Deciding on one of the Church’s Chicken careers should be an easy task because there are only a handful of basic positions to apply for. This company is full of surprises, both good and bad, and the following information will guide you through the process of deciding if this company is right for you and how to apply and get hired quickly.
Working at Church’s Chicken
Church’s Chicken gets average reviews overall from employees who have worked there. They rate the work/life balance, management, and working culture as the most appealing aspect of working for this company.
Here are the pros and cons:
Pros
- Most locations offer employees free meals or 50% off
- Coworkers are very friendly
- The work itself is very easy to learn
- Scheduling is very flexible
- The job can be stressful but a lot of fun at the same time
Cons
- Some locations are constantly understaffed
- The hourly pay is too low
- You can get occasional breaks but they are very short
- It’s very difficult to get a pay raise
- No health benefits are offered at all in certain franchise-owned locations
Church’s Chicken Pay
Church’s Chicken has a below-average pay structure and this results in very low ratings by employees in this category. Overall, the pay is similar to KFC, which also has many franchise-owned stores. Approximately 80% of Church’s Chicken restaurants are owned by franchisees.
This is typical of fast-food stores which aren’t corporate-owned. They pay almost minimum wage to increase profits for the franchise owners. However, in doing so, they are hurting themselves because they have to continually hire people to replace workers who have left for better-paying jobs.
You can expect your entry-level starting pay as a team member to be $.25 to $.50 above the minimum wage in your state.
Church’s Chicken Restaurant Careers
The jobs available at each restaurant start with the entry-level position of a team member, also known as a guest service associate. These can be part-time or full-time, depending on the needs of the store’s location and ownership.
Cook positions are also available, and these jobs are usually filled by entry-level team members who learn how to cook and prepare foods while on the job. The other careers available at Church’s are shift leader, assistant manager, and general manager.
Church’s Chicken Team Member
This guest service position is all about greeting customers in a friendly manner and making them feel welcome when they walk through the doors. It’s about quickly and accurately taking their order and fulfilling it according to company standards.
At this job, you’ll also be cleaning the interior and the exterior of the store and making sure the service areas are stocked with proper supplies such as napkins, lids, straws, and cups.
This is a very simple job to learn but it requires dedication and effort to become an exceptional employee worthy of a promotion.
The requirements are a high school diploma or a GED, and you need to have great people skills.
Church’s Chicken Cook
As a cook at Church’s Chicken, you’ll take direction from your shift manager in preparing foods and cooking them according to company standards.
While you are cooking, you’re expected to maintain cleanliness in your work area. It is your responsibility also to verify that you have all the necessary products to cook your assigned foods.
This job also requires you to lift on occasion, 50 lb. trash bags and stack heavy items on the shelves, coolers, and freezers.
Usually, there are no educational requirements listed for this position.
Church’s Chicken Shift Leader
This is an introductory position to management that can benefit you greatly in the long run if you are aspiring to have a career as a general manager. You’ll be expected to lead, coach, and train your team members so they can become productive and successful.
Customer service has to be of the utmost importance to you and you will lead by example. This job is not about having to micromanage. It’s all about knowing how to manage people by providing guidance, resolving employee issues, and showing empathy in order to gain respect from your team members and help increase productivity.
You’re also going to be performing many of the functions of assistant managers and general managers. Therefore, you’re going to have to complete a certification program for shift leaders in this company.
Church’s Chicken Assistant Manager
The assistant manager at Church’s Chicken works directly under the guidance of the general manager. This job will have you implementing all of the company initiatives and programs so that you can help make your location as profitable as possible.
You will be responsible for making sure the employees are trained properly. You’ll prepare weekly work schedules and lend a helping hand to team members when they get slammed with too many customers during peak hours.
This is a job where you’ll have to roll up your sleeves and lead your team members to provide the best customer service possible.
For this job, you have to be at least 18 years old and possess a high school diploma or GED. You also need at least one year of experience as a supervisor in the fast food or restaurant industry.
Church’s Chicken Manager
The general manager at Church’s Chicken is solely responsible for the profitability of the restaurant. In this position, you’re going to set sales goals and do your best to exceed them every month.
With the help of your assistant manager, you’re going to formulate a plan to control your expenses and improve profitability for your store. You will also make certain that the working environment in your location is excellent to keep employees motivated to deliver exceptional customer service.
Regular on-the-job training is something you’ll conduct with your team members and you’ll provide them feedback to make improvements.
The basic requirements for this position are that you have a high school diploma or a GED, and at least one year of management experience in the fast-food or restaurant industry.
Church’s Chicken Corporate Careers
While looking for corporate jobs available on the official careers website, I found the following positions open in Atlanta, GA, Lauderdale, FL, and Condado de Sayavedra, Mexico:
- Office Services Specialist
- Design Coordinator
- Market Leader
- Director of Domestic New Business
- Regional Franchise Manager
- Vice President, Brand Strategy & Activation
- International Marketing Regional Manager
How to Apply at Church’s Chicken
If you’d like to apply for one of the Church’s Chicken careers, you must do it online. Here are the steps to take:
- Visit the official Church’s Chicken careers website.
- Click on the “View Openings“ button under either Restaurant Positions or Corporate Positions.
- Enter your ZIP Code or your city and state in the search box and click “Search.“
- Look through the list of results and when a position interests you, click on it.
- Read the job description and click the “Apply“ button when you are ready to apply.
- On the redirected page, you will have the option to either upload your resume or CV and click “Next,” or you can simply click the “Next” button and begin your Church’s Chicken job application.
It is not a requirement to provide a resume or CV if you are going after an hourly position but I recommend you do so if you want to have a better chance of getting hired. These documents instantaneously provide a better picture of the type of candidate these companies can hire so it gives people applying a distinct advantage over other applicants.
Church’s Chicken Hiring Process
This company hires its employees in a very simple and straightforward manner. Many employees say they were either hired right on the spot after their interview while others say the hiring process from application to getting hired takes anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks.
A few days after you submit your Church’s Chicken application, you will get a call from a manager or other representative. You will be given either a phone interview and a second in-person interview, or you will be asked to come in to be interviewed at the store just one time.
Here’s a great tip; before you apply online, visit the store of your choice and do your best to meet the general manager so you can introduce yourself. Tell that manager you are going to be filling out an application online and hand him or her your contact information with an email and phone number.
What are the questions asked during the interview?
These are some examples of common interview questions Church’s Chicken interviewers may ask:
- Are you available for all shifts?
- Can you work under stressful conditions?
- Have you ever held a job in the fast-food industry?
- Do you have any experience in cooking?
- Do you have reliable transportation?
How old do you have to be to work at Church’s Chicken?
The age requirement to work at Church’s Chicken varies between 16, 17, and 18 years of age. Franchise owners are allowed to establish their own rules regarding minimum hiring ages.
Therefore, check with your local stores to find out their age requirements. Chances are, the minimum age is 16 years old.
Does Church’s Chicken drug test?
Most employees report there is no drug test at all as a condition of employment at Church’s Chicken. However, this doesn’t prevent a franchise owner from conducting a background check when he or she feels it is necessary.
History
Church’s Chicken was founded on April 17, 1952, by George W. Church Sr. The original location was located near the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.
In the beginning, Mr. Church’s restaurant was only selling chicken but it soon added jalapeños and fries and by 1956 just before Church’s death, the company consisted of 4 restaurants.
Jim Dandy Fried Chicken bought the rights to the name of Church’s Chicken in the 1960s and this company rapidly expanded during the late 70s and early 80s.
It now has well over 1,000 locations in North America, South America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Europe.
About 20% of the locations are company-owned while the other 80% are franchise-owned.
Church’s Chicken Benefits
Many franchise-owned locations have little or no health benefits to offer their employees at Church’s Chicken. Company-owned stores have a health benefits plan you can elect, but it carries a certain cost out of your bi-weekly paycheck.
They also offer a 401k and tuition reimbursement program for employees hoping to finish high school and advance their careers.
Final Thoughts
Church’s Chicken is another fast-food restaurant chain that is either hit or miss due to a large amount of franchise-owned locations. When you have individual fast-food franchise owners, each location will have differences in the way the restaurants operate.
In other words, a job applicant can apply at one of these local restaurants and get lucky because the owner pays its employees well and treats them fairly. On the other hand, the world is full of franchise owners in any fast-food chain who don’t treat their employees as well as others.
Therefore, if you are going to apply at Church’s Chicken, I recommend you do two things:
- Either apply at a company-owned store instead of a franchise or;
- Discreetly ask workers how they like working at any particular location
This way, you’ll have an idea of what you’re getting into before you apply and you can avoid common problems such as:
- Very low pay with no chance of getting a raise
- Bad working conditions and low employee morale
- No room for growth
Regardless, a job at Church’s Chicken is custom-made for younger workers who want to get their first job. Additionally, retirees may find this the ideal place to earn some extra income aside from their Social Security.
If you’re looking to get a stable job that pays the bills, you will probably want to look elsewhere. Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, and Panda Express are better choices.
Applicants hoping to land management positions in the future have a great opportunity at this fast-food chain, but there are much higher paying fast-food management opportunities out there.
Featured image courtesy of Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
