Seattle residents react to the $15 an hour minimum wage.

Seattle business owners woke up Tuesday to a city set to have the highest minimum wage in the country, throwing them into uncharted territory. The city council unanimously approved an increase to $15 an hour, which will be phased in over several years. It's a significant hike, raising the rate more than $5 over what minimum wage workers currently make in the state of Washington. It's also well above the federal minimum wage rate of $7.25.

As other cities, states and Congress continue to fight over raising the minimum wage by even smaller amounts, Seattle business owners will already be learning how to survive while paying workers top dollar.