How Much Zaxby's Employees Really Make
Though there are plenty of restaurants serving up delicious chicken in all forms, if you've had the pleasure of tasting any of the offerings at Zaxby's, you know that the chain is in a league of its own. While the official Zaxby's website notes that the restaurant — which was founded in 1990 — was invented on a basketball court by Zach McLeroy and Tony Townley. The two childhood friends have come a long way since not knowing "much about the restaurant business." Over 30 years later, the brand that keeps "guests in the center of everything" that they do and create has seen the payoff of hard work, dedication, and delivering good ol' Southern fried chicken.
Finding a place on both the "America's Best Employers 2021" and "America's Best Employers By State 2019" lists on Forbes, Zaxby's has grown to become one of the most loved chicken joints in the Southeast. And according to Restaurant Business, Zaxby's — which currently has over 900 locations across the states — will be expanded nationally sooner than soon thanks to a recent investment deal with Goldman Sachs. But with all of the success that the brand has seen throughout the decades, does that mean that workers of the company are paid their worth?
Assistant managers are bringing in less than $15 an hour.
If Zaxby's has been on your list of places to work, you may be surprised by the pay rate that non-executive employees receive. According to Indeed, those who are hired as cashiers can expect to make an average hourly rate of $8.88. If flexing your culinary muscles is more your speed, prep cooks and line cooks will bring in an average of $8.90 and $9.12 per hour, respectively. Customer service associates on the other hand, get paid slightly more with their hourly rate coming in a little above the $9 range.
Surprisingly, however, Indeed notes that lead cashiers make the most out of those aforementioned with an average hourly rate being that of $11.42. And while that is a great starting point for a cashier, what may be a little disappointing is the $12.76 hourly rate for those taking on the role as assistant manager. If you have ambitions of moving up in ranks though and end up landing a job as the general manager, you can expect to make around $45,433 per year or about $23.66 an hour, according to Indeed. Assistant general managers, of course, make a little less with their salary coming in at an estimated $39,644 per year. But remember, these rates are subject to change in accordance to the hiring specifics of your local or regional Zaxby's. Hopefully, free cheddar bites will be an option for employees hired at every location.