Quick Answer: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Handbook from 2024, chefs and head cooks earn a median annual salary of $60,990.
Understanding these pay benchmarks helps restaurant owners budget labor costs effectively and make competitive hiring decisions in today's tight labor market.
What Factors Create the Biggest Differences in Chef Salaries?
Geography matters more than you'd think. The BLS wage data reveals an 88% salary difference between states: Hawaii chefs average $99,520 annually, while Texas chefs earn $52,950. Major metros, like Boston-Cambridge ($78,040) and San Francisco-Oakland ($71,020), command significant premiums over the national median: Boston is 32% higher, and San Francisco is 21% higher.
Experience level determines your second-biggest cost jump. Entry-level cooks start around $36,040 annually, while seasoned executive chefs in the 90th percentile earn $93,900. That's a 160% increase over the course of a career.
You need to know what competitive rates look like in your market. Use the BLS median of $60,990 as your national baseline, then adjust for your specific metro area. Boston-area restaurants need to budget $78,040, while Dallas-Fort Worth data suggests $54,460. Factor in your chef's experience level using these government wage distribution ranges to make offers that attract quality hourly teams without breaking your budget.
How do Kitchen Staff Salaries Fit into Your Overall Labor Budget?
Your kitchen hierarchy directly impacts payroll costs. According to BLS data, prep cooks earn a median of $32,420 annually, line cooks earn $35,780, and chefs earn $58,920. This 65% wage increase from line cook to chef represents your biggest single hourly team promotion in the kitchen.
Smart restaurant owners track kitchen pay as part of their broader 25-35% labor cost target, with chef salaries representing the premium end of back-of-house wages. Building a pay plan that attracts quality chefs requires balancing market rates with what works for your restaurant and your long-term retention goals.
What Mistakes Do Restaurant Owners Make When Budgeting Chef Labor Costs?
The biggest mistake? Treating chef salaries as fixed costs instead of smart spending on your hourly teams. Many restaurant owners budget chef pay based solely on what they paid last year, ignoring market shifts that can leave them 15-20% below competitive rates in just 18 months.
Another common pitfall: failing to account for the ripple effect of chef turnover. When you lose an experienced chef making $65,000, you're not just replacing that salary. You're absorbing recruitment costs, training time for replacement hires, menu inconsistency that impacts customer satisfaction, and often paying premium wages to attract mid-contract talent. That turnover easily costs you an additional $20,000-$30,000 beyond the base salary.
The smartest operators build pay planning that balances three priorities: competitive base salaries benchmarked to their specific metro area, clear promotion pathways that reward loyalty and skill development, and full pay and benefits your hourly teams actually value. Take control of your kitchen labor costs with scheduling tools that forecast wages and timesheets that track actual hours worked.
How Does Homebase Help with Managing Kitchen Staff Costs?
Homebase's integrated time clock and automated timesheets ensure accurate, regular and overtime calculations, while labor cost forecasting helps you stay within the 25-35% industry target. Understanding chef pay benchmarks helps you make offers that attract quality talent without overpaying your market.
Get Homebase free for six months.
Sources and Methodology
At Homebase, we rely on up-to-date, authoritative sources to ensure every Question Center article provides accurate guidance for small business owners. We start with primary federal materials from the IRS and Department of Labor, verify details using official agency publications, and use reputable industry resources only to supplement—never replace—official law.
For this piece, we referenced BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2023), BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook data, Department of Labor FLSA guidance, American Culinary Federation certification studies, and established restaurant industry compensation surveys from Restaurant365, Toast, and 7shifts.