A corporate worker went viral on TikTok after claiming in a 7-second clip that’s accrued over 63,000 likes that In-N-Out employees earn more than she does at her corporate job.
The profession sparked a viral debate on the platform with many folks stating that while there isn’t an argument as to whether or not In-N-Out pays a significant hourly rate, that the number of hours the chain gives to its employees each week leaves much to be desired.
@evelyngordon7 #fyp #foryoupage #viral #corporatelife #inandoutburger #job #wages #corporateamerica #makeitmakesense #employment #employmentlaw #jobposting #jobhopper #fastfood #fulltimework #parttimejob ♬ original sound – Evelyn Gordon
Gordon writes in a text overlay of her viral TikTok clip: “Make it make sense. When you realize In-N-Out pays more than what you make at your corporate job.”
Different employment outlets have posted varying salary figures for In-N-Out employees. In 2018, USA Today reported that managers for the “conservative Christian” fast food chain earn $160,000 a year.
Glassdoor lists average hourly rates for In-N-Out employees ranging from $15-$73 per hour, contingent upon their role and time with the company, and that the average annual starting salary rounds out to around $35,426 per year. According to forum posts on Indeed, In-N-Out hourly servers/cooks must go through a series of “levels” in order to receive raises, which range from level 1 all the way up to 7.
Level 7 cooks purportedly top out at $25 per hour, and then employees can apply for management positions after that which yield higher paying salaries. Indeed writes that while nearly all In-N-Out managers earn at least six figures per year, that it takes around 10 years until an employee reaches this position of consecutive work within the company.
Commenters who saw Gordon’s post had a variety of different responses to her claim that she made less at her corporate job than In-N-Out employees earned at their respective gigs: “If your making less than 40k in California at a corporate job your being underpaid.”
Other employees said that while In-N-Out’s hourly rates are competitive, it was difficult to secure a sufficient amount of hours each week in order to net a sizable paycheck: “I worked at ino but they don’t give you hours that’s why they pay good!!” while another said, “Your schedule for the week: Sunday 2pm-4pm, Friday 1:45-4:15pm.”
Still, there were several TikTok users who extolled the business for the amount of money they paid their employees: “I worked there when I was in high school. I made $2k/ month with full benefits” and someone else penned, “In N Out has been paying their employees good wages for decades, they even have there own University in Baldwin Park, CA.”
Another said: “Store managers make six figures in california, they’re a good company to work for.”
Datebook wrote in December 2021 that In-N-Out was the subject of controversy after the chain was lambasted by some for opposing vaccine mandates that would require all employees to receive immunization shots against COVID-19 during the height of fervor fomented around the virus. The outlet also brought up the chain’s “support” for “anti-LGBTQ politics” as well.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Gordon and In-N-Out via email for further comment.
