If you’re looking for long-term employment you’re probably not considering one of Arby’s careers as the number one choice for your future. Most fast-food jobs are a stepping stone to a better-paying position whether it’s with the same company or a different business altogether.
However, as you’ll see, many opportunities can move your career in the right direction and perhaps even end up being a big part of your future.
Working at Arby’s
If you get hired and you’re on your first day working at Arby’s, you can expect a day full of fun and stress at the same time. The lunch crowd is usually the busiest time you’ll have to be prepared for the many customers that walk through the door.
Arby’s gets slightly above-average reviews from people who have worked there. The categories with the highest ratings are the work/life balance, management, and the working culture.
Here’s a list of the pros and cons you’ll find working there:
Pros
- The starting pay is pretty good for a fast-food restaurant
- Some locations give you free meals during your shift while some give you a 50% discount
- It’s a positive atmosphere for younger workers looking for their first job
- Many employees say management treats them fairly
Cons
- The work can be very stressful at times
- Many employees say they don’t get any breaks during their shifts
- No health insurance at many locations
- Job security is questionable in some locations
- Some locations are inconsistent with their scheduling of employees
Arby’s Pay
Overall, Arby’s pays its workers competitive pay compared to other fast-food restaurants. An entry-level job here is not going to provide a living wage for you or your family but it can provide a good future.
As a new team member, you can expect to earn approximately $.25-$.40 over the state minimum wage. Your hourly rate will increase yearly upon your annual evaluation.
Arby’s Careers
The careers available at Arby’s restaurants are as follows; team member, shift manager, assistant manager, and general manager. The team member position is divided into three subcategories and they are; cashier, server, and cook.
Arby’s also has a wonderful internship program for current college students and many corporate careers available through their parent company, Inspire Brands.
Arby’s Team Member
In this job, you will be recruited to serve as a cashier, cook, or server. Your management team will have already assessed your talent and experience during the hiring process.
Then, when you begin working, you will be trained in all areas inside your restaurant location. The most important qualities to have to get hard for this position are having a hard-working attitude and a positive attitude to get the job done.
There are no minimum requirements for this position other than impressing your hiring manager during your interview and having basic reading and math skills.
Arby’s Shift Manager
The Arby’s shift manager has a very responsible position in ensuring that team members are providing great customer service and working to the best of their abilities. From the moment you enter the doors daily, you will be put in charge of leading your team members to a successful workday.
You are directly going to be supporting your assistant manager and general manager, and you’ll help your team members by coaching and training them whenever necessary.
For this position, there are no minimum requirements other than having “what it takes” in the eyes of your management staff to successfully lead your employees.
Arby’s Assistant Manager
Assistant managers at Arby’s take most of the workload off their general managers. They do this by running the restaurant, helping to market the store to the public, and setting and achieving monthly sales goals.
Many shift managers get promoted to this position after they’ve had at least six months of experience as shift leaders. This is also a position that can directly lead to acquiring a general manager career.
Arby’s Manager
Once you have at least one year of experience in the retail or restaurant business, you are eligible for this position. This means an assistant manager working under a general manager for one year becomes eligible for this job.
In this position, you’ll be leading your entire restaurant in providing the best foods and customer service possible. You’ll do this while ensuring there is high employee morale in the workplace.
You will also be in charge of hiring new personnel and making sure they are trained correctly.
Arby’s District Manager
District managers within this company are in charge of leading all the general managers in their assigned districts to success. There are many duties and responsibilities that come with this position, so you can count on being very busy on any given day.
Here are some of the most important duties:
- Developing, monitoring, and reporting operating costs for different locations
- Making recommendations to resolve issues
- Supervising general managers in budgeting and reaching sales goals
- Evaluating management teams and reporting your findings to your operations directors
To be considered for this position, you have to have at least a high school diploma or a GED. You also need a bachelor’s degree in business administration or a related field.
If you don’t have a bachelor’s degree, 4 to 6 years as a general manager in the restaurant and retail industry experience is acceptable.
Arby’s Corporate Careers
Arby’s has many corporate careers available at many different locations throughout the United States through their parent company, Inspire Brands.
As an example, here are some positions I found while looking through the main careers website:
- Product Team Lead
- Operations Support Manager
- Digital Personalization Product Manager
- Operations Support Specialist
- Digital e-Commerce Architect
- Payroll Manager
- Facilities Manager
- Apple-Certified Engineer
- Franchise Administrator
- Kitchen Equipment Purchasing Manager
- Staff Accountant
Internships
Paid internships at Arby’s are provided by the parent company Inspire Brands and they are 12 weeks long and held throughout the summer months every year.
Almost all of the internships are run out of the support center located in Atlanta, Georgia. To be eligible, you must be attending a university up to the year you are graduating.
To be hired for this program you will go through an interview with the company‘s talent acquisition team. Then, you’ll have an interview with a hiring manager before the strongest candidates are selected.
How to Apply at Arby’s
It is possible to apply in person using this Arby’s printable job application. Take your time to fill it out accurately, print it, and get ready to visit your desired location.
If you would rather apply online, use the following steps:
- Visit the official Arby’s Careers website.
- Click on the navigation links that read “About Us, Culture, Benefits, Development, and Jobs” so you can familiarize yourself with this company.
- Once you are ready, click on the “Jobs” link in the top navigation bar.
- Refine your search but using a category, state, and city.
- Read through the results and when you’re ready to choose a job, click the “Apply Now” button.
- On the redirected page, click the “Apply Now” button once again and create a new account to begin the job application process.
Arby’s Application Process
Arby’s application and hiring process are very simple. Employees see you can get hired within the first day two approximately three weeks, depending on the needs of your store.
Usually, if you apply online, you’ll get a call back within the first week to set up an interview. After that, you can get hired right on the spot or have to wait a few days before you’re hired.
If you apply in person, there’s a good chance that you can get hired immediately if you impress your hiring manager. Sometimes, you’ll have to have an interview with more than one manager before you are hired.
Minimum Age to Work at Arby’s
Arby’s normally sticks to only hiring workers from the age of 16 and above. However, franchisee-owned locations have been known on occasion to hire candidates as young as 14-year-olds.
Background Check
Many employees say background checks are required before getting hired at Arby’s regardless of the position you are applying for. A few employees who have been hired recently say there is no background check.
Therefore, it comes back to the same principle regarding franchise old locations. Some do, and some don’t.
Does Arby’s drug test?
Generally, Arby’s does not drug test employees before they are hired. However, some employees report after 60 to 90 days, they were drug tested.
Does Arby’s hire felons?
Usually, the answer to this question would be that Arby’s hires felons, depending on the severity of the conviction. However, franchisee-owned locations can set their own rules when they hire and due to this, many felons have found a perfect home while working in just about every capacity at Arby’s.
At the same time, many good candidates have likely been turned away for having a felony conviction.
History
On July 23, 1964, Brothers Leroy and Forrest Raffel opened the first Arby’s in Boardman, Ohio. The restaurant only served roast beef sandwich is priced at $.69.
You were also able to buy potato chips and large iced teas. The brothers begin franchising this restaurant chain in 1965 and the rest is history as this fast-food chain began opening up about 50 stores every year during the 1970s.
Today, it has well over 3,000 locations throughout the world and employs well over 80,000 people.
Arby’s Benefits
Arby’s let you know right away that since many locations are franchise-owned, these franchisees are the ones who determine which benefits their employees get.
As a result, many franchise-owned locations don’t offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits to their employees even if you work as a general manager.
For those who do offer benefits, here is a list of the type of perks you can receive:
- Medical, dental, and vision
- Free uniforms
- Paid time off
- Flexible schedule options
- 401K
- Discounted or free meals
- Plenty of advancement opportunities
Final Thoughts
No one joins forces with a fast food restaurant to become rich. However, many people do seek employment at these establishments to pay their living expenses and to try to live a normal life without having to struggle so much.
A job at Arby’s at the entry-level is not enough to support yourself or your family members. However, if you are just one breadwinner in the family and you have another person earning roughly the same amount, you may be able to get by.
There are other fast-food jobs out there that can pay you at least 2 dollars more an hour to start, such as Starbucks, which can average $11 an hour to start and this doesn’t include tips, and cash and stock bonuses. Additionally, many retail stores pay far more to start than Arby’s.
If you are looking to expand your career with a management position, you can climb up the ladder of success very quickly at Arby’s. It’s not uncommon for an entry-level worker to get promoted quickly up the chain to eventually be a general manager within two years if he or she is good enough for the job.
High school and college students will have fun at this job and the hours are flexible while you earn a decent side income to cover school and miscellaneous expenses. Retirees will find this job challenging because it is usually very busy during peak hours and you have to be on your feet all day.
The most negative aspect of working at Arby’s is the lack of benefits across the board. Even though some locations offer their full-time workers health benefits, the company is very inconsistent in offering these benefits to workers.
Featured image courtesy of Mike Mozart from Funny YouTube, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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