UPDATE: June 20, 2018 at 11:57 a.m.
If you want to make the big bucks, you could go the traditional route with a high-paying job as a pharmacist or architect. Or, you could sling burgers at In-N-Out, and make even more cash money. The California Sun reports that In-N-Out restaurant managers now make more than $160,000 on average. No, there's not an extra '1' in there — you really could make a MILLION dollars in about six years working at a fast food chain.
That's more than triple the industry average: "In-N-Out is just eons above everybody else," Saru Jayaraman, who leads the Food Labor Research Center at U.C. Berkeley, told the California Sun. "On wages and benefits, they really are the best large chain."
In an email to the Sun, In-N-Out's Vice President of Operations Denny Warwick said that treating employees well has always been part of the company's approach. "Paying their associates well was just one way to help maintain that focus, and those beliefs remain firmly in place with us today."
Those at the bottom make a comfortable amount too. Starting salaries for In-N-Out employees start at $13 an hour, which is currently $2 more than California's minimum wage.
ORIGINAL POST: September 14, 2017 at 5:09 p.m.
If the thought of animal-style everything and endless milkshakes isn't enough to persuade you, the salary In-N-Out managers reportedly make might have you reconsidering your career path.
Back in 2012, the Orange Country Register reported the average salary for an In-N-Out manager was over $120,000, compared to an industry average of around $48,000. As Thrillist pointed out, that's also about $5,000 more than the average lawyer makes, and you don't have to rack up law school debt to get the position.
As a manager, you're also treated to free international trips if you hit target goals, a former In-N-Out employee shared. Add in the company's generous benefits program and casual work culture and you've got a pretty sweet deal.
To be fair, it's not all smooth sailing – if you do want to be a store manager, you'll have to start from the bottom. In-N-Out only hires from within, meaning every store manager started as an hourly associate, either in the backroom, as a counter hand out, or on the clean-up crew.
Like their bosses, associates are treated pretty dang well, though. The starting salary is a minimum of $11 an hour, with some locations starting at $12.50 an hour, according to Reddit threads. Part-time workers get dental and health benefits, vacation days, and free meals while working, and can set up a 401k. Not too shabby for a first job.
While the six-figure salary may seem outrageous, it checks out across Glassdoor, Reddit and IGN threads, and the Register interview with the notoriously press-shy In-N-Out President, Lynsi Snyder. Snyder told the Register that the attractive salaries and generous benefits are part of her family's mission to maintain a family atmosphere within the company. It seems to be working – In-N-Out ranked #7 on Glassdoor's 2017 list of Best Places to Work.
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