A Chick-fil-A customer playfully considers putting in an application after finding out the fast-food chain allegedly pays a starting wage of $19 an hour.
In a TikTok with almost 510,000 views as of Saturday, content creator TaylorJaee (@iamtaylorjaee) makes it clear that for $19 an hour, she’d be a top-rate Chick-fil-A employee.
“Baby, for $19 an hour, I’m gonna be one of them employees that chases you down like, ‘Baby, you forgot your polly and eat your sauce [Polynesian sauce],” she says.
TaylorJaee has built a following of over 190,000 followers on TikTok and 111,000 on Instagram for her short, humorous videos on topics ranging from new motherhood to romantic relationships.
“Imma be one of them elite employees,” she declares in this recent video, a reference from comedian and content creator Mannie’s (@mainlymannie) hugely viral “Bo$$ & CEO” character and video, which has garnered over 56 million views on TikTok.
@iamtaylorjaee Imma Be An Elite Employee 💕 #chickfila #hiring #elite #employee
♬ original sound – TaylorJaee
In the comments section, users were shocked by the notion of such a generous starting wage. Either the federal average minimum wage being $7.25, rumors of $19 an hour certainly raised eyebrows.
“And you get your Sundays off,” one user added in the comments.
“$19 where?! Where I’m from it’s $13.50,” a second person questioned.
“$19 an hour? I’ll be there everyday including Sunday,” another viewer noted.
According to Chick-fil-A, their restaurants “offer highly competitive wages, often above minimum wage.” As most Chick-fil-A restaurants are individually owned and operated, compensation and employee benefits vary by restaurant and state, reflecting “the care and appreciation Operators and other restaurant leaders have for their teams.”
While TaylorJaee doesn’t mention where she found the information about a $19 starting wage, PayScale reports Chick-fil-A Team Member hourly wages that range as low as $9.18 and as high as $21.71, with an average of $13.31. Glassdoor also reports a national average hourly wage range of $13 to $16 an hour.
“I don’t know where you found this information at,” another commenter began, “maybe as a supervisor or director, but you are about to make $9.50 and slightly more an hour.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to TaylorJaee via Instagram private message and Chick-fil-A via email for more information.
