According to an article in Business Week, over 50% of fast food workers are enrolled in at least one public assistance program, a substantially higher proportion than any other industry. The low wages paid to these workers cost American taxpayers an average of $7 Billion a year. Is that really worth a Big Mac that’s a buck cheaper?
Everyday economics from the University of Puget Sound
Here’s Barry Ritholtz writing on Bloomberg about this very topic, and how the existence of these public assistance programs act as subsidies to American businesses: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-17/the-minimum-wage-and-mcdonald-s-welfare.html