Restaurant Manager Salary, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 27,316 US job postings by 2,644 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for restaurant managers: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 27,316 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for restaurant managers in US job postings is $57,000 a year (3,919 postings from 516 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $45,000 to $70,000.
- Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $52,000 a year (860 postings).
- The skills that most set restaurant manager postings apart are leadership, management experience.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 2 years of experience.
Restaurant Manager job postings in the US, October 2026
- $57,000
- Median advertised pay (3,919 postings)
- $45,000–$70,000
- Middle 50% of postings
- $52,000
- Starting pay (postings asking up to 1 year)
- 27,316
- US job postings from 2,644 employers
How much does a restaurant manager make?
The median advertised pay is $57,000 a year, from 3,919 US job postings by 516 employers that state pay. One in ten postings offers $85,000 or more.
Advertised pay in 3,919 US restaurant manager job postings: median $57,000 a year, middle half $45,000 to $70,000.
- Median: $57,000
- 25th percentile: $45,000
- 75th percentile: $70,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $20K–$30K | 1.1% |
| $30K–$40K | 12.8% |
| $40K–$50K | 19.8% |
| $50K–$60K | 22.1% |
| $60K–$70K | 18.8% |
| $70K–$80K | 12.9% |
| $80K–$90K | 5.0% |
| $90K–$100K | 2.8% |
| $100K–$110K | 2.1% |
| $110K–$120K | 0.9% |
| $120K–$130K | 0.4% |
| $130K–$140K | 0.5% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | Most common titles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $20.10 | $18.48–$23.50 | 745 | Restaurant Supervisor, Restaurant Manager, Food Service Supervisor |
| Postings that state an annual salary | $65,000 | $58K–$75K | 1,145 | Restaurant Manager, Restaurant General Manager, Food & Beverage Manager |
| All pay postings, annualised | $57,000 | $45K–$70K | 3,919 | – |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Food Service Managers (11-9051) at $69,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for a restaurant manager?
Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $52,000 a year (860 postings).
| Experience asked | Median advertised pay | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 years | $52,000 | 860 |
| 2-4 years | $62,000 | 1,069 |
| 5+ years | withheld | 86 |
Highest-paying restaurant manager jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food & Beverage Manager | $59,000 | 309 | 111 |
| Restaurant Manager (general) | $59,000 | 2,362 | 196 |
| Dietary Manager | $52,000 | 463 | 116 |
Restaurant manager pay by state
Single-location US postings; states with at least 100 postings that state pay. States with pay-transparency laws (such as California, Colorado, New York and Washington) are over-represented among postings that state pay.
| State | Median pay | Middle 50% | Postings with pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $70,000 | $54,000–$80,000 | 458 | 10.2% |
| New York | $65,000 | $48,000–$72,000 | 333 | 5.5% |
| Texas | $62,000 | $38,000–$75,000 | 147 | 12.0% |
| Illinois | $58,000 | $44,000–$62,000 | 175 | 3.3% |
| Florida | $58,000 | $45,000–$75,000 | 153 | 5.3% |
| Wisconsin | $51,000 | $47,000–$58,000 | 103 | 1.2% |
Skills employers ask for in restaurant manager job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 37% |
| Leadership | 24% |
| Interpersonal skills | 17% |
| Organizational skills | 16% |
| Customer service | 15% |
| Problem-solving | 14% |
| Microsoft Office | 8% |
| Attention to detail | 8% |
| Excel | 8% |
| Positive attitude | 8% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set restaurant managers apart
- Leadership4.7× as often as in all postings · 24%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a restaurant manager job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a restaurant manager do?
Employers post these jobs as Restaurant General Manager, Dietary Manager, Assistant Restaurant Manager, Restaurant Supervisor, Food Service Manager and other titles. The largest specializations are Dietary Manager (9%), Food & Beverage Manager (6%), Banquet Captain (2%), Dining Room Manager (under 1%), Front of House Manager (1%), Cafeteria Manager (under 1%).
The closest official occupation is Food Service Managers (11-9051.00). Its most important tasks:
- Count money and make bank deposits.
- Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service.
- Keep records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies.
- Schedule staff hours and assign duties.
- Investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a restaurant manager?
Among 3,414 postings that state a minimum, the median is 2 years. Under 1% say 0 years and 31% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 3,414 US restaurant manager job postings: median 2 years, and 31% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | under 1% |
| 1 yr | 30% |
| 2 yrs | 39% |
| 3-4 yrs | 24% |
| 5-7 yrs | 5% |
| 8-9 yrs | under 1% |
| 10+ yrs | under 1% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Full-time 91%, Part-time 9% of the 738 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a restaurant manager: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Restaurant Manager | 589 (22.3%) |
| Restaurant General Manager | 267 (10.1%) |
| Dietary Manager | 135 (5.1%) |
| Assistant Restaurant Manager | 119 (4.5%) |
| Restaurant Supervisor | 118 (4.5%) |
| Food Service Manager | 112 (4.2%) |
| Food & Beverage Manager | 103 (3.9%) |
| Restaurant Assistant Manager | 101 (3.8%) |
| Food and Beverage Manager | 101 (3.8%) |
| Food Service Director | 96 (3.6%) |
| Food & Beverage Supervisor | 93 (3.5%) |
| Banquet Captain | 87 (3.3%) |
| Food Service Supervisor | 78 (2.9%) |
| Front of House Manager | 72 (2.7%) |
| Dietary Supervisor | 67 (2.5%) |
| Banquet Manager | 62 (2.3%) |
| Certified Dietary Manager | 59 (2.2%) |
| Food and Beverage Supervisor | 57 (2.2%) |
| Cafeteria Manager | 56 (2.1%) |
| Dining Room Manager | 51 (1.9%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Restaurant manager job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banquet Captain | 137 | 87 | – | – | – |
Restaurant Manager compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant Manager | $57K | 2 years | 27,316 | – |
| General Manager | $70K | 3 years | 29,416 | 19 |
| Team Leader | $18.00/hr | 1 year | 63,827 | 17 |
| Chef | $60K | 2 years | 9,444 | 18 |
| Store Manager | $20.12/hr | 2 years | 61,047 | 16 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| General Manager | 19 | $70K |
| Team Leader | 17 | $18.00/hr |
| Chef | 18 | $60K |
| Store Manager | 16 | $20.12/hr |
| Operations Manager | 15 | $85K |
| Hotel Manager | 17 | $20.00/hr |
Applying for restaurant manager jobs?
- Restaurant manager resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find restaurant manager jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does a restaurant manager make?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 19 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 19 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.