Chicken Salad Chick pay is set by individual franchisees, not by the company, so there is no single national wage. What follows is aggregated from Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter and worker surveys, with sample sizes shown where the source published them — because a $19/hour average drawn from three job postings is not a number anyone should plan around.
The realistic ranges
- Team member / cashier: roughly $11.50–$15/hr, averaging near $12
- Cook / prep: roughly $11.50–$17/hr (sources disagree noticeably)
- Shift leader: roughly $14–$17/hr
- Assistant manager: roughly $17–$21/hr
- General manager: roughly $24–$33/hr, or $50,000–$69,000/year
Hourly pay by role
Pay by role
| Role | Indeed avg | Glassdoor range | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Member | $12.20/hr | $12–$15/hr | 177 / 19 |
| Cashier | $11.91/hr | $12–$15/hr | 136 / 132 |
| Front of House | $13.68/hr | $12–$15/hr | 41 / 23 |
| Prep Cook | $12.40/hr | $13–$17/hr | 40 / 29 |
| Back of House | $14.37/hr | — | 32 |
| Shift Leader | $14.95/hr | $14–$17/hr | 142 / 27 |
| Assistant General Manager | $18.71/hr | $17–$21/hr | 23 / 49 |
| General Manager | $55,102/yr | $26–$33/hr | 79 / 61 |
| District Manager | $74,205/yr | — | — |
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Where the sources disagree — and they do
- Prep cook is the widest gap: Glassdoor says $13–$17, Indeed says $12.40 average, ZipRecruiter says $11.59. That is a $2–$4/hour spread on the same job. Glassdoor's self-reported figures run consistently above the posting-derived ones across every role.
- Worker survey data runs lower still — one survey of 76 workers puts cashier pay as low as $9.10, below every other source's floor. Small sample, but worth knowing it exists.
- We excluded Comparably entirely for hourly pay. It reports a company average of $114,100/year, which is modelled corporate head-office compensation and has nothing to do with restaurant crew wages.
Location matters more than role
This is the finding that actually explains the ranges. Indeed's team member data shows a national average of $12.20/hour against a full range of $7.25 to $21.55.
Geographic spread
| City | Team member pay | vs national avg |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | $20.25/hr | +66% |
| Chicago, IL | $17.40/hr | +43% |
| Orlando, FL | $15.72/hr | +29% |
| National average | $12.20/hr | — |
| Federal minimum floor | $7.25/hr | −41% |
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That $7.25 floor is the federal minimum wage, appearing in postings from states with no higher state minimum. A team member in Los Angeles earns nearly three times a team member in one of those states, for the same job at the same brand. This is the clearest possible evidence that pay is franchise- and state-set, and it is the same structural reason menu prices vary 10–20% between markets.
Benefits — what is and is not documented
Benefits
| Benefit | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| No fryers, no late nights, Sundays off | Confirmed | The company's own careers pitch. A real quality-of-life advantage over most fast food. |
| Free or discounted meals | Widely reported | Around 50% off is commonly cited; free shift meals at some stores. Franchise-dependent. |
| Flexible scheduling | Widely reported | The most-cited positive — though contradicted by frequent complaints about hours being cut. |
| PTO | Reported, inconsistent | Present for some management roles; absent for many hourly reviewers. |
| Health insurance | Reported, inconsistent | Referenced by some sources; many hourly employees report none. Likely tied to full-time management. |
| 401(k) | Not documented | No employee report or job posting corroborating a retirement plan was found. |
| Tuition assistance | Not documented | No evidence found on any source. |
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Both major review platforms rate compensation and benefits as the weakest aspect of working here — Indeed puts pay and benefits at 2.3 out of 5, Glassdoor at 2.8. That is the single most consistent finding in the employee data.
Hiring age and how to apply
16 is the consensus minimum for front-of-house and cashier roles, based on employee answers on Indeed. Two consistent qualifications: prep roles often require 18 because of equipment (a steamer is repeatedly mentioned), and some managers say 18 is preferred generally. The actual floor is set by the franchisee and state child-labour law.
How to apply
- The corporate careers portal at careers.chickensaladchick.com, searchable by location.
- Job boards — Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, Snagajob. Franchisees post independently, so listings genuinely differ between boards. Check more than one.
- In person. Around 30% of Glassdoor respondents applied in person. Walk in mid-afternoon, roughly 2–4 PM when the lunch rush has cleared, and ask for the manager.
The interview
Glassdoor rates interview difficulty at 1.81 out of 5 — among the easiest on the platform — with 78% reporting a positive experience and an average of 15 days from application to hire. For cashier roles the average is one day.
The typical shape is a single in-person conversation with the general manager, focused on availability, customer-service attitude and reliability rather than experience. Being hired on the spot is common for crew roles. Background checks appear in about 12% of reported processes and drug tests in about 5% — the exception rather than the rule.
What employees actually say
Indeed rates the company 3.1 out of 5 from over 1,000 reviews; Glassdoor rates it 3.4 from 589, with 46% recommending it to a friend.
- Supportive coworkers — the single most common positive
- No fryers, no late nights, closed Sundays
- Flexible scheduling for students and part-timers
- Free or discounted food
- Fast, easy hiring; good first job
- Low pay relative to workload — the dominant complaint
- Thin or absent benefits
- Hours cut unpredictably — directly contradicts the flexibility claim
- Understaffing; cramped kitchens
- Management quality varies enormously by store
- Limited advancement; inadequate training
Worth noticing: nearly every complaint is store-level — management, staffing, scheduling, training. That is exactly the pattern you would expect in a franchise system where the individual operator determines the experience. Two Chicken Salad Chick jobs in the same city can be genuinely different jobs.
Why this page is on a menu site
Because “how much does Chicken Salad Chick pay” is one of the most common questions people ask about this chain, and the existing answers are mostly modelled estimates presented without sample sizes. We are not a careers site and have no relationship with the company — see our about page. Treat everything here as aggregated public data, not an offer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Chicken Salad Chick pay per hour?
Team members and cashiers typically earn $11.50–$15/hour, averaging around $12 nationally. Shift leaders earn roughly $14–$17, assistant managers $17–$21, and general managers $24–$33/hour or $50,000–$69,000 a year. Pay is set by the individual franchisee, so location matters enormously.
Does Chicken Salad Chick hire at 16?
Yes for front-of-house and cashier roles at most locations. Prep roles often require 18 because of equipment. The actual minimum is set by the franchisee and state child-labour law.
What benefits does Chicken Salad Chick offer?
Confirmed: no fryers, no late nights and Sundays off — the company's own pitch. Widely reported: free or discounted meals (around 50% off) and flexible scheduling. Inconsistent: PTO and health insurance, mostly for full-time management. Not documented at all: 401(k) and tuition assistance — we found no evidence either exists.
Is Chicken Salad Chick a good place to work?
It rates 3.1 on Indeed and 3.4 on Glassdoor. The consistent positives are the schedule — no fryers, no late nights, Sundays off — and coworkers. The consistent negatives are low pay and thin benefits. Because it is franchised, experience varies hugely by store; most complaints are about local management rather than the brand.
How long does it take to get hired?
An average of 15 days from application to hire, and about one day for cashier roles. Interview difficulty is rated 1.81 out of 5 — a single conversation with the manager, and being hired on the spot is common.