Texas fast-food chain paying teenagers $50,000 salaries to manage restaurants amid labor shortage

A Texas fast-food chain is shelling out $50,000 salaries for teenagers and those in their early 20s to manage its restaurants as executives struggle to find qualified workers amid a nationwide labor shortage.

Garrett Reed, CEO of Layne’s Chicken Fingers, said a downturn in the labor market stymied his company's growth and forced him to dish out large salaries for workers who would make about $12 hourly in entry-level roles after promoting them to managerial positions.

“The biggest challenge for small companies to grow right now is your labor force,” he said. “We’d be growing at twice the rate if we had more people.”

“There’s only so much I can pay and remain profitable without raising prices too much,” he added.

He continued: “We’re so thin at leadership that we can’t stretch anymore to open more locations. I’ve got a good crop of 16 and 17-year-olds, but I need another year or two to get them seasoned to run stores.”

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