American Fast Food Company Raises Wages

American Fast Food company McDonald’s is raising the hourly wages for its U.S. company-owned restaurants as the chain looks to hire 10,000 workers for those locations. The broader restaurant industry is facing a labor crunch.

A fewer number of people are returning to the workforce than expected, and eateries are trying to meet consumer demand as it comes roaring back. The hiring announcements that arrive in the spring and summer months have been accompanied this year by news of wage hikes, referral and retention bonuses and other enhanced benefits. Chipotle Mexican Grill said its average wage per hour would be $15 by the end of June.Workers at the American Fast Food’s company-owned locations will see pay raises of an average of 10% over the next several months. Entry-level employees depending on the location will be making $11 to $17 per hour, and shift managers will make $15 to $20 an hour.

Joe Erlinger, USA President of McDonald said that along with the franchisees the company faces a challenging hiring environment, and staying ahead means we must constantly renew our commitment to offering one of the leading employment packages in the industry. Based on the current labor market, American Fast Food company will provide an average wage for employees of its company-owned restaurants to be $15 per hour by 2024.

However, these increases will not directly impact workers who are employed by restaurants owned by McDonald’s franchisees. The fast-food giant franchises 95% of its U.S. restaurants. Amazon said on Thursday that it will pay new hires $17 an hour, as it seeks to add 75,000 new workers. The online giant also said it is offering a $100 bonus for new hires who have been vaccinated. Sheetz, a mid-Atlantic convenience store chain, said that it is giving its 18,000 employees a $2-an-hour raise and an additional $1 an hour for the summer.