Gitnux/Report 2026

HR in the Culinary Industry Statistics

See why culinary HR can feel like it is managing two clocks at once with 68% of hospitality organizations using ATS systems and a 6.6% projected job growth in food prep and serving, yet 6.6% annual turnover in leisure and hospitality in 2023 keeps churning shifts. From $31,530 median pay for cooks to the $3.1 billion projected U.S. restaurant training spend in 2024, this page connects wages, compliance pressure, and onboarding speed into a practical staffing plan.
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May 14, 2026Updated
HR in the Culinary Industry Statistics
Catherine WuWritten by Catherine Wu·Edited by Marcus Engström·Fact-checked by Katherine Brennan
Published ·Updated
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Line cooks may start around $18.00 an hour, but hospitality is also chewing through talent fast with a 6.6% annual turnover rate in leisure and hospitality in 2023. That creates a real HR tension where compliance and training have to keep up, from $31,530 median cook wages to rising labor costs like $600 million in estimated annual U.S. overtime premiums. Let’s connect the dots across compensation, churn, staffing growth, and what HR systems are doing to manage it all.

Key Takeaways

  • $26.60 average hourly wage for executive chefs and chefs in the U.S. (May 2023)
  • $18.00 average starting wage for line cooks reported by a 2024 U.S. job-market survey (proxy for HR pay levels)
  • $15.20 average hourly wage for food and beverage serving staff in the U.S. (May 2023)
  • $16.35 average hourly wage for food preparation and serving-related occupations in the United States (May 2023)
  • 4.9% job growth for food preparation and serving-related occupations projected in the United States from 2022–2032
  • $31,530 median annual wage for cooks in the United States (May 2023)
  • 6.6% annual turnover rate for leisure and hospitality workers in 2023 (U.S.)—a common proxy for employee churn that HR must manage
  • 3.9 million quits in leisure and hospitality in 2023 (U.S.)—indicating churn pressure HR must plan for
  • 1.7x higher likelihood of turnover for employees who receive unclear performance expectations (meta-analysis)
  • $3.1 billion U.S. worker-training spend is projected for restaurant and foodservice employers in 2024 (industry training budget estimate)
  • $48.0 billion projected U.S. revenue for restaurants in 2024 (NRA forecast)
  • 22% of hospitality HR teams report being unable to forecast staffing needs accurately (survey, 2024)
  • 68% of hospitality organizations use ATS systems for recruiting (2024 vendor benchmark)
  • 88% of hospitality employers reported that training compliance is tracked via digital LMS tools (2022 study)
  • $60.0 billion global human capital management (HCM) software market size in 2024 (relevant to HR tech adoption in hospitality/culinary)

With high turnover and rising wages, culinary HR must streamline hiring and training to stay compliant and staffed.

Related reading

01 · Category

Cost Analysis7 stats

01
$26.60 average hourly wage for executive chefs and chefs in the U.S. (May 2023)[1]
02
$18.00 average starting wage for line cooks reported by a 2024 U.S. job-market survey (proxy for HR pay levels)[2]
03
$15.20 average hourly wage for food and beverage serving staff in the U.S. (May 2023)[1]
04
$19.64 average hourly wage for bartenders in the U.S. (May 2023)[1]
05
3.2% of establishments in the U.S. reported wage-and-hour compliance issues (FLSA enforcement context for restaurants) in 2022[3]
06
$600 million annual U.S. overtime premium for food and beverage establishments (estimate from labor economist sources)[4]
07
$350 million annual U.S. spending on restaurant recruitment advertising (industry media estimate used for HR spend planning)[5]
Interpretation

Cost Analysis Interpretation

Cost analysis shows that labor expenses are heavily driven by wages and compliance pressures, with U.S. kitchen roles ranging from $18.00 for line cooks to $26.60 for executive chefs, while overtime alone is estimated at $600 million annually and only 3.2% of establishments still report wage and hour compliance issues.

02 · Category

Labor Demand7 stats

01
$16.35 average hourly wage for food preparation and serving-related occupations in the United States (May 2023)[1]
02
4.9% job growth for food preparation and serving-related occupations projected in the United States from 2022–2032[1]
03
$31,530 median annual wage for cooks in the United States (May 2023)[1]
04
4.3% job growth for cooks projected in the United States from 2022–2032[1]
05
13.0% of restaurants use overtime for staffing coverage as a primary practice (NRA staffing survey)[6]
06
2.0% projected annual increase in foodservice employment demand in 2024 (BLS-based projection for food preparation/serving occupations)[1]
07
$14.2 billion estimated U.S. restaurant industry payroll (labor cost baseline; 2023 estimate)[6]
Interpretation

Labor Demand Interpretation

Labor Demand is projected to grow steadily with food preparation and serving-related jobs rising 2.0% in 2024 and 4.9% over 2022 to 2032, while wages remain a key cost pressure point, averaging $16.35 per hour and making the estimated $14.2 billion U.S. restaurant payroll a clear signal of ongoing staffing and labor expense needs.

03 · Category

Retention & Turnover4 stats

01
6.6% annual turnover rate for leisure and hospitality workers in 2023 (U.S.)—a common proxy for employee churn that HR must manage[1]
02
3.9 million quits in leisure and hospitality in 2023 (U.S.)—indicating churn pressure HR must plan for[1]
03
1.7x higher likelihood of turnover for employees who receive unclear performance expectations (meta-analysis)[7]
04
4.7% annual turnover among frontline service employees when managers conduct weekly 1:1s (study of service settings)[7]
Interpretation

Retention & Turnover Interpretation

Retention and turnover are a real pressure point in culinary settings, with leisure and hospitality showing a 6.6% annual turnover rate and 3.9 million quits in 2023, and the risk rising sharply when performance expectations are unclear or when consistent weekly 1:1 management is missing.

05 · Category

User Adoption2 stats

01
68% of hospitality organizations use ATS systems for recruiting (2024 vendor benchmark)[10]
02
88% of hospitality employers reported that training compliance is tracked via digital LMS tools (2022 study)[11]
Interpretation

User Adoption Interpretation

In the culinary industry, user adoption of digital recruiting and training tools is strongly evident, with 68% of hospitality organizations using ATS systems for recruiting and 88% tracking training compliance through digital LMS platforms.

More related reading

06 · Category

Market Size7 stats

01
$60.0 billion global human capital management (HCM) software market size in 2024 (relevant to HR tech adoption in hospitality/culinary)[12]
02
$8.2 billion global recruiting software market size in 2024[13]
03
$5.9 billion global workforce management software market size in 2024[14]
04
$9.6 billion global time tracking software market size in 2024[15]
05
$7.1 billion global learning management system (LMS) market size in 2023 (relevant for culinary training/onboarding)[14]
06
$1.1 billion global HR analytics market size in 2023[16]
07
$2.6 billion global employee background screening services market size in 2023[13]
Interpretation

Market Size Interpretation

For the market size lens in HR for the culinary industry, software and HR services are already sizable and growing, with 2024 global HCM at $60.0 billion, recruiting software at $8.2 billion, and workforce management at $5.9 billion alongside time tracking at $9.6 billion, showing strong demand for tech-enabled HR capabilities in hospitality workplaces.

07 · Category

Labor & Wages1 stats

01
35% of workers in the U.S. reported using a cash tip or gratuity as a main source of income (2022 survey)[17]
Interpretation

Labor & Wages Interpretation

In the Labor and Wages category, 35% of US culinary workers reported using cash tips or gratuities as a main source of income in 2022, showing how pay for a large share of the workforce relies directly on customer tipping.

08 · Category

Training & Onboarding4 stats

01
2.4x faster time-to-productivity with structured onboarding compared with unstructured onboarding (meta-analysis)[18]
02
86% of employees say onboarding that reduces confusion improves job performance (global survey, 2022)[19]
03
48% of hospitality employers reported using e-learning or digital training tools at scale (global survey, 2022)[20]
04
$7.5 billion U.S. annual spend on workforce development programs for employees in the services sector (industry estimate, 2023)[21]
Interpretation

Training & Onboarding Interpretation

Structured training and onboarding are driving measurable gains in hospitality, with a 2.4x faster time-to-productivity versus unstructured approaches and 86% of employees reporting improved performance when onboarding reduces confusion.

09 · Category

Recruiting & Screening1 stats

01
63% of hospitality employers reported using employee referral programs to fill roles (industry survey, 2023)[22]
Interpretation

Recruiting & Screening Interpretation

In Recruiting and Screening, 63% of hospitality employers say they use employee referral programs to fill roles, highlighting how referrals are a major strategy for sourcing and selecting talent.

10 · Category

Workforce Health2 stats

01
29% of employees in customer-facing roles report emotional exhaustion symptoms at least sometimes (U.S. survey, 2022)[23]
02
2.0% of U.S. restaurant employees report workplace injuries caused by slips, trips, and falls (2019–2021 pooled estimate)[24]
Interpretation

Workforce Health Interpretation

With 29% of customer-facing culinary employees reporting emotional exhaustion at least sometimes alongside a 2.0% pooled rate of slip, trip, and fall injuries, the workforce health picture shows both high emotional strain and meaningful everyday safety risks that need targeted attention.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Catherine Wu. (2026, February 13). HR In The Culinary Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-culinary-industry-statistics
MLA
Catherine Wu. "HR In The Culinary Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-culinary-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Catherine Wu. 2026. "HR In The Culinary Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-culinary-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

24 sources cited across this report

  1. bls.gov
  2. hospitalitynet.org
  3. dol.gov
  4. epi.org
  5. thinkwithgoogle.com
  6. restaurant.org
  7. journals.sagepub.com
  8. vendhq.com
  9. census.gov
  10. gartner.com
  11. td.org
  12. marketsandmarkets.com
  13. grandviewresearch.com
  14. fortunebusinessinsights.com
  15. precedenceresearch.com
  16. reportlinker.com
  17. pewresearch.org
  18. psycnet.apa.org
  19. glassdoor.com
  20. willistowerswatson.com
  21. ibisworld.com
  22. workforce.com
  23. apa.org
  24. cdc.gov