For most people, working for BK means a chance to get your feet wet in the fast-food industry. Upon first glance, you rarely see somebody talk about how a Burger King application is going to change their lives.

However, if you look and dig a little further, you’ll see that there truly are some great opportunities in this fast-food chain. For example, just about anyone can start out as a team member and work their way up to a serious managerial position.

Working at Burger King

When it comes to reviews of working at Burger King, many employees who gave a review on Indeed.com talked about some of the pros and cons.

Here is a sample:

Pros

• Management treated them well and gave them proper training
• Coworkers generally got along well during their shifts
• The job was great for students
• Your days were very fast-paced at times and the shift went by quickly
• In some Burger Kings, you get free lunches
• As long as you do your job, management does not breathe down your neck
• Plenty of overtime work hours available because many people call out sick

Cons

• Management did not give proper training
• Sometimes you have to work way too many hours because somebody doesn’t show up for their shift
• Managers were rude and treated its younger workers like children
• It was difficult to get an actual break
• Extremely busy and stressful at times
• Management didn’t hand out any consequences for employees with bad working attitudes

History of BK

Burger King, also known as BK, is one of the biggest hamburger fast food joints in the world. They are headquartered in Miami Dade County, Florida United States and it all started 50 years ago when the first Insta-Burger King location was opened in Jacksonville, Florida.

By 1954, the company had started to experience financial issues and the two franchises were acquired and the name changed to Burger King. Since then, the business has boomed and after 5 decades of operation, the company has grown to international acclaim.

At the end of 2013, BK already operated about 13,000 outlets across 79 countries. This fast-food super chain has repeated several versions of its franchising to extend its operations across the globe.

For almost 60 years, BK has been serving burgers and fried to millions of people daily. The restaurants are open from early morning breakfast time to late-night dinners. They also operate drive-through windows that came about in 1975 and have become a standard fixture ever since.

Jobs at Burger King

When it comes to job positions at Burger King, there are four main positions that keep the workflow process going in order to provide fast and accurate food service to customers.

You’re basically going to see entry-level workers and slightly experienced employees take on the job of a team member. These employees are the lifeblood of the business because they are on the front lines providing food and service while trying their best to keep customers satisfied and happy.

The Hourly Shift Coordinator is the immediate supervisor of these team members and ensures the operation is running smoothly. The one thing that is impressive about the way this company operates is that only two specific job positions are the ones that run the entire operation, and they are all supervised by an assistant manager and general manager.

Here are the positions and the job descriptions:

Burger King Team Member

The team member is in charge of providing top-notch customer support while working closely with the restaurant managers and other team members. The aim is to maintain standard operating procedures under the guidance of the general manager, assistant manager, and hourly shift coordinators.

This position is directly linked to guests and members of staff and requires a person with the motivation to provide the best service possible to customers.

The duties and responsibilities for this type of position include:

• Welcoming guests with a smile and taking their orders and processing payments
• Packaging and serving the foods and drinks
• Maintaining the cleanliness of the restaurant at all times
• Operating by health and safety standards in all work areas
• Unloading and stocking inventory
• Showing up to work on time for assigned shifts
• Working in alignment with all Burger King operating guidelines and policies

Burger King Hourly Shift Coordinator

This worker is the shift leader of the establishment and his job is to drive sales and profits by making sure all aspects of the operation and customer service are optimal. He or she works under the management team in the day-to-day operations, shift, sales, and customer service. This job also requires you to operate under the guidance of your managers and you will be in charge of the team members on your particular shift.

Here are more responsibilities and duties of an hourly shift coordinator:

• Works with all cash control and security guidelines
• Maintains inventory via daily and weekly inspections
• Receives new inventory
• Encourages team members to offer the highest quality guest service and keep a clean surrounding

Burger King Assistant Manager

The Assistant Manager is the person in charge of operations and the focus is on driving profits, guest service, and operations management. This job is about working closely with the Restaurant General Manager in the day-to-day operations of the restaurant.

You will be directly responsible for creating growth for your particular store. You’ll also work under the guidance of the general manager and closely supervise the hourly shift coordinators and team members.

Your essential duties will also include:

• Being in charge of inventory costs and inventory audits
• Placing orders for new inventory
• Maintaining and overseeing a list of all restaurant assets
• Ensuring adequate maintenance of restaurant assets and infrastructure, and that equipment is carried out in alignment with company standards
• Overseeing all cash control and security processes
• Encouraging team members to offer the best service possible
• Coaching and mentoring shift coordinators and team members to increase productivity

Burger King Restaurant General Manager

The General Manager is the overall leader of the restaurant and aims to ensure profitability, guest satisfaction, and efficient operations. This leader has to manage the day-to-day operations of the restaurant. In this career, you will operate under the guidance of the district manager while having a team of assistant managers working under you.

Responsibilities will include:

• Accountability for the restaurant activities and financial goals
• Overseeing profits and implementing strategies to boost profits
• Driving sales through efficient service, staff development, and operations management
• Encouraging team members to go the extra mile in making sure guests are happy
• Offering support to any guest issues that may arise
• Solving problems and getting guest feedback on the root causes of these issues
• Leading, inspiring, and motivating the teams

How to Apply at Burger King

Here are the steps you can take to apply at Burger King:

1. Visit the official Burger King careers website where you can look at job descriptions, using this link.
2. Use the min-navigation bar to scroll through the four main jobs available at BK; team member, hourly shift coordinator, assistant manager, and general manager.
3. Once you have found the job you want to apply for, click the “Find a restaurant and apply” link below the description.
4. If your browser doesn’t automatically recognize your geolocation, enter your zip code.
5. The redirected page will show you all the jobs available in your area, so click apply for the location you would like to apply to.
6. Follow the easy instructions and you will eventually land on a very simple application page where you can enter your application information.
7. Double and triple-check your application information and click the “Apply Now” button.

Burger King Application Process

Once you submit your application to the official site, your information is forwarded to hiring staff from the privately-owned franchise. They are the ones who will be making the final hiring decision.

If successful, you will be contacted via phone or email and if you haven’t received any form of contact within a week or two, you can check on the status of your application via the Burger King employee portal.

Interviews are scheduled based on standard procedures for the fast-food industry. Most job seekers will attend one on one interviews with the hiring personnel and have to answer questions that will differ, depending on the position applied for.

Bear in mind that there are no wrong answers during the interview. Every job seeker is required to answer honestly and the interview will typically last for about 20 minutes. You may be called in for other interviews before you are eventually given an offer with Burger King.

Hiring Age

Many young teens dream about making their own money and not having to count on their parents for some of their financial needs. Therefore, they start dreaming of getting their first job soon after starting high school.

Unfortunately, it’s not easy for a 15-year-old to start working at a major chain during their high school freshman year. The minimum hiring age for Burger King is 16 years old.

The reason most companies would not rather hire a teen who is 15 or younger is due to liability reasons as well as the fact that getting a job this early in age may affect a child’s studies at school.

Does Burger King drug test before they hire you?

If you are applying for an entry-level position, you will not usually get drug-tested unless you throw up some kind of red flag. It simply doesn’t make financial sense to spend money on drug-testing applicants going after entry-level positions because of the high turnover rate of employees.

However, for management positions, you can expect to get a full background check as well as a drug screening before you are hired.

Does Burger King Hire Felons?

Burger King will hire you if you have a felony past but this all depends on the franchise owner of the store you are applying to. Since there are so many franchise locations, there’s no guarantee that a particular owner will hire you with a certain type of felony past.

However, many past and present employees say that the hiring process is not as stringent as other major retail companies or restaurants and that you will likely have a chance to get hired. The only exception would be if you are trying to get hired in a managerial position. In this case, they would probably consider your criminal past a major factor in whether you are hired.

Additionally, it all depends on the type of felony conviction you have. If you were convicted of a crime that in the eyes of the franchise owner or management team, would possibly affect the restaurant or its employees or customers, then you will probably not have a chance to get hired.

Burger King Job Benefits

For full-time workers, Burger King offers health insurance, dental, life, and vision insurance, and long-term disability. It also has a profit-sharing plan, 401(k), and a pension plan.

A major concern by many employees is their inability to qualify for many of these benefits. Therefore, before applying to the Burger King of your choice, make sure you ask the management team or franchise owner what benefits may be offered to you as a full-time worker in the long run.

Be wary of applying to a fast-food company that does not offer a comprehensive benefits plan to its entry-level full-time employees. Usually, you have to work at least 90 days to pass a probationary period and qualify for full-time benefits.

However, some companies are notorious for cheating their workers out of a benefits plan by not giving them enough hours to qualify and paying them barely above minimum wage.

Featured image courtesy of Anthony92931, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.