In-N-Out Burger Named One of the Best Places to Work in the US

The American fast-food industry isn’t exactly known for being the best place to work, and that’s putting it rather mildly. Low wages and meager protections can, at times, seem endemic to the industry. This may make the fact that In-N-Out Burger has landed the #4 spot on Glassdoor’s annual 2018 list of the 100 Best Places to Work a mild miracle.

For context, the only other fast food chain that’s on this list in the large company category is Chick-fil-A, and it’s at a far less impressive 72nd place. (To qualify for consideration in this category, a company must have at least 1,000 employees.) The top three spots went to Facebook, Bain & Company, and Boston Consulting Group. In-N-Out has also catapulted itself up three spots from last year, though it's made quite a consistent showing in previous years, too, securing a spot on the list every year since 2013, barring one miss in 2014.

Glassdoor’s annual list is determined by a methodology that involves combing through reviews posted between November 2016 and October 2017. Earning a place on the list requires at least 75 ratings across eight different workplace categories (company rating, career opportunities, compensation & benefits, culture & values, senior management, work/life balance, recommend to a friend and six-month business outlook) within that timeframe.

“In-N-Out has a starting rate of $11 an hour, a 401(k) plan, paid vacation days, and health insurance. In-N-Out associates receive salaries and perks that are well above the industry average,” a representative of Glassdoor wrote MUNCHIES over email on Wednesday when asked what factors, specifically, it believes landed the chain on the list. “They also have a strong on-the-job training, opportunities for advancement, people-focused leaders, and a fun, friendly environment.”

When asked what it was about In-N-Out’s shifts in the past year specifically that made it climb a few spots, Glassdoor directed MUNCHIES to an interview it had conducted with In-N-Out CEO Lynsi Snyder, who's #36 on Glassdoor's list of highest-rated CEOs (she was #17 last year) wherein she explained that she’d intentionally fostered a "positive, fun atmosphere" to keep the company's workforce feel satisfied and protected. In-N-Out did not respond to immediate request for comment from MUNCHIES on Tuesday.

Anyway, guess there's a sliver of truth to the old adage that In-N-Out Burger may, indeed, be too good to be true.