
Staff is one of the biggest expenses in any restaurant. Many owners only consider the employee’s gross salary, but the real cost is significantly higher.
In addition to wages, restaurants must cover social and health contributions, recruitment, training, and shift management.
If you want to manage your restaurant efficiently, it is essential to understand how much a restaurant employee really costs and what share of total operating expenses staff represents.
Salaries in hospitality vary depending on position, experience, and location. In Prague and tourist areas, they are typically higher than in smaller cities.
| Position | Average Gross Salary |
|---|---|
| Waiter / Waitress | 25,000 – 35,000 Kč |
| Chef | 35,000 – 50,000 Kč |
| Kitchen Assistant | 22,000 – 28,000 Kč |
| Shift Manager | 40,000 – 60,000 Kč |
Important: this is only the salary, not the total cost.
When a restaurant hires an employee, there are additional costs beyond salary.
| Cost Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Waiter Salary | 30,000 Kč |
| Social & Health Contributions (33.8%) | 10,140 Kč |
| Staff Meals | 1,500 Kč |
| Additional Costs (training, uniform) | 1,000 Kč |
Total: ~42,000 Kč per month
If a restaurant has 6 employees:
→ over 250,000 Kč per month just for staff.
Restaurants often provide:
These increase the real cost of employees.
Hospitality has relatively high staff turnover.
Restaurants regularly invest in:
These costs are often underestimated but significantly impact overall expenses.
In addition to staff, restaurants must cover:
| Cost Type | Share |
|---|---|
| Staff | 30–45% |
| Ingredients | 25–35% |
| Rent | 10–15% |
| Energy | 5–10% |
| Marketing & Other | 5–10% |
Staff is typically the largest cost category.
Reducing costs does not mean lowering salaries.
More effective approaches include:
Without accurate time tracking, restaurants often overpay.
In many restaurants, waiters spend time monitoring tables rather than serving guests.
Modern tools allow guests to:
Results:
Many restaurants lack clear insight into:
This leads to unnecessary costs.
Result:
Usually 30–40% more than gross salary. For example, a 30,000 Kč salary results in about 42,000 Kč in total cost.
Typically 30–45% of total restaurant expenses.
By optimizing schedules, tracking working hours, and using technology.
Yes. It reduces overtime and improves cost control.
Yes. Modern systems allow tracking via phone, tablet, or computer.
A restaurant employee costs significantly more than just their salary.
Key cost components include:
Staff is the largest expense in most restaurants, which is why effective management is essential.
Tools like RestoCraft WorkTime OS provide full visibility into working hours, help optimize scheduling, and reduce unnecessary labor costs through better data.