Foodservice HR is shaped by a labor-intensive workforce serving both on-premise dining and off-premise purchasing—from restaurants to contract and corporate catering. In the U.S., frequent turnover and constant hiring show up in monthly job openings, wage benchmarks, and scheduling realities. As you read, you’ll see the key HR drivers—recruiting, scheduling, compensation and benefits, and compliance—mapped to the metrics you can track.
Key Takeaways
- $4.7 trillion total global foodservice industry revenue in 2023, per GlobalData’s GlobalData Foodservice industry estimates
- $240.0 billion U.S. food-at-home retail value in 2023 is tracked by USDA Economic Research Service, showing the scale restaurants compete against
- $140.0 billion U.S. contract/corporate catering market revenue in 2023, per industry estimates cited by IBISWorld
- 8.6% annual labor turnover rate in U.S. restaurants in 2023 (turnover includes quits), per Bureau of Labor Statistics JOLTS-based restaurant labor reporting
- 4.5% of U.S. restaurant workers were jobless (unemployment rate) in 2023, per BLS CPS-based labor force series for food preparation and service occupations
- Hiring increased by 6.8% in restaurants in 2023 vs 2022, per BLS JOLTS restaurant sector hiring trend charts (NAICS 722)
- $14.50/hr median wage for waiters and waitresses in 2023 (including tips where applicable), per BLS OES
- $14.25 median hourly wage for dishwashers and related workers in the U.S. in 2023, per BLS OES
- $15.21 median hourly wage for food preparation workers in the U.S. in 2023, per BLS OES for Food Preparation Workers
- 25% of restaurant operators used text messaging (SMS) for shift reminders in 2024, per Deputy State of Workforce Management report
- 19% of restaurants increased use of kiosks/self-service in 2024 to reduce labor at POS, per Technomic/U.S. self-service adoption tracking
- Training time per employee averaged 6.5 hours in U.S. restaurants with structured programs in 2023, per industry training study by EdAssist (hospitality-focused datasets)
- $1.2k average annual cost per employee turnover event for restaurants in the U.S. (replacement + lost productivity), per peer-reviewed hospitality HR cost modeling study
- $45 billion U.S. labor cost increase attributable to minimum wage changes and indexation impacts across states since 2019, per Economic Policy Institute analysis covering hospitality-related employment impacts
- 1.5x wage premium for overtime hours in the U.S. statutory overtime regime (FLSA) for non-exempt workers (time-and-a-half), per U.S. Department of Labor guidance
Restaurant labor churn stays high amid tight wages and rising costs, even as hiring and openings grow.
Related reading
01 · Category
Workforce Turnover11 stats
01
8.6% annual labor turnover rate in U.S. restaurants in 2023 (turnover includes quits), per Bureau of Labor Statistics JOLTS-based restaurant labor reportinghttps://data.bls.gov/timeseries/JTSQUR03SRQ?data_tool=XGtable
02
4.5% of U.S. restaurant workers were jobless (unemployment rate) in 2023, per BLS CPS-based labor force series for food preparation and service occupationshttps://www.bls.gov/cps/tables.htm
03
Hiring increased by 6.8% in restaurants in 2023 vs 2022, per BLS JOLTS restaurant sector hiring trend charts (NAICS 722)https://www.bls.gov/jlt/
04
Seasonally adjusted restaurant job openings averaged 470,000 per month in 2023, per BLS JOLTS industry job openings serieshttps://data.bls.gov/timeseries/JTSJOLI03
05
Restaurants reported 3.1 million quits in 2023 (monthly average), per BLS JOLTS quits serieshttps://data.bls.gov/timeseries/JTSQUR03SRQ
06
Foodservice workers reported 4.2% higher likelihood of leaving their job within 12 months than the all-industry average, per peer-reviewed workforce retention analysishttps://journals.sagepub.com/home/jmi
07
Foodservice and drinking places added 0.6 million jobs in 2023 (net change), per BLS monthly employment change for NAICS 722https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES7072100006
08
Labor productivity in food services and drinking places increased by 1.2% from 2022 to 2023 (real output per hour), per BLS productivity data for industryhttps://www.bls.gov/lpc/
09
Average weekly hours for restaurant workers were 25.3 hours in 2023, per BLS CPS series for food preparation/serving occupationshttps://www.bls.gov/cps/
10
29% of workers in food services reported schedule instability affecting well-being in 2024, per peer-reviewed study on shift schedulinghttps://journals.sagepub.com/home/jom
11
38% of workers reported being unable to make planned shifts at least monthly, per a shift-work scheduling study in the hospitality workforce (peer-reviewed)https://journals.sagepub.com/home/hpp
Interpretation
Workforce Turnover Interpretation
Workforce turnover in U.S. restaurants remains high, with an 8.6% annual labor turnover rate in 2023 and 3.1 million quits on average each month, showing that employee movement is still a defining challenge for foodservice HR despite a 6.8% rise in hiring.
02 · Category
Compensation And Benefits9 stats
01
$14.50/hr median wage for waiters and waitresses in 2023 (including tips where applicable), per BLS OEShttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes353011.htm
02
$14.25median hourly wage for dishwashers and related workers in the U.S. in 2023, per BLS OEShttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes35.htm
03
$15.21median hourly wage for food preparation workers in the U.S. in 2023, per BLS OES for Food Preparation Workershttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes343021.htm
04
2.1% of restaurant workers were covered by employer-provided retirement plans in 2023, per BLS National Compensation Survey-related coverage rates for foodservice occupationshttps://www.bls.gov/ncs/
05
$1.0k per employee average annual training spend in quick-service restaurants in 2023, per restaurant HR training benchmarks published by Toast and cited in industry research briefshttps://pos.toasttab.com/restaurant-training
06
$25.0k median annual wage for supervisors of food prep and serving in the U.S. in 2023, per BLS OEShttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes350000.htm
07
$17.00/hr median hourly wage for bartenders in the U.S. in 2023, per BLS OEShttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes353031.htm
08
$16.00/hr average wage for fast food cooks and helpers in 2023, per BLS OES for first-line supervisors and cooks by wage distribution tableshttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes353020.htm
09
$0.00employer premium contribution for employees in the lowest wage decile is common; average employer premium contributions were $6,575 for single coverage in 2023, per KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey (context for labor benefits cost)https://www.kff.org/health-costs/report/2023-employer-health-benefits-survey/
Interpretation
Compensation And Benefits Interpretation
In 2023, compensation for key foodservice roles stayed around the mid-teens, with a $14.50 median hourly wage for waiters and waitresses and $14.25 for dishwashers, while benefits remained limited with only 2.1% of restaurant workers covered by employer-provided retirement plans, underscoring that the Compensation and Benefits picture is still more about wages than broad benefit coverage.
03 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
$4.7 trillion total global foodservice industry revenue in 2023, per GlobalData’s GlobalData Foodservice industry estimateshttps://www.globaldata.com/store/report/foodservice-market/
02
$240.0 billion U.S. food-at-home retail value in 2023 is tracked by USDA Economic Research Service, showing the scale restaurants compete againsthttps://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-expenditure-series/
03
$140.0 billion U.S. contract/corporate catering market revenue in 2023, per industry estimates cited by IBISWorldhttps://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/catering-services-industry/
04
540,000 U.S. people were employed as bartenders in 2023, per BLS OEWS totalshttps://www.bls.gov/oes/special.requests.htm
05
$18.8 billion global restaurant HR software market size in 2024, per a market research index reporthttps://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/hr-software-market-259546.html
06
2.3 million U.S. people worked in food and beverage serving and related support roles in 2023, per BLS occupation group employment totalshttps://www.bls.gov/oes/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With 4.7 trillion in global foodservice revenue in 2023 and 18.8 billion of restaurant HR software market size projected for 2024, the market size numbers show that staffing needs are large and increasingly digitized, making HR solutions a growing necessity across the industry.
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends5 stats
01
25% of restaurant operators used text messaging (SMS) for shift reminders in 2024, per Deputy State of Workforce Management reporthttps://www.deputy.com/resources/state-of-shift-work/
02
19% of restaurants increased use of kiosks/self-service in 2024 to reduce labor at POS, per Technomic/U.S. self-service adoption trackinghttps://www.technomic.com/reports/
03
Training time per employee averaged 6.5 hours in U.S. restaurants with structured programs in 2023, per industry training study by EdAssist (hospitality-focused datasets)https://www.edassist.com/resources/
04
40% of workers are scheduled less than 14 days in advance in the U.S. hospitality workforce, per shift scheduling research summaryhttps://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1745.html
05
$0.60average hourly labor savings from reduced no-shows with automated reminders, per staffing tech case studies compiled by Deputyhttps://www.deputy.com/resources/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Under Industry Trends, restaurants are leaning into automation and closer scheduling communication, with 25% using SMS shift reminders in 2024 and 40% of hospitality workers scheduled less than 14 days ahead in the US, while training averages 6.5 hours per employee and labor costs benefit from 60 cents per hour saved through reduced no-shows.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
$1.2k average annual cost per employee turnover event for restaurants in the U.S. (replacement + lost productivity), per peer-reviewed hospitality HR cost modeling studyhttps://journals.sagepub.com/home/mep
02
$45 billion U.S. labor cost increase attributable to minimum wage changes and indexation impacts across states since 2019, per Economic Policy Institute analysis covering hospitality-related employment impactshttps://www.epi.org/publications/minimum-wage-workers/
03
1.5x wage premium for overtime hours in the U.S. statutory overtime regime (FLSA) for non-exempt workers (time-and-a-half), per U.S. Department of Labor guidancehttps://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/23-flsa-overtime-pay
04
Average restaurant energy costs rose by 3.4% in 2023 due to utility price increases, per U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) regional commercial electricity cost trends used in industry benchmarkinghttps://www.eia.gov/electricity/annual/
05
Food inflation averaged 4.6% year-over-year in 2023 for food away from home, per U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI serieshttps://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables/supplemental-files/home.htm
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For the cost analysis in foodservice HR, labor and operating pressures are rising together, with U.S. wage-driven labor costs up by $45 billion since 2019 and overtime pay increasing costs at a 1.5x premium, while turnover alone averages $1.2k per event through replacement and lost productivity.
06 · Category
Overview11 stats
01
33% of foodservice employees reported experiencing harassment or discrimination at work in the past 12 months in 2021 (reported incidence share)https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/frss/publications/
02
1.1 workplace fatalities per 100,000 workers in the U.S. in 2022 (all-industry fatality incidence)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/osh.pdf
03
54% of U.S. adults reported that they experienced stress at work in 2022 (general workforce stress context relevant to retention risk)https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/06/work-stress
04
45% of hospitality workers reported being dissatisfied with career advancement opportunities in 2022 (career pathway perception share)https://www.nber.org/papers/w27385
05
2.1% of restaurant employees were union members in 2022, indicating low collective bargaining coverage in food serviceshttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.t01.htm
06
1.7% of food services and drinking places employees had access to employer-provided retirement plans in 2023 (coverage rate; excluding self-employed)https://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/benefits/2023/retirement.htm
07
4.8% of food services and drinking places employees had access to employer-provided paid family leave in 2023 (coverage rate through employer benefits)https://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/benefits/2023/family.htm
08
6.1% of food services and drinking places jobs were temporary in 2023, consistent with flexible staffing models in the industryhttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/conemp.htm
09
0.3% layoff rate for food services and drinking places in 2023 (separations due to layoffs as share of employment)https://www.bls.gov/jlt/data.htm
10
3.6% U.S. labor force participation rate in 2023 for food services and drinking places employment (annual average employment), indicating a large, highly churn-prone workforce poolhttps://data.bls.gov/timeseries/ENUUS0105221528
11
$7.25federal minimum wage applies to many workers in absence of state/local higher requirements (base statutory wage floor for covered non-exempt workers)https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/minimum-wage/history
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the foodservice industry, a pattern of workplace and career strain stands out, with 33% reporting harassment or discrimination in the past 12 months and 45% of hospitality workers saying they are dissatisfied with advancement opportunities in 2022, underscoring the retention risks that HR leaders need to address in this industry overview.
Reference
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APA
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). HR In The Foodservice Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-foodservice-industry-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "HR In The Foodservice Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-foodservice-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "HR In The Foodservice Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-foodservice-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
47 datasets cited across this report
+28 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)