This is a long one, TL;DR at the end. I've spent the past 10 years working for this company, becoming a GM after only 2 years. I've been GM of this location for 5 years and spent many grueling hours building my store's staffing and sales, and now this store is one of the most successful stores in the state. Even though I know the owners don't pay well (it's actually the lowest-paying restaurant in this corner of the state) I've kept the store fully staffed through the pandemic because I take care of my team's needs and fight for them to have PTO and other benefits they normally don't get.
I'm constantly given top-tier performance reviews, praises, the whole nine yards from upper management and even the owners. I have every relevant certification. And I've built a relationship with the community which is so strong that I've increased my store's sales by about 40%.
Recently, I've had some unexpected expenses come up that I can't seem to afford. Which doesn't make sense to me. As a successful GM, I shouldn't struggle to save money. I should be able to have enough saved to fix my car, put a new roof on my house if I need to, etc.. So, I started researching what other people are making in similar positions. First, I looked at other restaurants under my parent corporation (I work for a franchise.) That led nowhere because the only posted salaries were across the country. So I started looking at restaurants in general within 50 miles of me and checking job postings. And holy crap. I was making $41K salary, working a minimum 50 hours, and EVERYONE around me was paying $50-55K base salary PLUS bonus. I was floored. I started applying for dozens of other restaurants, with the hopes of leveraging a few offers to get a raise (thanks Antiwork, for the confidence I needed to do this!) And then it happened.
I found a posting for my same position, under the same corporate umbrella (different franchise) 5 minutes closer to my house. Offering a BASE pay of $55K plus 3X the bonus structure I was currently getting. The same restaurant I currently work at, different owners. Naturally I applied. They reached out to me the next day for an interview.
I brought them copies of my entire corporate record, showcasing my spotless record with my state's health department, third-party inspectors, corporate inspectors, certifications, the list goes on. They gave me a tour of their entire operation and offered me the position on the spot because the paperwork I brought them speaks for itself. I told them I'd give them a decision in 2 weeks, and that I would also have to give notice to my current employer beyond that (I know, I know, but hear me out.)
I took these offers to my current franchise and scheduled a meeting, where I asked for a raise. One of the owners walked in, asked me, “So, are you leaving, or what?” I said “I haven't decided yet, I guess that depends on what you have to say.” He said, “Well, I'm not paying you any more. So if you're leaving, just let me know.” And he just WALKED OUT! After everything I've done for them. I was insulted, to say the least. My decision was made. I called the other franchise ASAP. Told them what happened, and that I was putting my notice in. I wanted to leave on good terms in case I needed this job again in the future (they can't keep GMs very long, so if I need my job back it'll be easy, and I might even get a store closer to home.) I have them 3 week's notice, and that was 3 weeks ago. Today is my last day, and I start at my new store making $55K + Bonus this Tuesday!
Thanks to everyone at r/antiwork for giving me the courage to leverage these other offers for better pay, and then the balls to stand up for myself and know my worth! After talking to my (soon to be) new boss, I've realized I now meet the requirements to buy my own franchise under our parent corporation after catching up with expenses and saving for a few years, and maybe a small business loan in the future. I already have an appt to start saving into a Roth-IRA to retire some day. I didn't even think that was gonna be possible for a millennial such as myself! For context, $55K is a LOT in my area, where the average income is about $17-20K. Yea I was making double that already, but I also have 4 kids and a house, and a really old car that needs lots of work, and I only own the house because I got it super cheap because of how much work it needs.
TL;DR: I found out after 10 years with the company that others in similar roles were starting out making over $15K/year more than me, despite me being one of the best in my field. I applied for a job closer to home and blew them away at the interview, and I start there tomorrow with a $15-45K raise, thanks to being a long-time lurker of r/antiwork.