What are the main factors that influence a Wait Staff's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Wait Staff's salary?

A Wait Staff's salary grows with experience: a Wait Staff (0-1 years)earns $25,173, a Restaurant Assistant General Manager (1-3 years)earns $43,712, a Restaurant Operations Manager (3-5 years)earns $59,006, a Restaurant Sales/Operations Regional Manager (5+ years)earns $88,852, a Casino Restaurant Operations Director (5+ years)earns $123,701,

What are the highest paying cities for a Wait Staff?

Wait Staff salary varies significantly by city. The top 3 highest paying cities in Illinois for Wait Staff roles are San Jose $30,900, San Francisco $30,500, Oakland $29,900.

How much do different types of Wait Staff roles make?

Salaries for Wait Staff level roles vary by specialization: Chief of Staff: $228,689; Staff Pharmacist: $151,290; Service and Wait Staff Manager: $85,780; Project Staff: $76,644; Staff Accountant: $74,095.

What specialized skills increase a Wait Staff's salary?

Skills with high demand and low supply, such as Products and Services (up to 26% premium), Problem Solving (up to 3% premium), Collaboration (up to 3% premium), directly translate to higher compensation. Employers pay more for these capabilities to gain a competitive edge.

Click or scroll to view upper level job

Wait Staff Salary in Berkeley, IL

How much does a Wait Staff make in Berkeley, IL?

As of May 01, 2026, the average salary for a Wait Staff in Berkeley, IL is $25,200 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $12.

However, a Wait Staff's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $28,639
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $23,200 to $27,000
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $21,379

Compensation Planning

Develop a Job Description

Pay Equity

2025 Compensation Trend

AI-Powered HR

AI-Powered Talent

Salary Salary + Bonus Benefits

View as table

Wait Staff Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$27,000	$2,250	$519	$13
Average	$25,200	$2,100	$485	$12
25th Percentile	$23,200	$1,933	$446	$11

Get accurate pay by adjusting the below factors.

Change Search Criteria

Check out Wait Staff Job Openings in Berkeley, IL

Wait Staff

Presbyterian Homes & Services - Arlington Heights, IL

WAIT STAFF

Riverside Healthcare - Kankakee, IL

Server Wait Staff

Waffle House - Collinsville, IL

Wait Staff Associate

Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital - Chicago, IL

Search More Wait Staff Jobs in Berkeley, IL

Key Factors That Influence Wait Staff Salaries

A Wait Staff's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, skills and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Wait Staff Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Wait Staff's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

Wait Staff (0-1 years): $25,173
Restaurant Assistant General Manager (1-3 years): $43,712
Restaurant Operations Manager (3-5 years): $59,006
Restaurant Sales/Operations Regional Manager (5+ years): $88,852
Casino Restaurant Operations Director (5+ years): $123,701

Job Role	Years of Experience	Average Salary
Wait Staff	0-1 years	$25,173
Restaurant Assistant General Manager	1-3 years	$43,712
Restaurant Operations Manager	3-5 years	$59,006
Restaurant Sales/Operations Regional Manager	5+ years	$88,852
Casino Restaurant Operations Director	5+ years	$123,701

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Wait Stafves

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $30,900
San Francisco: $30,500
Oakland: $29,900

San Jose, CA $30,900

San Francisco, CA $30,500

Oakland, CA $29,900

New York, NY $28,200

Paramus, NJ $27,800

Queens Village, NY $27,800

Passaic, NJ $27,800

Bergenfield, NJ $27,800

Huntington, NY $27,700

Stamford, CT $27,700

Newark, NJ $27,600

Bridgeport, CT $27,500

Vallejo, CA $27,500

New Brunswick, NJ $27,400

Petaluma, CA $27,400

Middlesex, NJ $27,400

Somerset, NJ $27,400

Santa Cruz, CA $27,300

Boston, MA $27,200

Monterey, CA $27,100

Seattle, WA $27,000

Santa Rosa, CA $27,000

Los Angeles, CA $27,000

Juneau, AK $27,000

Washington, DC $26,900

Orange, CA $26,900

Santa Ana, CA $26,800

Long Beach, CA $26,800

Anaheim, CA $26,800

Everett, WA $26,700

Anchorage, AK $26,700

Santa Maria, CA $26,700

Danbury, CT $26,600

Bremerton, WA $26,600

Tacoma, WA $26,500

New Suffolk, NY $26,500

Sacramento, CA $26,500

Brockton, MA $26,400

Trenton, NJ $26,400

Santa Barbara, CA $26,400

San Diego, CA $26,400

Fairbanks, AK $26,300

Lompoc, CA $26,300

Lowell, MA $26,200

Ventura, CA $26,200

Nashua, NH $26,200

Stockton, CA $26,200

Modesto, CA $26,000

Poughkeepsie, NY $26,000

Olympia, WA $25,900

Kennewick, WA $25,900

New Haven, CT $25,900

Bakersfield, CA $25,800

New Bedford, MA $25,800

Richland, WA $25,800

Hartford, CT $25,800

Lawrence, MA $25,800

Riverside, CA $25,800

Boulder, CO $25,700

Norwich, CT $25,700

New London, CT $25,700

Portsmouth, NH $25,700

New Britain, CT $25,700

San Bernardino, CA $25,700

Atlantic City, NJ $25,700

Portland, OR $25,600

Worcester, MA $25,600

Minneapolis, MN $25,600

Philadelphia, PA $25,500

Vineland, NJ $25,400

Honolulu, HI $25,400

Saint Paul, MN $25,400

Providence, RI $25,400

Bellingham, WA $25,300

Chicago, IL $25,300

Baltimore, MD $25,200

Chico, CA $25,200

Springfield, MA $25,200

Pittsfield, MA $25,100

Manchester, NH $25,100

Spokane, WA $24,900

Denver, CO $24,900

Wilmington, DE $24,800

Nassau, NY $24,800

Schenectady, NY $24,800

Albany, NY $24,800

Troy, NY $24,800

Burlington, VT $24,700

Salem, OR $24,700

Portland, ME $24,600

Yakima, WA $24,600

Detroit, MI $24,500

Allentown, PA $24,500

Milwaukee, WI $24,500

Ann Arbor, MI $24,500

Reno, NV $24,500

Rochester, MN $24,500

Fresno, CA $24,500

Colorado Springs, CO $24,400

Syracuse, NY $24,400

Carson City, NV $24,400

Houston, TX $24,400

Eugene, OR $24,400

Medford, OR $24,300

Galveston, TX $24,300

Bismarck, ND $24,300

Gary, IN $24,300

Springfield, OR $24,300

Dallas, TX $24,200

Fort Collins, CO $24,200

Concord, NH $24,200

Austin, TX $24,200

Mesa, AZ $24,200

Reading, PA $24,200

Phoenix, AZ $24,200

Madison, WI $24,100

Saint Cloud, MN $24,100

Utica, NY $24,000

Rochester, NY $24,000

Des Moines, IA $24,000

Raleigh, NC $24,000

Atlanta, GA $24,000

Battle Creek, MI $24,000

Salt Lake City, UT $23,900

Lancaster, PA $23,900

Harrisburg, PA $23,900

Kansas City, MO $23,900

Cincinnati, OH $23,800

Las Vegas, NV $23,800

Cleveland, OH $23,800

Indianapolis, IN $23,800

Pittsburgh, PA $23,800

Richmond, VA $23,800

Columbus, OH $23,800

Fort Worth, TX $23,800

Champaign, IL $23,800

Kansas City, KS $23,800

Boca Raton, FL $23,800

Lebanon, PA $23,700

Petersburg, VA $23,700

Huntsville, AL $23,700

Lansing, MI $23,700

Pueblo, CO $23,700

Appleton, WI $23,700

Buffalo, NY $23,700

Dayton, OH $23,700

Racine, WI $23,700

Charlotte, NC $23,700

Binghamton, NY $23,600

Rockford, IL $23,600

Toledo, OH $23,600

Elyria, OH $23,600

Fargo, ND $23,600

Springfield, IL $23,600

Benton Harbor, MI $23,600

Rock Hill, SC $23,600

Beaumont, TX $23,600

Saint Louis, MO $23,600

York, PA $23,600

Elkhart, IN $23,600

Lorain, OH $23,600

Gastonia, NC $23,600

Billings, MT $23,600

Flagstaff, AZ $23,500

Fort Lauderdale, FL $23,500

Duluth, MN $23,500

Miami, FL $23,500

Grand Forks, ND $23,500

Cheyenne, WY $23,500

Casper, WY $23,400

Hialeah, FL $23,400

Grand Rapids, MI $23,400

Cedar Rapids, IA $23,400

Durham, NC $23,400

Bangor, ME $23,400

Louisville, KY $23,400

Nashville, TN $23,300

Green Bay, WI $23,300

Omaha, NE $23,300

Sarasota, FL $23,300

Virginia Beach, VA $23,300

Akron, OH $23,300

New Orleans, LA $23,300

Scranton, PA $23,300

Peoria, IL $23,300

Bradenton, FL $23,200

Baton Rouge, LA $23,200

Charleston, SC $23,200

Davenport, IA $23,200

Jamestown, NY $23,200

Tucson, AZ $23,200

Saint Petersburg, FL $23,200

Tampa, FL $23,200

Evansville, IN $23,200

Port Arthur, TX $23,200

Clearwater, FL $23,100

Santa Fe, NM $23,100

Orlando, FL $23,100

La Crosse, WI $23,000

Canton, OH $23,000

Albuquerque, NM $23,000

Newport News, VA $23,000

High Point, NC $23,000

Ogden, UT $23,000

Corpus Christi, TX $23,000

Norfolk, VA $23,000

Laramie, WY $23,000

Tulsa, OK $22,900

Waterloo, IA $22,900

Fort Myers, FL $22,900

Moline, IL $22,900

Memphis, TN $22,900

Salisbury, NC $22,900

Jacksonville, FL $22,900

Saginaw, MI $22,900

Rock Island, IL $22,900

Boise, ID $22,900

Savannah, GA $22,800

South Bend, IN $22,800

Greensboro, NC $22,800

San Antonio, TX $22,800

Cedar Falls, IA $22,800

Fort Wayne, IN $22,800

Lincoln, NE $22,800

Spartanburg, SC $22,800

Provo, UT $22,800

Anderson, IN $22,700

Muskegon, MI $22,700

Birmingham, AL $22,700

Winston Salem, NC $22,700

Lake Charles, LA $22,700

Lexington, KY $22,700

Columbia, SC $22,600

Springfield, OH $22,600

Asheville, NC $22,600

Tuscaloosa, AL $22,600

Lima, OH $22,600

Greenville, SC $22,600

Augusta, GA $22,600

Wichita, KS $22,600

Bloomington, IN $22,500

Knoxville, TN $22,500

Shreveport, LA $22,500

Frankfort, KY $22,400

Topeka, KS $22,400

Oklahoma City, OK $22,400

Wilmington, NC $22,400

Roanoke, VA $22,400

Chillicothe, OH $22,300

Longview, TX $22,300

Melbourne, FL $22,300

Sioux Falls, SD $22,300

Mobile, AL $22,300

Terre Haute, IN $22,300

Altoona, PA $22,300

Amarillo, TX $22,300

Killeen, TX $22,300

Lynchburg, VA $22,200

Idaho Falls, ID $22,200

Fayetteville, AR $22,200

Chattanooga, TN $22,200

Sioux City, IA $22,200

Temple, TX $22,100

Clarksville, TN $22,100

Daytona Beach, FL $22,100

Youngstown, OH $22,100

Pensacola, FL $22,100

Little Rock, AR $22,100

Portsmouth, OH $22,100

Gainesville, FL $22,100

Lafayette, LA $22,100

Hopkinsville, KY $22,000

Erie, PA $22,000

Florence, SC $22,000

Charleston, WV $22,000

Great Falls, MT $22,000

Pine Bluff, AR $21,900

Lubbock, TX $21,900

Vincennes, IN $21,900

Helena, MT $21,900

Macon, GA $21,900

Fayetteville, NC $21,900

Waco, TX $21,900

Tallahassee, FL $21,900

Alamogordo, NM $21,800

Twin Falls, ID $21,800

Rapid City, SD $21,800

Jackson, MS $21,800

Huntington, WV $21,800

Greenville, MS $21,800

Johnstown, PA $21,700

Parkersburg, WV $21,700

Montgomery, AL $21,700

Wichita Falls, TX $21,700

Springfield, MO $21,700

Biloxi, MS $21,700

Monroe, LA $21,700

Abilene, TX $21,600

Pascagoula, MS $21,600

Sumter, SC $21,600

Columbus, GA $21,600

Kingsport, TN $21,500

Albany, GA $21,500

Gulfport, MS $21,500

Alexandria, LA $21,400

Fort Smith, AR $21,400

El Paso, TX $21,300

Las Cruces, NM $21,200

Mcallen, TX $21,100

Brownsville, TX $21,100

Harlingen, TX $21,100

Pocatello, ID $21,100

Florence, AL $21,100

Dothan, AL $21,000

Columbus, MS $20,900

Altus, OK $20,800

Lawton, OK $20,700

Pierre, SD $20,600

What Skills Can Increase a Wait Staff's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Customer Service (Mentioned in 11.92% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
Point of Sale (Mentioned in 2.74% Job Postings): Accepting payments from customers for goods and services either in person or online.
Product Quality (Mentioned in 1.88% Job Postings): Product quality refers to how well a product satisfies customer needs, serves its purpose and meets industry standards. When evaluating product quality, businesses consider several key factors, including whether a product solves a problem, works efficiently or suits customers' purposes.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Customer Service	11.92%
Point of Sale	2.74%
Product Quality	1.88%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Wait Staff's salary.

Products and Services: Can increase your salary by up to 26%.
Problem Solving: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Products and Services	$31,752	26%
Problem Solving	$25,956	3%
Collaboration	$25,956	3%
Team Management	$25,956	3%
Food Safety	$25,452	1%
Leadership	$25,452	1%

Get Latest Data

Wait Staff Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Wait Staff's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on May 01, 2026

$23,200

Average $25,200/year

$27,000

$1,933

Average $2,100/month

$2,250

$446

Average $485/week

$519

$11

Average $12/hour

$13

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$27,000	$2,250	$519	$13
Average	$25,200	$2,100	$485	$12
25th Percentile	$23,200	$1,933	$446	$11

Wait Staff Salary Growth & Career Path

Wait Staff

Fast Food Restaurant Shift Supervisor

Gourmet Restaurant Manager - Casino

Culinary Services Supervisor

Food Service Operations Team Lead

Fast Food Restaurant Assistant Manager

Culinary Services Manager

Food Service Operations Manager

Promotions are the fastest way to increase your earnings. As a Wait Staff, you have the following paths for advancement. The table below compares the salary raises for common next-step roles. By comparing these figures, you can choose the career path that best meets your financial goals.

Wait Staff Salary Growth and Career Path
Next Step Role	Estimate Salary	Projected Raise
Fast Food Restaurant Shift Supervisor	$35,800	42%
Gourmet Restaurant Manager - Casino	$61,300	143%
Culinary Services Supervisor	$41,700	65%
Food Service Operations Team Lead	$42,500	69%

Salaries of jobs related to Wait Staff

Find Your Next Wait Staff Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Wait Staff job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

For Employees

Get a Salary Increase

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Search Job Openings

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

For Employers

Adjust Employee Salary

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Price My Industry Jobs

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Cost of Living In Berkeley, IL

Cost of Living in Berkeley, IL is

12.2% Higher

than the National Average

Use Salary.com's Cost of Living Calculator to find out what income you need to maintain your standard of living in a different city and how much more or less money you need to budget for basic expenses.

Explore Cost of Living Calculator

Empower Your Team

Salary.com experts will help you thrive your workplaces.

Find Salary.com Comp Consulting

See Salary Trends in 2025

Salary.com provides salary survey data for thousands of industry Jobs.

Price Your Company Jobs and Make Pay Fair

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
Job and employee pricing reports
Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.

Learn about