By some estimates, the restaurant industry has the most job vacancies to fill in the US. Since the pandemic, fast-food workers have fled the sector, leaving restaurant chains struggling to find help. That's led to increased wages for cashiers and cooks, some of whom are being replaced by automated voice ordering systems. But how have fast-food general managers, whose duties range from dealing with fussy customers to inventory management, fared over the years?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual mean wage of a restaurant food manager is $63,820 as of May 2022. But chains like Chipotle, Taco Bell, and In-N-Out Burger are paying some managers much higher than the industry standard, with salaries topping over $100,000.At In-N-Out, a restaurant manager can earn more than $180,000 a year. To put these rare six-figure salaries into perspective, these managers are running one store. At McDonald's, a district manager supervising about five Midwest stores makes anywhere from $65,000 to $80,000 a year, according to LinkedIn job postings. The way these chains see it, paying top salaries to store managers leads to top results. "Offering the highest wages in the industry is one way we attract the best people to care for our customers," In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder wrote in a new book she penned about the chain's history.
Here's a closer look at the fast-food chains paying top dollar for store managers.
In-N-Out Burger - Owner says the company built its fast-food empire in part by paying good wages to employees and managers. Nancy Luna/Insider. The average pay of a store manager at the iconic fast-food chain is more than $180,000 per year — including store profit-sharing, owner Lynsi Snyder wrote in her soon-to-be-released book about the chain's history. In the 208-page book, Snyder reveals how her grandparents, Harry and Esther Snyder, created a fast-food empire by, in part, paying employees and managers handsome wages. But to become an In-N-Out manager, you must work up from the bottom and learn every role necessary to run a restaurant, including working the drive-thru and flipping burgers. In-N-Out is based in Irvine, California, and operates nearly 400 locations in seven states.
An employee at the new Taco Bell Cantina Restaurant wears a t shirt with a motto for the new restaurant on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton) At Taco Bell, you don't have to start as an hourly employee to become a store manager. But it helps, the company says. Matt Marton/AP. In 2020, Taco Bell launched a pilot program where select managers at company-owned restaurants would increase their salary to $100,000 a year. At the time, the pay boost amounted to nearly a $50,000 a year raise. Since that time, the test has evolved to become the '"Entrepreneur" program, the chain told Insider. The leader-development program is for general managers of company-owned restaurants. "This group of individuals demonstrates an entrepreneurial spirit, an attitude of ownership toward their restaurant, and a creative growth mindset," Taco Bell told Insider. "Entrepreneurs' base pay starts at $80,000 with the opportunity to earn up to $100,000 a year, including bonuses." The chain did not disclose how many general managers are in the program. "We aim to add more participants annually," the company said.
It's unclear what the hundreds of franchise stores run by independent operators pay managers. "While Taco Bell Corporate cannot mandate salaries and wages of franchisees, we offer competitive pay rates and encourage franchisees to do the same," Taco Bell said. General managers at Taco Bell are responsible for various tasks, including growing and developing team members, ensuring the business runs smoothly, operations, managing schedules, and keeping customers satisfied, the chain said.
Unlike In-N-Out, you don't have to start as an hourly employee to become a store manager. But it helps, Taco Bell said. The chain said 54% of Taco Bell general managers started as restaurant-level workers. "This doesn't mean that we don't accept qualified leaders from outside of Taco Bell, but we love when we see growth from within," the chain said. Sometimes, managers can climb up the ladder and land a C-suite job. Taco Bell President and Chief Operating Officer Mike Grams began his career as an assistant general manager in Detroit, Michigan. Taco Bell is based in Irvine, California. Of its 7,241 restaurants, 473 are company-owned as of the second quarter of 2023.
Chipotle
The "restaurateur" is the highest of the general manager positions at Chipotle. Chipotle In less than four years, a line worker at Chipotle can advance to become a top store manager, or "restaurateur," and earn a six-figure salary. The restaurateur is the highest of the general manager positions at Chipotle. Like In-N-Out, Chipotle prefers these positions to be filled from the ranks of current employees, instead of outsiders. In August, Chipotle said over 85 percent of its restaurant leadership started as crew members. "Restaurateurs are chosen from the ranks of general managers for their skill at managing their restaurant and their employees," Chipotle told Insider. The designation of restaurateur is "earned by high performing general managers that run an excellent restaurant through exceptional people and exceptional food," the chain added.
"Chipotle is a people and food company and to continue serving exceptional food, we need exceptional people to grow with us," Scott Boatwright, chief operating officer, said in August. "We are looking to cultivate new culinary driven talent and develop them into world-class operators to support our future growth plans." The average annual pay for a restaurateur is $113,500, according to the chain's website. The average pay for general managers one level down is $89,900 a year. Chipotle is based in Newport Beach, California, and operates more than 3,250 restaurants in the US, Canada, the UK, France, and Germany.
