Fast food consumers could go hungry today as staff from KFC, Starbucks, and Pizza Hut go on strike.

Around 2000 unionised Restaurant Brands workers will be working off the job, while about half that number will picket KFCs across the country.

Unite Union has been pushing on their behalf for an annual wage increase of 10 cents an hour over three years, bringing their wage to 30 cents above the minimum wage by 2019.

Restaurant Brands, which operates KFC, Pizza Hut, Carl's Jr and Starbucks Coffee franchises, has offered just one 10 cent increase over three years.

Balmoral KFC Shift Supervisor Tawera Paapu relates that she's on strike for fairer pay between roles, pointing out that cooks often get paid more than the people overseeing them.

"The supervisors aren't making a living wage," she said. "These are the people that they're trusting to run their stores."

"If I train a cook, once he's trained then if I'm not running shifts, he's making a dollar more than I am."

Unite national director Mike Treen said the action was a "shot across the bow."

"We're saying to the company 'Look, workers are not happy, they are willing to take action, and don't force us to prolong this dispute.'"

READ MORE: 2000 fast food workers set to strike