In-N-Out managers make six-figure salaries, in case you want to start a new career

Doctor, lawyer, architect: All careers that can guarantee six-figure salaries. But another route to making that much money is to climb up the management chain at In-N-Out. A new report confirms that store managers for the popular burger chain average about $160,000 per year, no college degree required. If your job sucks, you love burgers, and you live in an In-N-Out state, this might be the career change you were looking for.

Per Indeed, the average restaurant manager in California makes $54,000 a year. The average restaurant manager at a McDonald’s in California makes nearly $44,000 a year. According to the newsletter California Sun, and confirmed by the burger chain to USA Today, the average In-N-Out branch manager makes $160,000 a year.

“In-N-Out is just eons above everybody else,” Saru Jayaraman, a food and labor researcher at U.C. Berkeley, told California Sun. “On wages and benefits, they really are the best large chain.”

People have been anecdotally praising In-N-Out for years, citing good pay with constant raises and full-time benefits like health insurance, paid time off, and 401(k) plans — benefits typically not offered to fast food employees. That being said, certain benefits — like health insurance and PTO — don’t kick in until you reach full-time employment, but part-time workers are treated to a free meal each shift and other perks like Christmas gifts at the holidays. false

However, the Glassdoor reviews from current and former employees tell the story of a company that runs a tight ship and expects consistent hard work for its great compensation. false

One anonymous post from a current employee in California sums up it: “Company expects employees to work very hard. No shortcuts from them as an employer means no shortcuts for employees. (Not really a con, it’s only a fair expectation, but some people don’t get the concept.)”

Good pay for hard work — sounds like every industry could take a cue from In-N-Out’s management playbook.

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