is $12. The company is also offering a $250 bonus to all new employees who remain with the company for more than ninety days.

“We are making these changes because higher wages will improve the standard of living for our hardworking team members,” says Atlas Restaurant Group Founder and CEO, Alex Smith. “We recognize the hardships that employees of the restaurant and hospitality industries have experienced as a result of the pandemic. With this in mind, we are working hard to implement solutions to offer our Atlas team members more financial stability and a greater sense of security for themselves and their families. Bottom line, it is the right thing to do.”

In further support of its workforce, Atlas Restaurant Group now offers a more robust and affordable benefits package for their employees, including both company paid and voluntary benefits. The company pays for 50 percent of the following benefits: medical, dental, vision, teladoc, short-term disability, critical accident and illness, and pet insurance. The company covers at 100 percent a mental health benefit for all employees and household members, as well as life insurance in the amount of $50,000 for all employees.