Delores Leonard, a single mother raising two daughters, has been working at McDonald's for seven years and has never made more than minimum wage, but gets some assistance with food stamps.

While the U.S. restaurant industry fights national and state efforts to increase the minimum wage, a new survey released on Tuesday showed that 83 percent of restaurant patrons support raising it and adjusting it annually for inflation. The results come as two years of union-backed protests by fast-food workers have put a spotlight on the plight of the working poor and helped fuel a debate about the federal minimum wage, which has been $7.25 since 2009.


Reporting by Lisa Baertlein, REUTERS.