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Over the past year, fast food restaurant workers have faced a deadly pandemic, resistance from customers to hide money orders and long lines during the winter storm in February.
To show its appreciation, Whataburger, based in San Antonio, awards more than $ 90 million in bonuses to its 46,000 employees, an average of nearly $ 2,000 each.
Employees “have been helping build record company performance numbers” since last March, Whataburger said in announcing the bonuses.
The company said it also gave workers “extra” bonuses and emergency pay and doubled their 401 (k) game for 2020 “as a thank you for their extraordinary service.”
“The past year has reshaped the way we live, work and play, with the restaurant and hospitality industry being heavily impacted by this year’s pandemic and crippling winter storms,” said Ed Nelson, CEO of Whataburger, in a statement. “We wanted to help ensure that our family members and their families are taken care of and thank them for continuing to go the extra mile to serve our customers with great pride, care and love.
The pandemic has put restaurant and retail workers on the front lines, and Whataburger is not alone in sweetening the pot for its workers after a year of struggles.
HEB gave employees a temporary pay raise of $ 2 an hour at the start of the pandemic. The San Antonio-based company ended the program in June, but said it would make “permanent investments” in its workforce, including “accelerated and improved pay increases.”
For the typical HEB employee, the increase will be more than double the temporary increase, a spokesperson said.
Last year, Walmart awarded more than $ 2.8 billion in quarterly and special cash bonuses.
McDonald’s gave employees at corporate-owned restaurants bonuses equivalent to 10 percent of their wages for May.
Darden Restaurants, owner of Olive Garden and other chains, announced last month that it would give nearly 90,000 hourly restaurant workers $ 17 million in bonuses and ensure they are paid at least $ 10. Of time.
Many chains have survived and in some cases seen their sales increase during the pandemic, in part due to drive-through, take-out and delivery sales, said David Henkes, senior director of restaurant consulting firm Technomic. .
The company ranked Whataburger as the 26th American restaurant chain in terms of sales, which rose 5.6% to $ 2.7 billion last year.
“It makes sense to reward your employees who have put up with a lot during the pandemic,” said Henkes.
Restaurant owners are struggling to find, hire and keep employees, which was a challenge before the pandemic.
“The more you can raise wages, make employees feel valued… the easier it will be to retain workers,” said Henkes.
Whataburger is also changing the titles of CEOs to “operating partners” and said they can earn six figures per year, including bonuses of up to 150 percent of their target incentives.
Whataburger started out as a roadside burger stand that Harmon Dobson opened in 1950 in Corpus Christi. Today, it has more than 840 restaurants in 10 states. Most of its locations are in Texas.
The Dobsons announced in 2019 that Chicago-based BDT Capital Partners had acquired a controlling stake in the business and planned to expand it. Whataburger opens restaurants in new markets, including cities in Missouri and Tennessee. It also grants franchises for the first time in nearly two decades and introduces new restaurant models.
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