Whether or not you love In-N-Out Burger, you can't deny that the fast food burger chain easily captures the hearts and stomachs of Americans. Maybe it's those famous Instagram tray photos, the way the burger is wrapped, or the Animal Style fries, but no matter how you slice it, In-N-Out is a fast food darling. This new report from the Irvine, California chain proves that for as much as fans love them, they also love their employees.
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To begin, the architect in Texas makes about $105,000 each year on average, according to Indeed. A software engineer in the state, by comparison, makes about $85,000, while a lawyer in Texas averages about $113,000 each year. That is nothing compared to the new report from In-N-Out Burger that details the salary of a store manager. Brace yourselves, because as the California Sun reported, an In-N-Out store manager makes about $160,000 in average, yearly pay. The publication reports that the average salary number is triple the industry average.
Saru Jayaraman, the leader of the Food Labor Research Center at the University of Berkeley told the publication that, "In-N-Out is just eons above everybody else. On wages and benefits, they really are the best large chain." In-N-Out has remained family-owned since the beginning when Harry and Esther Snyder launched in 1948. Because it has no public shareholders, as Jayaraman points out, In-N-Out is able to "take the high road [to] make a profit not in spite of paying their workers better but because they pay their workers better."
Here's a small breakdown of the pay structure at In-N-Out fast food restaurants. Workers begin at least $13 an hour and are encouraged to rise through the ranks of the store. There's no college degree required for moving through the corporate ladder, and the benefits package is inclusive. With 401(k) plans, paid vacation, and health, dental, and vision plans, In-N-Out workers eligible for the benefits are treated fairly.
To see how In-N-Out really stacks up to the averages, here are a few average salaries across the United States in five successful chains in the fast food industry. All estimates are provided by Indeed.
1. Burger King
A Franchise Manager at Burger King reports an average $79,568 per year, while a Regional Manager reports about $76,090 per year.
2. Chipotle
A District Manager at Chipotle Mexican Grill makes about $81,712 per year on average, while the Area Manager makes about $78,042 per year.
3. McDonald's
A District Manager at McDonald's pulls in about $47,270 on average per year. A Regional Manager is averaging about $87,652.
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4. Shake Shack
A Manager at Shake Shake reports about $46,379 yearly, while a General Manager records about $70,956 each year.
5. Starbucks
A District Manager at the chain earns about $82,279 each year, while a General Manager reports about $49,909 each year.
6. Whataburger
A Whataburger General Manager reports about $49,866 on average each year, while a Manager earns about $35,398.
When you compare these numbers to the wildly lucrative Store Manager salary newly reported by In-N-Out Burger (though Indeed still lists the Store Manager role at about $50,862 averaged across the U.S.), you can see that it's more than comparable to the restaurant managers. In-N-Out Store Managers seem to be earning nearly as much as District and Regional Managers, even outpacing those positions.
Either way, analysts connect In-N-Out Burger's ethos of quality pay and benefits to their success across the country. When you give good pay to good people, no matter where you are in America, the effort shows.
