Does Smashburger pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Smashburger employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Smashburger. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Smashburger?

39% of Smashburger employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Smashburger 2.5 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.8 for culture and values and 2.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Smashburger?

General Manager (73) , Cashier (68) , Cook (50) , Assistant Manager (36) , Gse (33) , Guest Service Expert (32) , Shift Leader (29) , Line Cook (27) , Manager (20) , Restaurant General Manager (12) , Front of the House (11) , District Manager (10) , Shift Manager (10) , Server (9) , Front of House (8)

What are the pros of working at Smashburger according to real employee reviews?

"Great people and lots of fun" ((in 52 reviews)); "Most coworkers are fun to work with and make shifts go by quickly." ((in 29 reviews)); "free food and the quick work pace kind of feels like a fun game that you have to complete" ((in 24 reviews)); "Some great staff, you get on well as you know how bad it is to work there." ((in 22 reviews)); "It’s a good work environment" ((in 17 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Smashburger according to real employee reviews?

"Bad management and they can underpay you" ((in 61 reviews)); "They pay was low and it was too far" ((in 56 reviews)); "Managers always in position." ((in 33 reviews)); "Long hours and usually during the peak hours like 11 am to 10 pm or close." ((in 24 reviews)); "Terrible upper management." ((in 17 reviews))

What are employees saying about Smashburger layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Smashburger layoffs and their outlook for job security at Smashburger in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Smashburger locations?

Denver , New York , Houston , Las Vegas , Dallas , Phoenix , San Diego , Minneapolis , Sacramento , San Jose , Chicago , Saint Louis , Tulsa , Charlotte , Hicksville , Mesa , Washington , Columbia , New Providence , Clark , Salt Lake City , Fairfax , Louisville , Roseville , San Francisco , Ellicott City , Clifton , Lodi , Newark , Paramus

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Smashburger

Smashburger reviews

3.0

39% would recommend to a friend

(827 total reviews)

Jim Sullivan

13% approve of CEO

26% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.6

Diversity & inclusion

2.9

Career opportunities

2.8

Culture & values

2.7

Senior management

2.6

Compensation and benefits

2.5

Work/Life balance

Smashburger has an employee rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on 827 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Smashburger employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Restaurants & Food Service industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

827 reviews

2.0

Oct 30, 2015

A stepping stone. Get the experience and get out.

General manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good quality product that you can be proud to serve. People I work with are great and work hard despite low pay and amount of work we ask for. Such a fast growing company there is opportunity to advance. Pretty good and attainable bonus.

Cons

Labor matrix is impossible, especially in lower volume stores. Managers always in position. Low pay and too much expected of associates makes finding and keeping good people difficult No time allowed to schedule administrative duties or non service activities like opening and closing the restaurant. Not very good base pay, for the amount of work and hours

3.0

Oct 28, 2015

Is it worth it?

Gse

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Trainers, Staff and Co-workers are all very friendly. Gave me an excellent foundation in customer service. Food quality lives up to it's standards. Left me a fan of smashburger for life.

Cons

Having to fill multiple positions (cash, shakes, runner, and expo) gives extra stress if there isn't proper management. Having worked at multiple locations I can see that some locations run like a well oiled machine and others like a train wreck just holding together. Aside from this, the pay is okay for a starting job, but the mismanagement at some locations makes it seem like it's not worth the trouble.

2.0

Oct 26, 2015

Want so much for so little

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The training provided was great, took my guest service skills to another level. The company is growing so plenty of opportunity is there, it's all up to you on how far you go.

Cons

Having to work many positions at once. The work life balance wasn't great at all. When I was there the market was poor therefor we suffered by not being given hours to use employees when you mostly needed them. You had a feeling that your job was always on the line no matter how hard you worked.

Viewing 649 - 651 of 827 Reviews

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