How much does a Restaurant Attendant make in the United States?
As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for a Restaurant Attendant in the United States is $24,318 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $12.
However, a Restaurant Attendant's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $27,473
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $22,181 to $25,969
Key Factors That Influence Restaurant Attendant Salaries
A Restaurant Attendant'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 and company size can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Restaurant Attendant Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Restaurant Attendant'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:
Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $24,466
Early Career (1-2 years): $42,524
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $57,392
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $86,470
Expert (over 8 years): $120,425
Levels
Salary
Restauran... Level Restaurant Attendant
$24,466
Assistant... Level Restaurant Attendant
$42,524
Restauran... Level Restaurant Attendant
$57,392
Regional ... Level Restaurant Attendant
$86,470
Restauran... Level Restaurant Attendant
$120,425
$24,4660 yr
$42,524< 2 yrs
$57,3922-4 yrs
$86,4705-8 yrs
$120,425> 8 yrs
View as Table
View as Graph
What Am I Worth?
How Do Restaurant Attendant Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work.
States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors
often pay more to attract Restaurant Attendants.
For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $26,924.
California: $26,822.
Massachusetts: $26,465.
District of Columbia$26,924
California$26,822
Massachusetts$26,465
Washington$26,367
New Jersey$26,358
Alaska$26,324
Connecticut$25,988
New York$25,852
Hawaii$25,417
Rhode Island$25,212
Maryland$25,074
Minnesota$24,884
Colorado$24,811
Illinois$24,787
Oregon$24,694
Delaware$24,626
New Hampshire$24,584
Virginia$24,488
Pennsylvania$24,208
Nevada$24,067
North Dakota$24,021
Michigan$23,948
Wisconsin$23,921
Vermont$23,868
Texas$23,719
Maine$23,710
Arizona$23,695
Ohio$23,678
Georgia$23,454
Indiana$23,342
Wyoming$23,320
Utah$23,286
Iowa$23,272
Kansas$23,155
Louisiana$23,121
North Carolina$23,109
Missouri$23,104
Florida$23,009
Montana$22,958
Nebraska$22,910
Kentucky$22,883
South Carolina$22,785
Tennessee$22,725
Idaho$22,700
New Mexico$22,523
Oklahoma$22,484
Alabama$22,340
South Dakota$22,100
Arkansas$21,968
West Virginia$21,898
Mississippi$21,686
Top Paying Cities for Restaurant Attendants
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: $30,672
San Francisco: $30,336
Oakland: $29,697
San Jose, CA$30,672
San Francisco, CA$30,336
Oakland, CA$29,697
New York, NY$27,999
Paramus, NJ$27,658
Queens Village, NY$27,657
Passaic, NJ$27,634
Bergenfield, NJ$27,632
Stamford, CT$27,578
Huntington, NY$27,569
Newark, NJ$27,389
Bridgeport, CT$27,337
Vallejo, CA$27,289
New Brunswick, NJ$27,279
Petaluma, CA$27,265
Middlesex, NJ$27,219
Somerset, NJ$27,202
Santa Cruz, CA$27,170
Boston, MA$27,022
Monterey, CA$26,936
Seattle, WA$26,881
Santa Rosa, CA$26,876
Los Angeles, CA$26,868
Juneau, AK$26,805
Washington, DC$26,778
Orange, CA$26,692
Santa Ana, CA$26,628
Long Beach, CA$26,603
Anaheim, CA$26,598
Anchorage, AK$26,586
Santa Maria, CA$26,513
Everett, WA$26,509
Danbury, CT$26,423
Bremerton, WA$26,389
Tacoma, WA$26,302
New Suffolk, NY$26,301
Sacramento, CA$26,295
Santa Barbara, CA$26,268
Trenton, NJ$26,241
San Diego, CA$26,241
Brockton, MA$26,214
Fairbanks, AK$26,155
Lompoc, CA$26,093
Lowell, MA$26,073
Ventura, CA$26,068
Nashua, NH$26,063
Stockton, CA$26,061
Modesto, CA$25,884
Poughkeepsie, NY$25,830
Olympia, WA$25,784
Kennewick, WA$25,784
New Haven, CT$25,774
Lawrence, MA$25,687
Hartford, CT$25,662
Riverside, CA$25,657
New Bedford, MA$25,633
Richland, WA$25,633
Bakersfield, CA$25,599
San Bernardino, CA$25,589
New Britain, CT$25,587
Atlantic City, NJ$25,587
New London, CT$25,577
Norwich, CT$25,570
Portsmouth, NH$25,565
Boulder, CO$25,513
Portland, OR$25,480
Worcester, MA$25,477
Minneapolis, MN$25,402
Philadelphia, PA$25,368
Honolulu, HI$25,288
Saint Paul, MN$25,276
Vineland, NJ$25,271
Providence, RI$25,200
Chicago, IL$25,130
Bellingham, WA$25,101
Springfield, MA$25,081
Baltimore, MD$25,074
Chico, CA$25,013
Pittsfield, MA$24,947
Manchester, NH$24,901
Spokane, WA$24,794
Denver, CO$24,792
Albany, NY$24,677
Troy, NY$24,668
Nassau, NY$24,642
Schenectady, NY$24,617
Wilmington, DE$24,597
Burlington, VT$24,563
Salem, OR$24,553
Portland, ME$24,478
Yakima, WA$24,454
Rochester, MN$24,378
Reno, NV$24,366
Fresno, CA$24,366
Milwaukee, WI$24,344
Detroit, MI$24,320
Ann Arbor, MI$24,316
Allentown, PA$24,313
Colorado Springs, CO$24,271
Syracuse, NY$24,259
Carson City, NV$24,259
Houston, TX$24,225
Eugene, OR$24,213
Gary, IN$24,184
Springfield, OR$24,164
Bismarck, ND$24,159
Galveston, TX$24,142
Medford, OR$24,106
Fort Collins, CO$24,096
Concord, NH$24,084
Austin, TX$24,077
Mesa, AZ$24,026
Reading, PA$24,023
Phoenix, AZ$24,021
Dallas, TX$24,014
Saint Cloud, MN$23,990
Madison, WI$23,958
Utica, NY$23,892
Rochester, NY$23,853
Des Moines, IA$23,851
Raleigh, NC$23,848
Atlanta, GA$23,812
Battle Creek, MI$23,804
Salt Lake City, UT$23,797
Lancaster, PA$23,761
Harrisburg, PA$23,727
Kansas City, MO$23,702
Champaign, IL$23,697
Kansas City, KS$23,697
Fort Worth, TX$23,695
Columbus, OH$23,691
Boca Raton, FL$23,685
Pittsburgh, PA$23,676
Richmond, VA$23,666
Indianapolis, IN$23,661
Cleveland, OH$23,658
Las Vegas, NV$23,629
Cincinnati, OH$23,629
Petersburg, VA$23,593
Huntsville, AL$23,556
Lansing, MI$23,540
Lebanon, PA$23,537
Pueblo, CO$23,534
Appleton, WI$23,527
Buffalo, NY$23,517
Dayton, OH$23,510
Racine, WI$23,505
Charlotte, NC$23,503
Saint Louis, MO$23,496
York, PA$23,481
Elkhart, IN$23,481
Gastonia, NC$23,476
Billings, MT$23,471
Beaumont, TX$23,464
Lorain, OH$23,459
Benton Harbor, MI$23,454
Toledo, OH$23,449
Binghamton, NY$23,437
Rock Hill, SC$23,435
Rockford, IL$23,423
Springfield, IL$23,413
Elyria, OH$23,410
Fargo, ND$23,410
Flagstaff, AZ$23,393
Fort Lauderdale, FL$23,379
Duluth, MN$23,364
Miami, FL$23,364
Cheyenne, WY$23,347
Grand Forks, ND$23,347
Bangor, ME$23,294
Cedar Rapids, IA$23,267
Durham, NC$23,257
Louisville, KY$23,255
Grand Rapids, MI$23,250
Hialeah, FL$23,248
Casper, WY$23,213
Scranton, PA$23,184
New Orleans, LA$23,177
Virginia Beach, VA$23,175
Akron, OH$23,162
Peoria, IL$23,131
Sarasota, FL$23,126
Nashville, TN$23,109
Omaha, NE$23,109
Green Bay, WI$23,109
Baton Rouge, LA$23,097
Charleston, SC$23,092
Jamestown, NY$23,080
Davenport, IA$23,080
Tucson, AZ$23,068
Saint Petersburg, FL$23,053
Tampa, FL$23,048
Evansville, IN$23,034
Port Arthur, TX$23,034
Bradenton, FL$23,024
Santa Fe, NM$22,980
Orlando, FL$22,936
Clearwater, FL$22,929
Canton, OH$22,878
La Crosse, WI$22,878
Albuquerque, NM$22,863
Newport News, VA$22,861
High Point, NC$22,854
Ogden, UT$22,844
Corpus Christi, TX$22,824
Norfolk, VA$22,810
Laramie, WY$22,810
Rock Island, IL$22,795
Saginaw, MI$22,790
Jacksonville, FL$22,788
Salisbury, NC$22,783
Boise, ID$22,778
Moline, IL$22,766
Fort Myers, FL$22,759
Memphis, TN$22,754
Tulsa, OK$22,742
Waterloo, IA$22,727
Spartanburg, SC$22,703
Lincoln, NE$22,691
Fort Wayne, IN$22,686
Provo, UT$22,683
Cedar Falls, IA$22,654
San Antonio, TX$22,644
Greensboro, NC$22,635
South Bend, IN$22,632
Savannah, GA$22,606
Muskegon, MI$22,596
Birmingham, AL$22,593
Winston Salem, NC$22,581
Lake Charles, LA$22,523
Anderson, IN$22,518
Lexington, KY$22,511
Augusta, GA$22,503
Greenville, SC$22,503
Lima, OH$22,484
Wichita, KS$22,482
Tuscaloosa, AL$22,482
Columbia, SC$22,460
Springfield, OH$22,455
Asheville, NC$22,416
Bloomington, IN$22,399
Knoxville, TN$22,311
Shreveport, LA$22,309
Wilmington, NC$22,277
Roanoke, VA$22,277
Topeka, KS$22,233
Frankfort, KY$22,231
Oklahoma City, OK$22,214
Chillicothe, OH$22,204
Longview, TX$22,202
Melbourne, FL$22,199
Sioux Falls, SD$22,161
Mobile, AL$22,158
Terre Haute, IN$22,148
Altoona, PA$22,134
Amarillo, TX$22,117
Killeen, TX$22,109
Fayetteville, AR$22,090
Chattanooga, TN$22,083
Sioux City, IA$22,061
Idaho Falls, ID$22,056
Lynchburg, VA$22,037
Gainesville, FL$22,005
Portsmouth, OH$21,993
Little Rock, AR$21,988
Lafayette, LA$21,978
Youngstown, OH$21,978
Daytona Beach, FL$21,964
Clarksville, TN$21,961
Pensacola, FL$21,959
Temple, TX$21,957
Hopkinsville, KY$21,886
Erie, PA$21,881
Florence, SC$21,871
Charleston, WV$21,832
Great Falls, MT$21,820
Macon, GA$21,786
Tallahassee, FL$21,784
Fayetteville, NC$21,779
Waco, TX$21,774
Helena, MT$21,757
Pine Bluff, AR$21,748
Vincennes, IN$21,718
Lubbock, TX$21,708
Alamogordo, NM$21,694
Twin Falls, ID$21,672
Rapid City, SD$21,664
Jackson, MS$21,621
Huntington, WV$21,619
Greenville, MS$21,618
Parkersburg, WV$21,593
Montgomery, AL$21,589
Wichita Falls, TX$21,565
Springfield, MO$21,565
Biloxi, MS$21,553
Monroe, LA$21,528
Johnstown, PA$21,511
Sumter, SC$21,502
Columbus, GA$21,499
Pascagoula, MS$21,453
Abilene, TX$21,453
Kingsport, TN$21,390
Albany, GA$21,390
Gulfport, MS$21,382
Alexandria, LA$21,302
Fort Smith, AR$21,241
El Paso, TX$21,176
Las Cruces, NM$21,066
Harlingen, TX$21,004
Pocatello, ID$21,001
Florence, AL$20,969
Brownsville, TX$20,964
Mcallen, TX$20,913
Dothan, AL$20,879
Columbus, MS$20,735
Altus, OK$20,621
Lawton, OK$20,575
Pierre, SD$20,487
What Skills Can Increase a Restaurant Attendant'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 Restaurant Attendant'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
$30,640
26%
Problem Solving
$25,047
3%
Collaboration
$25,047
3%
Team Management
$25,047
3%
Food Safety
$24,561
1%
Leadership
$24,561
1%
Get Latest Data
Restaurant Attendant Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Restaurant Attendant roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential
by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit,
offers compensation 20% above the average. Conversely,
Restaurant Attendant positions in Hospitality & Leisure typically offer lower base pay,
as this sector often view Restaurant Attendant as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industry for a Restaurant Attendant
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
$29,181
$14.0
20%
Restaurant Attendant Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Restaurant Attendant'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.
Salaries for a Restaurant Attendant can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $30,886 in 2023
to around $30,381 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Restaurant Attendant salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Restaurant Attendant Over Time
2022
$???
2023
$30,886
2024
$30,737
2025
$30,381
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$30,886
2024
$30,737
2025
$30,381
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Restaurant Attendant
Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
For Employers
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Compensation Planning
Common company salaries for Restaurant Attendant
Here are companies hiring for Restaurant Attendant and their salaries, click below for more details.
N
$97,099/per year
New York Police Department
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$95,962/per year
State of New York - Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$94,615/per year
US Department of Transportation
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$93,141/per year
US General Services Administration
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
L
$92,342/per year
Los Angeles County
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
D
$92,011/per year
Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$91,967/per year
US Department of Commerce
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$91,755/per year
US Department of Energy
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
F
$91,673/per year
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$90,276/per year
Naval Sea Systems Command
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
T
$88,975/per year
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$88,721/per year
San Diego County
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
T
$88,664/per year
The TTB
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
L
$87,569/per year
Lutheran Services
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
M
$85,066/per year
Maryland Inc
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$83,780/per year
State University of New York
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$82,969/per year
New York State
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
P
$82,703/per year
Puerto Rico Department of Education
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
U
$80,526/per year
US Central Command
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
H
$80,286/per year
Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
A
$79,270/per year
Air Force Reserve
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
A
$78,505/per year
American Automobile Association (AAA)
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$76,678/per year
State of Florida - Department of Health
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
N
$75,183/per year
New York State Department
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
S
$75,106/per year
State University System of Florida
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit
the United States
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FAQ about Restaurant Attendant
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Restaurant Attendant?
The Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit industry offers the highest average compensation for Restaurant Attendant roles,
with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
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