SALARY · RESTAURANT MANAGER
Restaurant manager salary in 2026
Median pay, hourly rates, top-paying cities, and live restaurant manager jobs from MAJC's coverage area. Numbers below combine U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics with 34 active postings.
Median (national)
$63,060
$30.32/hr · BLS May 2024
Top 10 percent
$104K+
$49.87/hr effective
National pay for restaurant managers
$63,060median, full year
About $30.32/hr. Top 10 percent earn $104K+.
BLS Occupation 11-9051Food Service Managers, May 2024. Source
Restaurant manager pay by city
MAJC-active metros with at least one disclosed restaurant manager salary in the last 14 days. Median is across disclosed postings only; sample size noted per row.
How restaurant managers push pay above median
- Volume + format leverage. High-cover-count concepts (200+ covers, multi-outlet hotels) pay more than small independents — same role, different scope.
- Specialized knowledge. Wine or spirits certification, specific cuisine training, or technical systems (POS, inventory) all command premiums.
- Bilingual fluency. English/Spanish in the U.S. hospitality market is consistently worth a meaningful bump.
- Tenure + leadership. "Lead" or "Head" prefixes typically signal 15–30% over an "Associate" version of the same role.
- Disclosed-salary postings. Filter MAJC for restaurant manager jobs with disclosed pay — those tend to be the ones that compete on number, not vibes.
Top-paying live restaurant manager jobs right now
Highest disclosed salaries across 34 active restaurant manager postings.
- $150k to $185k
General Manager | Premium High-Volume Dining
- $104k to $130k
Assistant General Manager
- $50k to $55k
General Manager
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District Shift Leader
Frequently asked
- What is the average restaurant manager salary?
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics median annual pay for food service managers is $63,060 ($30.32/hr) as of May 2024. The top 10% earn $104K or more.
- How much does a restaurant manager make per hour?
- BLS reports a median hourly rate of $30.32/hr for food service managers. Tipped roles (server, bartender, busser) can substantially exceed the base hourly with gratuities.
- Which cities pay restaurant managers the most?
- Major metros (Miami, Houston, and high-tourist coastal cities) typically pay restaurant managers 10–20% above the national median. See the city breakdown above for live disclosed rates.
- What skills increase restaurant manager pay the most?
- In hospitality, the biggest pay drivers are: specialized cuisine or beverage knowledge, fluency in a second language (Spanish in the U.S.), high-volume service experience, and proven leadership of a team. POS proficiency (Toast, Tock, Resy) and inventory or P&L responsibility also push pay above median.
- How do I find a restaurant manager job that pays above median?
- Filter MAJC's restaurant manager listings by "Salary listed" to surface postings with disclosed pay, then sort by salary. Hotels and high-cover-count restaurants tend to disclose more often than smaller independents. Browse all 34 restaurant manager listings below.