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15 Restaurant Labor and Staffing Statistics Every Owner Should Know in 2026

We read the National Restaurant Association's 2026 Hiring and Staffing Research Insight, its current job-openings and restaurant-jobs indicators, the Bureau of Labor Statistics data for Food Services and Drinking Places, and the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey definitions. The figures below keep restaurant and lodging data separate from restaurant-only data, and keep operator survey results separate from payroll and turnover measures.

The practical story is not simply that restaurants need more employees. Staffing determines how much capacity a restaurant can sell, how quickly a new hire becomes productive, how much overtime the existing team absorbs, and whether the guest experience holds together. Every measure below has a specific denominator so an owner can compare it with local labor and service data.

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Workforce measure Value Period Sample or universe Segment Definition Operational implication
NAICS 722 employment 12,346.7 thousand employees June 2026 BLS Current Employment Statistics; seasonally adjusted, preliminary Food Services and Drinking Places, NAICS 722 All employees on the industry payroll A subsector labor-market scale measure, not a staffing target for one location
NAICS 722 earnings and hours $22.02 average hourly earnings; 25.2 average weekly hours May 2026 BLS Current Employment Statistics; preliminary Food Services and Drinking Places, NAICS 722 Average for all employees Use as context for labor budgeting, not as a local median wage or all-in cost
Restaurant and foodservice employment forecast 15.8 million jobs in 2026; 17.3 million projected in 2030 2026 and 2030 NRA industry forecast Restaurant and foodservice industry Total industry employment Shows market scale and direction, not required labor per restaurant
Restaurant and lodging job openings 908,000 monthly average in 2025; 684,000 in June 2026; 726,000 average over the four months through June 2025 and June 2026 BLS JOLTS data as reported by the NRA Accommodation and food services, or restaurant and lodging sector Positions open on the last business day that can start within 30 days and are actively recruited Labor demand remains large but has cooled from the post-pandemic peak
Restaurant and lodging hires, separations, and quits 715,000 hires; 816,000 separations; 638,000 quits in June 2026; 4.3% YTD quit rate June 2026 BLS JOLTS data as reported by the NRA Accommodation and food services Hires are payroll additions; separations are payroll exits; quits are voluntary exits Negative net hiring increases the need to retain and onboard effectively
Insufficient staffing 22% said they lacked enough employees to support demand, versus 32% in 2024 and 78% in 2021 2021, 2024, and 2025 NRA operator survey; public PDF does not give n Restaurants Respondents reporting insufficient staff for existing customer demand Fewer operators report a gap than in 2021, but the issue still affects capacity
Recruiting and retention challenge 62% called recruiting and retaining employees a very or fairly significant challenge 2025 research NRA restaurant operator survey; public PDF does not give n Restaurants Reported business challenge Staffing pressure can remain high even when the headline shortage rate falls
Difficult-to-fill openings 33% said filling openings was more difficult than in 2024; 41% said about the same; 26% easier 2025 versus 2024 Restaurants that filled a job opening in 2025; n not public All restaurants; full-service and limited-service breakouts in source Reported change in recruiting difficulty Hiring difficulty is a different measure from total openings or turnover
Restaurant turnover 122.19% overall; 130.56% for waiters and waitresses; 173.20% for fast food and counter workers 2025 Lightcast using BLS data, as reported in NRA research Restaurant and foodservice occupations Annual separations divided by the occupation job base in the source table Rates above 100% are possible and show why recruiting is continuous
Segment employment recovery Full-service employment was 174,000 jobs below pre-pandemic; quick-service and fast-casual employment was 82,000 above May 2026 BLS payroll data as reported by the NRA; segment data lag one month Full-service versus quick-service and fast-casual Comparison with pre-pandemic employment Staffing conditions differ materially by restaurant format
Understaffing impact 79% of short-staffed operators said it significantly limited growth and success; 48% of operators with difficult-to-fill openings said it caused lost sales 2025 research NRA operator survey; base differs by measure; n not public All restaurants Multiple-response operator survey Capacity and service loss can be more expensive than the open position itself
Time to fill 16 days for an hourly position; 46 days for a manager or salaried position 2026 report NRA staffing survey; n not public Hourly versus manager or salaried roles Days from job opening to the new hire's first day Put a cost on the period when existing staff cover the gap
Time to net positive 31.8 days for hourly employees; 72.2 days for managers and salaried employees 2026 report NRA staffing survey; n not public Hourly versus manager or salaried roles Days until hiring, onboarding, and training costs are covered Retention before this point protects the investment in the hire
Average tenure 18.8 months for new hourly employees; 34.5 months for new managers or salaried employees 2025 research NRA operator survey; weighted averages; n not public Hourly versus manager or salaried roles Reported average tenure by role Early retention and manager development affect payback
Technology impact and manager priorities Technology impact: 63% on-premises ordering/payment, 56% customer feedback, 55% off-premises ordering/payment, 49% scheduling; manager priorities: 87% culture/morale, 84% guest experience, 75% cost/profitability Past 2-3 years and 2026 report NRA operator survey; n not public; manager attributes allow multiple selections Restaurant operations and manager hiring Very or fairly significant technology impact; selected manager attributes Invest in tools and managers that improve service, coaching, and productivity

Food Services and Drinking Places employed 12.35 million people in June 2026

The BLS reports 12,346.7 thousand employees in Food Services and Drinking Places, or NAICS 722, in June 2026. The figure is seasonally adjusted and preliminary. NAICS 722 includes full-service restaurants, limited-service eating places, special food services, and drinking places, so it is the closest broad BLS subsector measure for restaurant labor rather than a count of independent restaurants.

The same BLS page reports average hourly earnings of $22.02 and average weekly hours of 25.2 for all employees in May 2026. Those are industry averages, not medians and not a complete employer labor cost. An individual restaurant still needs local wage, overtime, payroll tax, benefit, schedule, and tip assumptions.

Restaurant and foodservice employment is projected to reach 15.8 million jobs in 2026

The NRA projects 15.8 million restaurant and foodservice jobs in 2026 and 17.3 million by 2030. The 2026 Hiring and Staffing report says the sector employed 15.7 million people in 2025 and represents about 10% of the nation's workforce. These are national industry figures, covering restaurant and non-restaurant foodservice employment.

The forecast is useful for understanding the labor market's scale, but it is not a staffing ratio. It does not tell an owner how many people to schedule for a 100-cover dinner, how many cooks are needed for a menu, or how much labor a unit should carry. Those decisions require sales, transactions, guests, production time, service standard, and local availability.

Restaurant and lodging job openings averaged 908,000 per month in 2025, but June 2026 fell to 684,000

The NRA's staffing report says the restaurant and lodging sector averaged 908,000 job openings per month in 2025. Its August 2026 job-openings indicator reports 684,000 openings in June 2026, down from a revised 752,000 in May, with a 726,000 average over the four months through June. The 2017 to 2019 pre-pandemic average was 835,000 openings per month.

These figures are for accommodation and food services, or restaurant and lodging, not restaurant-only hiring. Under BLS JOLTS, a job opening is a specific position with work available that could start within 30 days and for which the establishment is actively recruiting from outside. An opening is not the same as a new hire, a vacancy that can wait six months, or a guaranteed job offer.

June 2026 hires fell to 715,000 while separations rose to 816,000 and quits reached 638,000

The NRA reports 715,000 hires and 816,000 separations in the restaurant and lodging sector in June 2026. Quits, which are voluntary separations under the BLS definition, rose to 638,000 from 598,000 in May. The sector's quit rate averaged 4.3% year to date, while the post-pandemic high was 6.3% in March 2022.

The difference between hires and separations was negative in June. That does not mean every restaurant shrank, because JOLTS is a sector estimate and monthly data can be volatile. It does mean that owners should monitor both recruiting flow and employee exits rather than treating open positions as the only labor signal.

Only 22% of operators said they lacked enough staff to meet demand in 2025

In the NRA staffing report, 22% of operators said their restaurants did not have enough employees to support existing customer demand in 2025. That was down from 32% in 2024 and 78% in 2021. The labor market has therefore become less severely understaffed than during the post-pandemic peak, but the problem has not disappeared.

The denominator is restaurant operators answering the survey, not a count of unfilled shifts or a national vacancy rate. A restaurant can say it has enough staff for existing demand while still carrying high overtime, weak coverage for absences, or too little capacity for growth. Compare the survey with scheduled hours, actual hours, service times, and lost sales.

Sixty-two percent still called recruiting and retention a significant business challenge

Even with the lower shortage reading, 62% of restaurant operators said recruiting and retaining employees was a very or fairly significant challenge. One-third said it was more difficult to fill openings in 2025 than in 2024, 41% said it was about the same, and 26% said it was easier among restaurants that filled a job opening.

These numbers describe different parts of the labor problem. Staffing sufficiency asks whether current demand can be served. Recruiting difficulty asks how hard it is to fill a position. Retention asks whether the person stays. An operator can have enough staff today and still face a costly pipeline problem if new hires leave before they become productive.

Restaurant turnover averaged 122.19% in 2025, with even higher rates in frontline roles

The report presents a 2025 restaurant and foodservice turnover rate of 122.19%, based on Lightcast analysis using BLS data. The table reports 130.56% for waiters and waitresses and 173.20% for fast food and counter workers. Food service managers were lower at 45.63%, while restaurant cooks were 85.47%.

A rate above 100% is possible because the source compares annual separations with the occupation job base. It does not mean that every person left exactly once or that every restaurant replaced more than one full workforce. It shows why an owner needs a continuous recruiting and onboarding process, and why a local turnover formula must state its time window and denominator.

Full-service employment was still 174,000 below pre-pandemic levels while quick-service and fast-casual employment was 82,000 above

The NRA's total restaurant jobs analysis reports that full-service employment was 174,000 jobs, or 3.3%, below pre-pandemic levels as of May 2026. Quick-service and fast-casual employment was 82,000 jobs, or 1.8%, above pre-pandemic levels. Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars were 229,000 jobs, or 28%, above May 2020 levels.

The segment numbers are lagged by one month, and the source compares the formats with different pre-pandemic reference points. They still show why one restaurant labor benchmark cannot represent every concept. Full-service owners should pay attention to the pace of recovery in front-of-house roles, while limited-service operators may be managing a different mix of volume, speed, and automation.

Seventy-nine percent of short-staffed operators said understaffing limited growth and success

Among operators reporting insufficient staff, 79% said understaffing was a very or fairly significant limit on their ability to grow and succeed. In the same research, 48% of operators with difficult-to-fill openings said understaffing caused lost sales. Other reported effects included increased employee stress and turnover at 60%, higher overtime costs at 59%, lower service quality and customer satisfaction at 50%, and slower operations at 49%.

These are operator-reported consequences, not a universal dollar cost per missing employee. They explain why labor planning is a capacity decision rather than only a payroll decision. Measure covers turned away, reduced hours, closed sections, ticket time, order accuracy, overtime, and customer satisfaction when a staffing gap occurs.

It took an average of 16 days to fill an hourly position and 46 days to fill a manager role

The NRA staffing report says survey respondents took an average of 16 days to fill an hourly position and 46 days to fill a manager or salaried role. The definition runs from when a job becomes open to the new hire's first day. That period is distinct from time to productivity after the person starts.

The operational cost begins before the first shift. Existing staff may work overtime, managers may spend time recruiting instead of coaching, service capacity may be reduced, and customer experience can weaken. Calculate the revenue and labor cost at risk during the open period by role, then compare it with the cost of faster sourcing or better referral programs.

New hourly hires became net positive after 31.8 days, compared with 72.2 days for managers and salaried staff

Survey respondents estimated that hourly employees began adding net value after an average of 31.8 days, while managers and salaried employees reached that point after 72.2 days. The report defines net positive as the point at which the costs of hiring, onboarding, and training have been covered by the employee's contribution.

These are survey estimates, not a universal accounting rule. The timeline varies with role, location, training system, management support, and the employee's prior experience. The report includes interviews describing some leadership roles that take three to six months to become net positive, which makes early manager retention especially important.

Average tenure was 18.8 months for hourly employees and 34.5 months for managers or salaried staff

The NRA survey reports a weighted average tenure of 18.8 months for new hourly employees and 34.5 months for new managers or salaried employees. Full-service restaurants reported 21.7 months for hourly employees and 35.3 months for managers; limited-service restaurants reported 15.6 and 32.9 months respectively.

Tenure is not the same as retention rate, but it shows why the 31.8-day and 72.2-day payback thresholds matter. A hire who leaves before the investment is recovered creates a different financial result from one who stays for two years. Track tenure by role, location, manager, hiring source, and whether the employee completed the first 30, 60, and 90 days.

Technology had a significant impact on on-premises ordering at 63% of operators and scheduling at 49%

In the NRA survey, 63% of restaurant operators said technology had a very or fairly significant impact on on-premises ordering and payment over the past two to three years. The comparable figures were 56% for customer feedback, 55% for off-premises ordering and payment, and 49% for employee scheduling. These are impact responses, not a claim that the same share purchased a specific software product.

For post-hire workforce management, 49% of restaurants that filled a job opening in 2025 used scheduling software and 40% used digital onboarding resources and tools. The report also says 26% of all restaurant operators reported using tools or technologies that use AI. Keep the bases separate: technology impact among operators is not the same as adoption among restaurants that hired.

Eighty-seven percent of operators prioritized team culture and morale when hiring a manager

When asked which manager attributes mattered most, 87% of restaurant respondents selected building team culture and morale, 84% selected enhancing the guest experience, and 75% selected controlling costs and increasing profitability. Respondents could select all that applied, so these percentages are priorities, not mutually exclusive job requirements.

The ranking connects staffing to the customer and financial outcomes owners care about. A manager is not only a labor scheduler. The role affects onboarding, retention, service consistency, cost control, productivity, and guest satisfaction. Measure manager performance with employee tenure, turnover, service outcomes, labor variance, guest feedback, and sales rather than judging the role on one metric.

Use staffing metrics that connect labor hours to capacity and guest outcomes

A useful local staffing dashboard should show whether the restaurant has the labor needed to produce and serve demand, whether new hires become productive, and whether service quality survives the schedule. Use consistent definitions:

Review these by daypart, role, location, manager, channel, and demand level. The national sources show the labor market and the cost of gaps. Your own schedule, POS, payroll, hiring, and customer data must show how many people your restaurant needs and whether they are producing the service standard you promise.

Sources