A job at KFC can be very exciting for young people who are trying to get their first job. Likewise, it can help older workers make extra income while working in a pleasant, great-smelling atmosphere.

I don’t know many people who don’t regard KFC as having some of the best-tasting chicken on this planet. If you add to that, 50% off meals or even free meals for its team members, it becomes the perfect recipe to attract workers.

However, when it comes to hourly pay, is it worth getting a job at this famous fast-food restaurant?

Below, I’ll provide you with the following important information to help you decide if a job at KFC is for you. You’ll learn:

• The starting pay at KFC
• All the jobs available and their average pay and salaries
• When this company issues paychecks
• If KFC holds your first paycheck
• Pay raises
• Employee work hours for full-time and part-time
• The call-out sick policy
• If KFC conducts background checks before they hire you
• Do they hire people with a felony past?
• The break policy
• Dress code

Related Posts

• KFC Job Descriptions
• How to Get a Job at KFC

KFC Starting Pay

The starting pay varies greatly because it all depends on what your state minimum wage is, and you can add a few cents to the hourly rate above that minimum wage. To estimate the starting pay in your area, take your state’s minimum wage and add $.25 to $.50 to that.

For example, taking a KFC located in Florida where $8.56 is the current minimum wage, you would make a minimum of approximately $8.81 an hour. This is nowhere near a living wage, especially considering how you would find it difficult to even get 25 to 35 hours of scheduled work every week.

KFC Team Member Pay

On average, a team member with two years of experience at KFC makes $9.25 an hour. This equals $370 a week and a yearly salary of $19,240 if you work full-time at this job.

This amount is not enough for the average person to live on but it provides a steady paycheck and a chance to advance to a higher position. 

KFC Cook Pay

The average cook at KFC makes approximately $9.90 an hour. This would give you $396 a week and a salary of $20,592 a year. 

Once again, if it sounds like inadequate pay, it’s because it absolutely is! There are other fast-food restaurants you can work at as a cook that will pay you at least another $2 an hour on average. Panda Express cooks earn an average of over $13.00 an hour.

KFC Customer Service Team Member Pay

The average customer service team member makes approximately $11.30 an hour. Your weekly pay would be approximately $452 and your yearly salary would be $23,504.

If you add to that a few overtime hours every month, you can approach a $25,500 a year salary.

KFC Shift Supervisor Pay

This job, also known as a shift manager, can give you an hourly wage of approximately $11.80. The weekly salary would be $472 and you can earn approximately $24,544 a year.

KFC Assistant Manager Salary

An assistant manager at KFC earns approximately $38,400 a year. Some franchise owners give these employees an additional cash bonus every year, totaling anywhere between $1,000 to $2,000.

A good assistant manager can earn an opportunity to become a general manager in a short amount of time.

KFC Manager Salary

The average general manager at KFC earns approximately $49,750 a year. You can sometimes add to this a handsome bonus of approximately $5,000 a year.

The salary can range up to approximately $68,450 a year. 

Does KFC pay weekly?

KFC pays its employees via direct deposit, paper check, or pay card either weekly, biweekly, or twice a month. This all depends on the franchise owner and how this owner particularly runs the payroll processing.

If you work for one of the few corporate-owned stores, you can expect to get paid biweekly either on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday after the previous pay period has ended.

Does KFC hold your first paycheck?

KFC does not hold your first paycheck. People tend to get confused with how pay periods operate.

When you get hired, chances are, you are going to be working a few days during the predetermined two-week pay period. Then, after the pay period ends, you will get paid approximately one week after that.

This makes it seem like they’re holding back your first paycheck when in actuality you are getting paid for only the days you worked during the previous pay period.

How often does KFC give raises?

KFC stores have a bad reputation for giving poor raises to their employees. Many employees say that if you don’t speak up, you will never get an offer for a raise at all.

Those who do get raises say it happens every 6 months to a year. The amount you will be given is approximately a 2 to 3% bump in pay.

The best course to take is to work hard and prove yourself and communicate effectively with your management. Let’s say, for example, you are a great and talented employee and you work hard and get noticed during your first three months of employment.

Sometime after that three-month mark, you can begin speaking with your management staff about the possibility of getting raises or earning a promotion. This way, you are on their radar and they will remember you if you continue to let them know without being overly irritating.

KFC Work Hours

If you’re looking to earn a living, you should be concerned with how many hours you are assigned by your management staff every week. You can make this process easier for yourself by continually proving you’re a good worker and by communicating with your management.

Full-time Hours

To be considered a full-time worker at KFC, you will be assigned between 33 to 40 hours of work every week. There will be days when you’re working more than 8 hours and some days where you will be working maybe a little less. This all depends on how busy your store is and what your management staff needs from you.

Part-time Hours

Part-time workers at KFC usually get assigned anywhere between 10 to 25 hours a week. If you need more hours, it’s a good idea to make it known to your management team and ownership that you are willing to fill in for other workers who call out sick.

KFC Shift Hours

Every KFC store operates differently when it comes to working shift hours but here are some examples of shifts you can count on working:

• 8 AM to 4 PM
• 8 AM to 1 PM
• 9 AM to 5 PM
• 9 AM to 2 PM
• 2 PM to 7:30 PM
• 2 PM to 11 PM
• 3 PM to 9 PM
• 3 PM to 12 Midnight 
• 4:30 PM to 1 AM

What is the KFC call-out sick policy?

You can accumulate 1 hour toward sick leave as paid time for every 30 hours of work. Therefore, if you work 30 hours a week, you will accumulate one full sick day after approximately two months or 8 weeks of work.

When you are going to call out sick, make sure you contact your manager ahead of time. Be aware that he or she may ask you to provide a doctor’s note to be excused for your absence on the following day.

The most important thing for employees to remember when it comes to sick time is to not abuse it. If you are someone who is dependable and after a few months happens to really get sick, you should have no problem with your management staff as long as you appear sincere and concerned about missing your scheduled workdays.

Does KFC do background checks?

KFC generally does not conduct background checks for entry-level workers wanting to become team members. However, if you’re applying for a managerial position, you can expect a full background check.

Additionally, keep in mind there are no guarantees when it comes to not performing drug tests or background checks. Franchise-owned KFC locations can do whatever they deem necessary during the hiring process and each is different in how they handle this.

Does KFC hire felons?

KFC does not have a problem hiring felons and franchise owners have full discretion as to whether to hire people with felony pasts. With that said, certain felonies may disqualify you when applying to certain KFC restaurants, while in others, it may not.

It’s important to be truthful in your application and disclose any felony convictions because if you eventually want to get hired as a manager, it will possibly come up on your background check and disqualify you. You can find out how to apply here.

Break Policy

If you’re working a shift of more than 6 hours, KFC gives you a 30-minute unpaid meal break. When it comes to occasional 10 to 15-minute paid breaks, you’ll have to work that out with your management staff.

Remember, dependable, hard-working employees are more likely to be granted an occasional break than someone lazy and unproductive.

KFC Dress code

Every franchise owner has their method of outfitting their new employees. However, generally, your KFC location will issue you a red or black polo or button-down shirt, a hat, a name tag, and in certain cases, a headset.

You are usually expected to purchase your own black slacks and black nonslip shoes.

Other things to worry about are for men, you can have facial hair but it has to be neatly kept. Most locations allow colored hair and some body piercings.

If you are concerned about this, speak with the hiring manager during the interview process.

Featured image courtesy of Alison Newman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.