How Much Culver's Employees Really Make

Culver's Restaurant, a family-owned and family-friendly fast food chain, has built its reputation on Butterburgers, frozen custard, onion rings, and friendly service. In 2018, Culver's even claimed Restaurant Business's third spot for best fast food restaurant, receiving high marks for its hospitality. Per Zippia, the Wisconsin-based quick-service chain employs 930 employees and takes in an estimated $175 million in revenue each year. That's a lot of money to rake in on an annual basis, and it has us wondering, how much you might make if you work at Culver's? 

Fast food restaurants have notorious reputations for paying very little for a long, hard day's work. If you check out Payscale, you will see that the hourly range is anywhere from $7.58 at the low end and just over $9 in the middle. Unfortunately, Culver's seems to fall into this stereotype. When glancing through employee reviews on Glassdoor, we found that the top pros that both former and current employees were compelled to mention included, "Nice people, flexible schedule available" along with "good managers and clean work environment." However, on the flip side, the number one complaint about working at Culver's, according to reviewers on Glassdoor, is the low pay, and while they note it is, indeed, a little higher than minimum wage, it's still low. What's low?

Zippia reports that if you are part of the big Blue Crew at Culver's, the average employee can budget to bring in about $21,675 per year. The site goes on further to note that in comparison to the competition which includes Tom Wahl's, Spangles, and Dog-N-Shake, the pay is significantly lower. In fact, if their numbers are accurate and you were to work for Tom Wahl's, you could potentially make a little over $6,000 more than if you worked at Culver's. Indeed shares that the hourly hovers at just over $8 an hour if you are a food runner for the fast food chain and can be double that if you are a manager. Indeed's salary range for Culver's also places the annual average about $6,000 lower than Zippia, but notes that if you are a restaurant manager at Culver's, you could make an average of $45,788.

Still, according to the blog, Crews for Shoes, while working in the fast food industry can leave an individual exhausted and disliking the food they must serve up on a daily basis, it can also provide a firm foundation for learning how to navigate the world of dissatisfied customers. This is especially true at Culver's whose mission is to ensure that, "Every guest who chooses Culver's leaves happy" (via Culver's). Fast food chains like Culver's also provide you flexibility when it comes to your schedule so, you can go to school, which for many may be a fair tradeoff.