‘Up to $300k’: Insane salary of Hungry Jack’s restaurant managers

The burger chain is setting a new standard for salaries in the fast-food industry, but what does a manager’s job actually involve?

The salary is better at Hungry Jacks. Just ask Chris Green, the chief executive of the fast-food giant, who is leading the company’s bold plan of having the best-paid restaurant managers in the industry.

Setting an enviable benchmark well ahead of competitors, managers can earn over $200,000 a year — and in some rare cases, over $300,000.

The company’s Growth Mindset Partner program (GMP) is central to this strategy, designed to incentivise high-performing leaders and foster a “guest-obsessed” culture that encourages customer loyalty.

“It’s crucial to us to have a really strong leader in every single restaurant,” Mr Green told news.com.au.

“The most important person in our organisation is the customer, and the next most important are the ones with the direct contact to the customer. So investing in our restaurant managers means we can run great restaurants.

“Our goal is to pay them two to three times what the average restaurant manager earns.”

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Hungry Jack's CEO, Chris Green, says restaurant managers can earn up to $300k a year. Picture: Supplied

The GMP offers managers a base salary ranging from $95,000 to $130,000.

However, with performance bonuses and profit-sharing opportunities up to $100,000, their earning potential can be up to $200,000.

“One of the key things about Hungry Jack’s is that we’re only 15 per cent franchised,” Mr Green explained.

“Most others, like McDonald’s, KFC and Subway, are basically 100 per cent franchised. So in a way, what we’re trying to promote is the idea of ‘Think, act, and get paid like a franchisee without the investment’, and so it is a very generous salary.”

60 to 70 per cent of the chain’s managers are currently enrolled in the program, with approximately one third earning more than $100,000 a year.

“Our target compensation for our restaurant managers is between $100-200k,” he shared, “but we’ve actually had some people over $200k and even somebody over $300k one year.

“It’s a very unique thing to the industry.”

This compensation model is inspired by US-based Chick-fil-A, whose philosophy emphasises investing heavily in staff to improve customer experience and drive sales.

Hungry Jack’s applies a similar ethos: “If you look after your people, they will look after the customer, and you’ll get more business.”

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Mr Green says that investing in people is central to the company’s growth strategy. Picture: Supplied

A day in the life of a Hungry Jack’s restaurant manager

The impressive paycheck doesn’t come without hard work, as Mr Green highlights, “We expect a lot from our people.”

The role of a restaurant manager involves overseeing teams of 50 to 100 employees, hiring and training staff, ensuring top-notch customer service, maintaining restaurant cleanliness and creating profit and loss statements.

To enter the GMP, managers must have a proven track record within Hungry Jack’s and work there for at least six months.

Around 95 per cent of hires are internal, and many often start as young crew members at 14 and work their way up the ranks.

External hires do occasionally happen, but they’ll undergo a six-month probation period before qualifying for the program.

The chain is also upgrading its digital and drive-through experiences. Picture: Supplied

Hungry Jack’s expansion strategy

The 53-year-old burger chain operates 460 restaurants in Australia, which is about half the number of McDonald’s, which has just over 1000 locations.

It has ambitious plans to close that gap by opening 20 to 25 new locations each year over the next five years, aiming for a total of 600 restaurants.

The growth strategy isn’t limited to building new stores, with Hungry Jack’s also heavily focusing on upgrading its existing locations.

Around 40–50 restaurants are undergoing refurbishment each year, with improvements to dining rooms, furniture, exterior design, lighting, and signage.

As part of its customer-focused approach, the company is also embracing digital innovation.

The chain is modernising its mobile app and self-order kiosks, which have been met with strong customer support.

The drive-through experience will get an upgrade too, with plans to pilot AI voice-ordering technology in the not-so-distant future.

Some new stores even use a conveyor-belt system called the Whopper-Coaster that transports food from the upstairs kitchen to the ground floor counter in under 20 seconds.

Originally published as ‘Up to $300k’: Insane salary of Hungry Jack’s restaurant managers