By late 2020, just before the minimum wage in Denver rose to $14.77 an hour and the tipped minimum wage increased to $11.75, restaurant owners searched for a way to make up the difference, even as their businesses in the pandemic stayed shuttered. “I did the math, and if we were to keep the same exact staffing, our labor cost was going to go up basically by $100,000,” said Tommy Lee, who owns the restaurants Hop Alley and Uncle, the latter with two Denver locations. Lee pored over his business’ financials looking for efficiencies.