How Much Does Chick-fil-A Pay?

Srdjan Gombar
16 Min Read

It goes without saying that anywhere in North America, when you think about a chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A is one of the first things that comes to mind. With a revenue of $11.3 billion and almost 2,800 franchises, this fast-food conglomerate employs as many as 140,000 people. With such workplace capacities, it’s no wonder that Chick-fil-A is constantly looking for new talent.

Still, to review whether their offer is genuinely appealing, a few questions need to be answered:

  • How much does Chick-fil-A pay its employees?
  • How is this affected by the state and position?
  • What benefits can Chick-fil-A employees expect?

Let’s try to find the answers!

What Is the Average Pay at Chick-fil-A in 2022?

Chick-fil-A pays an average of $12.92 per hour for a team member’s position. We singled it out because it’s an entry-level position and the place where most no-experience employees will start at.

Still, the average or even median is often misleading. When looking for your income at Chick-fil-A, you should probably do state-specific research, look into salaries for other positions (growth opportunities), and more.

Moreover, this is merely a gross and not net income. Therefore, you might also want to consult a take-home pay calculator.

How much does Chick-fil-A pay an hour?

On average, Chick-fil-A pays $12.92 per hour for a team member’s position. This is one of the first jobs you’ll get in this field, regardless of the company. Other entry-level positions are restaurant staff ($12.58 per hour), kitchen team member ($13.73), or back-of-the-house team member ($13.48). As you can see, it’s all in a similar ballpark.

An hourly rate is usually how you calculate the Chick-fil-A pay, to begin with. You just multiply it by the number of hours you’ve worked, and you get your gross income. So, your weekly, monthly, and annual income depend on both the hourly wage and the number of working hours.

Now, full-time employees work 40 hours per week or more. Your unadjusted pay is the figure based on the presumption that your year has 52 weeks and 260 weekdays (which is almost never the case). This is the equation that we’ll stick to in our subsequent calculation.

Also, keep in mind that most people take a certain number of vacation days per year, and there are quite a few holidays. When you consider these, the result will be your adjusted pay. Multiplying your Chick-fil-A pay per hour with this “adjusted” number of days will give you a more accurate estimate.

Let’s say you take 10 holidays per year and 15 vacation days. Following this principle, your daily unadjusted pay at Chick-fil-A will come down to $103.36 for a team member’s position. Your adjusted pay, on the other hand, would be close to $93 per day.

How much does Chick-fil-A pay a week?

Weekly, your unadjusted pay at Chick-fil-A will be $517. And your adjusted salary will be closer to $467. As you can see, the difference is roughly 9-10%. Once again, we must stress that this is not your take-home pay. You still have taxes to pay.

Another important thing to consider when calculating your Chick-fil-A salary is how the company pays. While this is up to individual franchises to decide, the company usually pays bi-weekly (every second Thursday). This is a slight deviation from the rest of the fast-food industry, where most companies (like McDonald’s or Subway) pay every second Friday.

Your bi-weekly unadjusted income at Chick-fil-A will come down to $1,034, while your adjusted pay will be $934.

It’s also important to mention that the franchise you’re at may decide to pay semi-monthly. This means that they’ll pay on the 15th and 30th (or on the first subsequent workday). Due to the discrepancy in the number of workdays, your semi-monthly unadjusted pay will be $1,120, while your adjusted salary will come down to $1,012. As you can see, the pay is similar to the bi-weekly but not quite the same.

How much does Chick-fil-A pay a month?

As a team member, you’ll get paid $2,239 unadjusted and $2,024 of adjusted pay per month. Just remember that outside of your regular calculations, what you’re currently dealing with is your gross monthly income. This means that you have some more calculations to do to get the sum you’ll have at your disposal.

The simplest way to handle this would be to find yourself a reliable take-home pay calculator. Then, you just need to fill in all your state-specific and required personal parameters. From that point on, the rest of the process is mostly automated.

How much does Chick-fil-A pay a year?

When it comes to the yearly income of someone with Chick-fil-A hourly pay of a team member, you’ll get an average of $26,874 unadjusted and $24,290 adjusted.

Just remember that a year is a far longer period than a week or a month, which means that there are much higher discrepancies. You may have more or fewer workdays, more or fewer overtime hours, etc. Still, this estimate gives you a rough estimate of your total annual income.

How Much Does Chick-fil-A Pay Part-Time?

A part-time worker at Chick-fil-A is someone who works less than 35 hours per week. This would be a daily income of less than $90.44 for the position of a team member.

Nonetheless, some part-time employees work as little as 18 hours per week. In fact, if you have a really bad relationship with your shift manager (they genuinely dislike you), you may sometimes work as little as 10 hours per week.

In other words, this equation has an incredibly high level of customizability.

How Old Do You Have to Be to Work at Chick-fil-A?

Right after asking about Chick-fil-A starting pay, many people want to know about the minimum age of Chick-fil-A employees. It comes down to the state law and the individual rights of employers. Generally speaking, it’s legally acceptable for Chick-fil-A franchises to hire even 14-year-olds.

However, it’s also worth mentioning that many franchises refuse to hire those younger than 16. Second, underage applicants may need a special permit from their parents or guardians, as well as a solved transportation issue.

Lastly, minors may be eligible only for certain positions. They can’t work in any occupations declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. These include all jobs involving baking, driving or operating machines, such as meat slicers or commercial mixers.

How much does Chick-fil-A pay 14-year-olds?

When it comes to how much 14-year-olds will get paid per hour, the answer is the same as with everyone else: $12.92 per hour as a team member.

However, there are a couple of restrictions worth taking into consideration.

First, you’re not going to see a 14-year-old as a shift leader or a restaurant manager (even the most talented one). You’re not going to see them as a cook either, seeing as how the kitchen is too risky of a work environment for the minor.

Second, a minor can only work part-time. For someone 16 or younger, the maximum shift duration is four hours per day. This means that there are a lot of minors who work 18 hours per week or less.

In other words, their Chick-fil-A starting wage per hour is the same as everyone else’s. Due to restrictions, they work fewer hours and may be, for the time being, locked out of certain positions.

How Much Does Chick-fil-A Pay per State?

Each franchise conforms to its state’s purchasing power parity, regulations, and tax laws.

How much does Chick-fil-A Pay in Texas?

Wages in Texas-based Chick-fil-A are actually quite close to the national average. For instance:

  • A team member in Texas makes $12.89 an hour. This is $103.12 daily and roughly $516 weekly unadjusted.
  • A kitchen team member will make $13.89 per hour. This is roughly $111 per day and $556 per week, unadjusted.
  •  A cook at Chick-fil-A in Texas makes $14.49 for an hour’s work. This comes down to $115 per day and $580 for a week unadjusted.

Interestingly enough, this is slightly higher than how much Taco Bell pays in Texas.

How much does Chick-fil-A Pay in Florida?

Salaries in a Florida-based Chick-fil-A restaurant are slightly lower than the national average. For instance:

  • A team member in Florida makes $12.38 per hour. This is $99.04 per day and $495 per week (unadjusted).
  • A kitchen team member will earn $12.60 hourly when working in a Florida-based Chick-fil-A. Unadjusted for holidays and vacations, this comes down to $100.80 per day and $504 per week.
  • A prep cook makes $13.37 for an hour’s work. Unadjusted, this is $106.96 daily and $535 weekly.

Of course, when you make it to the management, you get a more significant salary to match. This is why a director of customer services in Florida can earn as much as $43,591 per year.

How Much Does Chick-fil-A Pay per Position?

Perhaps the most important factor worth considering is how a Chick-fil-A average pay is affected by the position that one holds within the franchise/company. For instance:

  • Restaurant staff: Makes $12.58 per hour, which is roughly $26,166 per year.
  • Team member: Makes $12.92 per hour, which is roughly $26,874 per year.
  • Kitchen team member: Makes $13.73 per hour, which is roughly $27,810 per year.
  • Shift leader: Makes $15.88 per hour, which is roughly $33,030 per year.
  • Shift manager: Makes $16.69 per hour, which is roughly $34,715 per year.
  • Kitchen manager: Makes $18.20 per hour, which is roughly $37,856 per year.

Then, you have highly-paid administration roles like senior project lead, which can yield as much as $114,989 per year.

Even here, the discrepancies between the states are significant, so it’s more than worth considering both of these factors before making any conclusions.

Chick-fil-A Employee Benefits

Chick-fil-A wages and benefits are the first two inquiries anyone will make before seeking employment there. So, now that we have the basics regarding the wages out of the way, here are some of the most important benefits worth mentioning.

In terms of insurance, in some franchises, there are:

  • Dental insurance
  • Health insurance
  • Vision insurance

In terms of leave, there’s some space for improvement. While paid time off is available in some scenarios, there’s no parental leave. Bear in mind, though, that this information is based on reviews and tips submitted by employees and may not be valid for all franchises.

When talking about flexibility, there are a couple of things that we should stress out. Work from home is available only in a couple of scenarios and only in some positions. Flexible schedules, however, are one of the biggest benefits of this industry.

In terms of financial perks that are meant to supplement the Chick-fil-A average salary, employees have access to:

  • Bonus pay
  • Commuter assistance
  • Employee discount
  • Stock options

Two more things that employees often mention as significant benefits are free food and an employee monitoring program.

Lastly, Chick-fil-A offers tuition reimbursement and retirement plan to their employees. Still, it’s worth mentioning that 401k might require you to invest some years in the franchise.

Overall, Chick-fil-A’s benefits are somewhat less impressive than what some industry competitors offer.

Wrap Up

When asking questions like “How much does Chick-fil-A pay?” you can get an easy answer, like $12.92 for an entry-level job of a team member, or you can get a more complex answer. The latter includes counting in the averages of the state that the franchise is in, the number of hours you have per week, overtime, bonuses, and all the potential benefits.

Still, what matters the most is that Chick-fil-A is, in most parameters, comparable to the rest of the industry. Like the other major fast-food franchises, it hires even those without work experience and minors. There’s also quite a bit of room for advancement and lateral movement.

Although the minimum wage at Chick-fil-A is nothing to write home about. Those who manage to make it to management might find it a decent long-term employment option. Otherwise, it’s a great starter job, especially for students.

FAQ
How old do you have to be to work at Chick-fil-A?

In theory, you can get employed at Chick-fil-A even as a 14-years-old, but most franchises don’t have a practice of hiring those younger than 16. While minors are legally allowed to work at Chick-fil-A, the number of work hours that they can fit into a shift is drastically reduced. Also, they have only a couple of positions available, seeing as how others are deemed as either too responsible or too dangerous.

What is the average wage at Chick-fil-A?

For the position of a team member (a flagship entry-level job at Chick-fil-A), the average hourly wage is $12.92 per hour. Your total salary will scale based on the number of hours, your daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly wage.

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