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- Some fast-food CEOs make hundreds of times as much as the average worker. Here's how the biggest names stack up.
Some fast-food CEOs make hundreds of times as much as the average worker. Here's how the biggest names stack up.
12. Dunkin' Brands (Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin Robbins)
11. Dine Brands (IHOP, Applebee's)
Ratio: 64 to 1
CEO pay: $7,754,880
Median worker pay: $121,200
As a primarily franchised company, Dine Brands determined the median employee in 2017 based on the salaries of 487 workers in the US.
10. Wingstop
Ratio: 132 to 1
CEO pay: $2,761,084
Median worker pay: $20,976
In 2017, CEO Charlie Morrison made 132 times the median pay of Wingstop employees.
9. Restaurant Brands International (Burger King, Popeyes, Tim Hortons)
Ratio: 202 to 1
CEO pay: $4,152,266
Median worker pay: $20,504.58
As of the end of December 2017, Restaurant Brands International reported that its "employee population for pay ratio disclosure purposes consisted of approximately 4,692 individuals working in locations around the world."
8. Brinker International (Chili's and Maggiano's Little Italy)
Ratio: 271 to 1
CEO pay: $5,445,226
Median worker pay: $20,092
Brinker International CEO Wyman Roberts additionally received a one-time grant of stock options related to his performance in fiscal 2018, valued at $1,373,503, that was not included in the calculation of the pay ratio.
7. Jack in the Box
Ratio: 337 to 1
CEO pay: $5,043,921
Average worker pay: $14,968
Jack in the Box's 2018 median employee was "a restaurant Team Member who worked an average of 21.4 hours per week."
6. Domino's
Ratio: 461 to 1
CEO pay: $7,939,727
Median worker pay: $17,226
"Based on total cash compensation, our median employee was identified as a part-time delivery driver who worked an average of 25 hours per week and was employed by the Company for 23 of 26 pay periods," reads Domino's filing on fiscal 2017.
5. Chipotle
Ratio: 814 to 1
CEO pay: $11,050,000
Median worker pay: $13,582
Then-CEO Steve Ells made 814 times the median Chipotle worker in his last full year as chief executive in 2017.
4. Darden Restaurant (Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse)
Ratio: 871 to 1
CEO pay: $15,770,151
Median worker pay: $18,097
According to Darden, the "median employee determined for fiscal 2018 is a part time team member at one of our restaurants."
3. Starbucks
Ratio: 1,049 to 1
CEO pay: $13,382,480
Median worker pay: $12,754
Starbucks' 2018 median worker pay for a "a part-time barista in California," was $12,754, including salary and Bean Stock.
2. Yum Brands (Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut)
Ratio: 1,358 to 1
CEO pay: $12,368,607
Median worker pay: $9,111
Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC, defined its 2017 median worker as a "part-time Taco Bell restaurant employee in the U.S. who was employed by the Company for three months."
1. McDonald's
Ratio: 3,101 to 1
CEO pay: $21,761,062
Worker pay: $7,017
McDonald's identified its 2017 median worker as a "part-time restaurant crew employee located in Poland," after considering all part-time, full-time, seasonal, and temporary workers.
McDonald's noted that 90% of CEO Steve Easterbrook's compensation takes the form of "at risk" compensation, which ties pay to the company's performance. With the company's value growing by roughly $36 billion in 2017, Easterbrook's compensation also exploded.
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