Two major California Pizza Hut franchisees — PacPizza and Southern California Pizza Company — are laying off more than 1,200 delivery workers ahead of the new statewide minimum wage hike for fast food workers, from $16 an hour to $20 an hour, starting April 1.

The two companies — which together own hundreds of Pizza Hut restaurants in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties — are eliminating the delivery driver position as the layoffs become official in February, according to federal WARN Act notices filed last month with the Employment Development Department.