Find a Job You Really Want In
Yes, Food Chains is a good career path. Careers in this industry are abundant and offer a wide range of salaries and opportunities. Plus, you can often land a career with little to no experience.
Of course, opportunity and few education requirements can equate to lower salaries, but this isn’t always the case. In fact, the average Regional Manager earns up to $97,000 per year, while the average General Manager earns $65,000 per year.
Luckily, if you’re interested in any of these jobs, this article will cover everything you need to know about the various Food Chain career paths on the market, as well as what you need to do to achieve one.
So, whether you’re interested in cooking food or delivering it to customers, here are 8 great jobs you might consider:
The 3 Best-Paying Jobs in Food Chains
Though many Food Chain careers sacrifice a high salary for accessibility, there are a few that pay over the average U.S. salary of $53,000 per year. With that in mind, this section will dive into the highest-paying Food Chains’ jobs out there. Just remember that higher pay typically comes with unique education and experience requirements.
Overall though, here are the best-paying Food Chain jobs, according to our research:
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Average Annual Salary: $97,000
Jobs Available: 210,600
Job Growth: 5%As one of the best-paying Food Chain industry jobs, this role requires the effective leadership and organizational skills needed to manage multiple restaurants and staff members. For example, a Regional Manager is often in charge of budgets, marketing campaigns, and improving the overall outlook of their region.
Obviously, this type of work is a huge responsibility, and not for entry-level employees. Typically, it can take several years of managerial experience to become a regional manager.
However, with an impressive salary and many job opportunities available, pursuing this career is a great way to become successful in the Food Chain industry.
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Average Annual Salary: $65,000
Jobs Available: 461,900
Job Growth: 6%General Managers are similar to Regional Managers in the way that they’re often in charge of multiple other managers. However, this is typically on a smaller scale. General Managers are important because employees look up to them for guidance on policies and daily operations.
Becoming a General Manager will require less experience than a Regional Manager, but most jobs in this field require at least a Bachelor’s degree. That means you can likely land a job as a General Manager with mid-level experience.
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Average Annual Salary: $55,000
Jobs Available: 147,200
Job Growth: 11%Fast Food Restaurant Managers are managers who specialize specifically in fast-food settings. In general, this role includes overviewing budget and payroll records, resolving customer issues, performing routine financial analysis of the restaurant, and supervising other employees.
Compared to the other two managerial roles, a Fast Food Restaurant Manager’s work is more localized. Usually, these professionals will only be in charge of one restaurant, allowing them to more thoroughly manage staff and assist customers.
5 Entry-Level Jobs in Food Chains
Many Food Chain jobs have minimal education requirements, allowing you to earn a respectable wage with no more than a High School diploma. For more information about the best entry-level jobs in the industry, here are our top seven picks:
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Average Annual Salary: $30,000
Jobs Available: 265,000
Job Growth: 2%As long as you have a driver’s license and a clean record, you can easily become a Pizza Delivery Driver. On a basic level, Pizza Delivery Drivers transport pizza and other foods from the store directly to the customer’s home. Occasionally, these workers will also answer phone calls and resolve customer concerns.
Overall, if you’re a timely, safety-focused, and personable individual, you’ll have what it takes to be a successful Pizza Delivery Driver.
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Average Annual Salary: $28,000
Jobs Available: 192,000
Job Growth: 11%While some caution must be taken when working with hot oil and ovens, Fast Food Cooks still have the benefit of performing highly trainable tasks. On a typical day, a Fast Food Cook might prepare food by mixing ingredients, using cooking equipment, and cleaning the food preparation area to ensure safe, quality meals.
This job is great for team players, as many Fast Food Cooks work in an assembly-line type structure with other Fast Food Cooks in the store. Luckily, as long as you’ve got those communication skills, jobs in this field don’t require any prior experience.
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Average Annual Salary: $26,000
Jobs Available: 419,100
Job Growth: -4%With an absolutely massive number of jobs available all over the country, becoming a Cashier can be a great option for any entry-level Food Chain employee. This job simply requires you to collect payments from customers for the food provided by the restaurant.
Of course, the only catch is that you need to have exceptional interpersonal skills in order to provide top-quality services to customers. Communication is key for this role, and everything else can be easily taught to you after you’re hired.
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Average Annual Salary: $25,000
Jobs Available: 45,700
Job Growth: 8%Dishwashers and Bussers are the unseen lifeblood of any Food Chain restaurant. While the job simply centers around maintaining a clean kitchen through proper maintenance of food prep areas, as well as stacking and washing dishes, cups, silverware, etc., it is nonetheless an important Food Chain job.
Most people already have experience washing dishes, even without being a dishwasher, meaning it’s incredibly effortless to qualify for the role of a dishwasher. With that in mind, this position is truly entry-level.
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Average Annual Salary: $24,000
Jobs Available: 101,700
Job Growth: 14%Not every Food Chain restaurant has a Hostess position, but many of them do. This job entails greeting new customers, informing them of wait times and specials, and figuring out where to seat them (if necessary).
This job requires a friendly demeanor, strong interpersonal skills, and organizational skills. If that sounds like you, a job as a Hostess will likely be a breeze.
The Top 10 Best-Paying Fast Food Companies
Fast Food companies are the largest major employers in the Food Chain industry, meaning that it’s important to understand which companies are the best. Therefore, we’ve gathered all of the details about the top ten best-paying fast food companies in the U.S.:
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In-N-Out Burger: $11.00/hr
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Panda Express: $9.00/hr
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Chipotle: $8.78/hr
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Panera Bread: $8.40/hr
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Noodles & Company: $8.31/hr
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Jamba Juice: $8.29/hr
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Chick-fil-A: $8.16/hr
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Dunkin’ Donuts: $8.12/hr
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Five Guys Burgers & Fries: $8.00/hr
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McDonald’s: $8.00/hr
Why Choose a Career in Food Chains?
There are many reasons why someone might want to pursue a career in Food Chains. So, to know if you’re a good fit for the industry, here are some important factors to consider:
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You’ve got options. There are many different fields in the Food Chains industry, giving you lots of career options. For example, if you’re highly social, you might succeed as a manager or cashier, but if you prefer to go solo, you can always take a job as a delivery driver.
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Work at any age. Food Chains jobs are excellent opportunities for high schoolers under 18 who want to earn a supplemental part-time income or for older folks who’d like to keep working. That means you can feel comfortable acquiring a job in this industry at any age.
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Social environments. If you enjoy working in teams or chatting with interesting people from all over the country, working in Food Chains can be a great option. You’ll never have to handle everything alone and can instead rely on your team to help you in your day-to-day activities.
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Easy opportunities. Many Food Chains jobs allow you to start working with only a High School Diploma or relevant experience. This means you can easily land an entry-level job with the added bonus of not racking up college tuition debt.
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Flexible scheduling. Food Chains’ jobs usually have part-time, full-time, and seasonal opportunities. Plus, most Food Chain restaurants are open seven days a week, meaning you have options on when and how you want to work.
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Company discounts. Most Food Chains jobs will provide you with store discounts, allowing you to purchase food and other goods for less.
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Growth and change. Many Food Chain jobs have healthy growth, and new movements like the “Fight for 15,” which means that the odds of your hourly pay increasing grow higher each year.
Education and Certification Requirements for a Career in Food Chains
The Food Chains industry is massive, and therefore, education requirements will vary depending on the career you’re interested in. However, here are some general facts about what you should expect:
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Entry-level jobs have minimal education requirements. Most entry-level jobs in Food Chains are easy to get into. For example, 60% of Dishwashers and 48% of Pizza Delivery Drivers only needed a High School Diploma to start their career.
In fact, on our top five list of entry-level jobs, at least 35% or more of those currently employed in any of them have a High School Diploma as their highest level of education.
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Experience over degrees. Even the highest level of jobs in this industry, managers, can land their jobs with several years of relevant experience.
In fact, having ten years of experience as a General Manager is far more likely to earn you a job as a Regional Manager than having a Master’s Degree. This isn’t to say that Managers don’t often have Bachelor’s Degrees, but it is worth noting.
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Degree options. The only positions that require a collect degree in the Food Chains industry are managerial positions, and the highest level of education you’ll need is typically a Bachelor’s Degree.
The most common types of degrees earned by people in these fields include: Business, Marketing, Management, and Communications degrees.
What Do People Working In Food Chains Do?
Food Chain industry workers play a crucial role in maintaining stores and providing important services to people of all backgrounds all over the U.S. From hand-delivering your freshly ordered pizza to ensuring your burger is prepared safely and effectively, you might be surprised how much of your day-to-day life relies on Food Chain employees.
Of course, doing these jobs requires a competent understanding of not only the systems and machines used but also how to work in teams to effectively use them. That means Food Chains employees, from entry-level to Regional Managers, need to have effective interpersonal skills.
Overall, succeeding as a Food Chain worker requires you to be a team player, adaptable, and organized. So if that sounds like you, you can likely learn what you need to pursue a successful Food Chains career, even with no experience.
Author
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
