Restaurants still employ 10,500,000 people as of April 2024, but the pressure shows up in the details where wages, quits, and job openings don’t move in sync. From a 3.0% annual change in total quits to a 6.7% job openings rate in food prep and serving roles in 2023, HR planning is shaped by both cost swings and persistent staffing gaps. We’ll connect these figures to what they mean for scheduling, retention, compliance, and how much labor input can realistically be squeezed.
Key Takeaways
- 10,500,000 people employed in Restaurants and Other Eating Places (employment level, seasonally adjusted) in April 2024
- 3.0% annual change in total quits in Restaurants and Other Eating Places, 12 months ending March 2024
- $15.05 median hourly wage for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations (median wage, May 2023)
- $15.75 median hourly wage for Cooks, Restaurant (median wage, May 2023)
- $16.15 median hourly wage for Dishwashers (median wage, May 2023)
- $0.96 median value of tips paid to Waiters and Waitresses per hour is implied by wages plus tips; BLS reports tip-earning wage structure for waiters (tips-tipped wage)
- 3.7% increase in the Consumer Price Index for Full Service Restaurants from May 2023 to May 2024 (CPI-U, index change)
- 12.6% increase in average hourly earnings for all private workers in April 2024 vs April 2023 (seasonally adjusted)
- 5.2% reduction in restaurant industry labor input per worker (unit labor input change; latest available)
- 4.6% job openings rate in Food Preparation and Serving Related occupations (2023)
- 34% of restaurant operators report using employee referral programs (Toast State of Restaurant Hiring 2024)
- $9.9 billion U.S. market size for human resource management software (2023)
- $5.5 billion global workforce management software market size (2023)
- $6.6 billion global time and attendance software market size (2023)
- Employees who receive any recognition at work at least once per week are 5.8x more likely to stay, implying a retention lever for restaurant HR programs
Restaurants employ over 10.5 million workers, with rising wages, churn, and higher menu costs driving HR staffing pressure.
Related reading
01 · Category
Labor Market1 stats
01
10,500,000 people employed in Restaurants and Other Eating Places (employment level, seasonally adjusted) in April 2024https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t05.htm
Interpretation
Labor Market Interpretation
In the labor market for the restaurant industry, April 2024 saw 10,500,000 people employed in Restaurants and Other Eating Places, underscoring the scale of workforce demand in this sector.
02 · Category
Benefits And Turnover1 stats
01
3.0% annual change in total quits in Restaurants and Other Eating Places, 12 months ending March 2024https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t01.htm
Interpretation
Benefits And Turnover Interpretation
In the Restaurants and Other Eating Places sector, total quits are down just 3.0% over the 12 months ending March 2024, suggesting that under the Benefits And Turnover lens, employee retention is slightly improving.
03 · Category
Compensation7 stats
01
$15.05median hourly wage for Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations (median wage, May 2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes35-0000.htm
02
$15.75median hourly wage for Cooks, Restaurant (median wage, May 2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes35-2014.htm
03
$16.15median hourly wage for Dishwashers (median wage, May 2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes35-9021.htm
04
$14.48median hourly wage for Bartenders (median wage, May 2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes35-3011.htm
05
$16.28median hourly wage for Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop (median wage, May 2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes35-9031.htm
06
$17.90median hourly wage for Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers (median wage, May 2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes35-1011.htm
07
$19.58median hourly wage for Managers, All Other (includes many restaurant management roles where coded) (median wage, May 2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes11-0000.htm
Interpretation
Compensation Interpretation
In the restaurant industry, compensation for core roles clusters in the mid to high teens, with median hourly wages ranging from $14.48 for bartenders to $16.28 for hosts and $15.05 to $15.75 for food prep and cooks, while leadership roles climb to $17.90 for supervisors and $19.58 for managers, showing higher pay scaling with responsibility within the compensation category.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis10 stats
01
$0.96median value of tips paid to Waiters and Waitresses per hour is implied by wages plus tips; BLS reports tip-earning wage structure for waiters (tips-tipped wage)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes35-3031.htm
02
3.7% increase in the Consumer Price Index for Full Service Restaurants from May 2023 to May 2024 (CPI-U, index change)https://www.bls.gov/cpi/tables/supplemental-files/home.htm
03
12.6% increase in average hourly earnings for all private workers in April 2024 vs April 2023 (seasonally adjusted)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t01.htm
04
$28.00minimum wage in New York City (NYC) as of 2024 for tipped workers’ base wage policy (value for restaurant HR wage planning)https://labor.ny.gov/minimumwage/
05
$14.00minimum wage in Florida effective 2024 (state minimum wage affecting restaurants)https://www.floridajobs.org/workforce-statistics/data-center/minimum-wage
06
$17.20minimum wage in California for employers with 26+ employees effective 2024 (restaurant labor cost baseline)https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_minimumwage.htm
07
6.5% average increase in menu prices in 2023 for full service restaurants (industry price index)https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/
08
Menu prices for full service restaurants increased by 6.2% in 2023 (year-over-year), driving customer pricing pressure that influences staffing and labor budgetinghttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.htm
09
The average U.S. hourly earnings for food prep and serving-related occupations increased to $15.93in May 2024, affecting restaurant HR wage benchmarkshttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes319000.htm
10
The federal overtime threshold is $684per week (equivalent $35,568 annually) effective January 1, 2024, shaping HR compliance costs and scheduling of hours for restaurantshttps://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime/salary-levels
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
With menu and wage pressures rising together, full service restaurant menu prices jumped about 6.2% in 2023 while overtime compliance is now anchored to a $684 weekly threshold, making labor cost planning a tighter, cost-focused challenge for HR.
05 · Category
Performance Metrics2 stats
01
5.2% reduction in restaurant industry labor input per worker (unit labor input change; latest available)https://www.bls.gov/lpc/productivity.htm
02
4.6% job openings rate in Food Preparation and Serving Related occupations (2023)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t04.htm
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
For performance metrics, the restaurant industry shows a 5.2% reduction in labor input per worker while 2023 job openings remain relatively low at 4.6%, suggesting staffing efficiency gains alongside modest hiring demand.
More related reading
06 · Category
Industry Trends1 stats
01
34% of restaurant operators report using employee referral programs (Toast State of Restaurant Hiring 2024)https://pos.toasttab.com/state-of-restaurant-hiring
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
A key industry trend in restaurant HR is that 34% of operators use employee referral programs, showing how many are leaning on trusted networks to strengthen hiring and staffing.
07 · Category
Market Size11 stats
01
$9.9 billion U.S. market size for human resource management software (2023)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/human-resource-management-software-market
02
$5.5 billion global workforce management software market size (2023)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/workforce-management-software-market
03
$6.6 billion global time and attendance software market size (2023)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/time-attendance-software-market
04
$4.5 billion global HR analytics market size (2023)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/hr-analytics-market
05
$2.9 billion global talent acquisition software market size (2023)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/talent-acquisition-software-market
06
$1.6 billion global employee scheduling software market size (2023)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/employee-scheduling-software-market
07
$3.2 billion global recruiting marketing software market size (2023)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/recruitment-marketing-software-market
08
$1.0 billion U.S. employee background screening services market size (2023)https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/background-screening-services-industry/
09
$9.4 billion U.S. HR outsourcing services market size (2023)https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/hr-outsourcing-services-industry/
10
$1.8 billion U.S. HR consulting services market size (2023)https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/human-resources-consulting-industry/
11
$16.1 billion U.S. temporary staffing services market size (2024)https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/temporary-staffing-services-industry/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size for HR technology and services is expanding strongly, with the U.S. temporary staffing services market reaching $16.1 billion in 2024, outpacing multiple 2023 software categories like $9.9 billion for HR management software and signaling that staffing needs are a major driver within the restaurant industry’s HR market.
08 · Category
Retention & Turnover1 stats
01
Employees who receive any recognition at work at least once per week are 5.8x more likely to stay, implying a retention lever for restaurant HR programshttps://www.gallup.com/workplace/236927/employee-recognition-environment.aspx
Interpretation
Retention & Turnover Interpretation
In retention and turnover, employees who get recognition at least once a week are 5.8 times more likely to stay, making regular recognition a powerful HR lever for reducing turnover in restaurants.
09 · Category
Workforce Insights3 stats
01
2.0% of the U.S. labor force changed jobs in the month-to-month measure used by JOLTS, reflecting churn pressures that restaurants compete with for staffhttps://www.bls.gov/jlt/
02
U.S. job openings in the food preparation and serving-related occupations were 6.7% of employment in 2023, reflecting persistent vacancies for restaurant HR to fillhttps://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.htm
03
A meta-analysis found that staffing adequacy improvements are associated with better service quality, implying HR scheduling and staffing levels matter for customer outcomes in restaurantshttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1069031X19836111
Interpretation
Workforce Insights Interpretation
Workforce insights show that restaurants face ongoing staffing pressure as job openings in food preparation and serving-related roles were 6.7% of employment in 2023 and 2.0% of the U.S. labor force switched jobs month to month, making it clear that HR’s ability to keep staffing adequate is tied to better service quality.
10 · Category
Scheduling & Absence1 stats
01
40% of workers report that their job schedule affects their health, indicating HR relevance of schedule stability in restaurant operationshttps://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/workplace-scheduling
Interpretation
Scheduling & Absence Interpretation
With 40% of restaurant workers saying their job schedule affects their health, scheduling and absence management should be treated as a core HR priority for improving well being and attendance stability.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). HR In The Restaurant Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-restaurant-industry-statistics
MLA
Alexander Schmidt. "HR In The Restaurant Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-restaurant-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Alexander Schmidt. 2026. "HR In The Restaurant Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-restaurant-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
38 datasets cited across this report
+26 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)