Research
November 06, 2026
Total restaurant industry jobs
Restaurant employment held relatively steady in recent months, despite a downtick in October
Restaurant job growth has been choppy throughout much of 2026, often alternating between gains and losses on a month-to-month basis. That pattern continued in October, which suggests that the restaurant labor market remains in a soft patch.
Eating and drinking places lost a net 7,200 jobs in October on a seasonally-adjusted basis, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That followed a gain of 11,000 jobs in September.
While the month-to-month changes have been uneven and subject to sizable revisions, the longer-term view indicates that the restaurant industry is still in a period of modest payroll expansion. Eating and drinking places added roughly 40,000 jobs during the first 10 months of 2026, with employment up 57,000 from year-ago levels.
In the months ahead, the expectation is that restaurant operators will continue to balance staffing levels with business conditions. With customer traffic levels remaining uneven, most operators will likely remain cautious with their hiring decisions.
The recent softness in the labor market also means restaurant employment hasn’t continued to expand the gap beyond pre-pandemic readings. As of October 2026, eating and drinking place employment was 98,700 jobs (or 0.8%) above its February 2020 level.
Fullservice segment remains 165k jobs below pre-pandemic levels
The fullservice segment lost nearly 3.7 million jobs during the first two months of the pandemic, and it has yet to fully recover. As of September 2026, fullservice restaurant employment was still 165,000 jobs (or 3%) below pre-pandemic readings.
However, fullservice restaurants expanded payrolls at a stronger pace in recent months, after lagging behind for much of the post-pandemic expansion. The fullservice segment added nearly 76,000 jobs during the last 12 months. In comparison, the three limited-service segments added a combined 73,000 jobs during that same period.
Despite the slower growth in recent months, limited-service employment levels stand well above their pre-pandemic readings. As of September 2026, employment at snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars – including coffee, donut and ice cream shops – was 220,000 jobs (or 27%) above February 2020 levels.
Employee counts at quickservice and fast casual restaurants were 86,000 jobs (or 2%) above pre-pandemic levels.
[Note that the segment-level employment figures are lagged by one month, so September 2026 is the most current data available.]
Restaurant job growth uneven across states
More than 6 years after the onset of the pandemic in the U.S., restaurant staffing levels remain below pre-pandemic readings in 16 states and the District of Columbia.
That group was led by Vermont and the District of Columbia, which had nearly 6% fewer eating and drinking place jobs in the third quarter of 2026 than they did in the third quarter of 2019. Massachusetts (-5%) and Oregon (-5%) were also well below their pre-pandemic restaurant employment levels.
In contrast, restaurant employment in several of the mountain and plains states has climbed well beyond pre-pandemic levels. This group is led by South Dakota (+20%), Utah (+15%), Arkansas (+13%) and Idaho (+13%).
[Note that the state-level analysis uses 2019 as the pre-pandemic comparison instead of February 2020, because seasonally-adjusted employment figures are not available for every state.]
View the latest employment data for every state.
Note: Eating and drinking places are the primary component of the total restaurant and foodservice industry, providing jobs for roughly 80% of the total restaurant and foodservice workforce of more than 15.7 million.
Track more economic indicators and read more analysis and commentary from the Association's economists.
Eating and drinking places lost a net 7,200 jobs in October on a seasonally-adjusted basis, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That followed a gain of 11,000 jobs in September.
While the month-to-month changes have been uneven and subject to sizable revisions, the longer-term view indicates that the restaurant industry is still in a period of modest payroll expansion. Eating and drinking places added roughly 40,000 jobs during the first 10 months of 2026, with employment up 57,000 from year-ago levels.
In the months ahead, the expectation is that restaurant operators will continue to balance staffing levels with business conditions. With customer traffic levels remaining uneven, most operators will likely remain cautious with their hiring decisions.
The recent softness in the labor market also means restaurant employment hasn’t continued to expand the gap beyond pre-pandemic readings. As of October 2026, eating and drinking place employment was 98,700 jobs (or 0.8%) above its February 2020 level.
Fullservice segment remains 165k jobs below pre-pandemic levels
The fullservice segment lost nearly 3.7 million jobs during the first two months of the pandemic, and it has yet to fully recover. As of September 2026, fullservice restaurant employment was still 165,000 jobs (or 3%) below pre-pandemic readings.
However, fullservice restaurants expanded payrolls at a stronger pace in recent months, after lagging behind for much of the post-pandemic expansion. The fullservice segment added nearly 76,000 jobs during the last 12 months. In comparison, the three limited-service segments added a combined 73,000 jobs during that same period.
Despite the slower growth in recent months, limited-service employment levels stand well above their pre-pandemic readings. As of September 2026, employment at snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars – including coffee, donut and ice cream shops – was 220,000 jobs (or 27%) above February 2020 levels.
Employee counts at quickservice and fast casual restaurants were 86,000 jobs (or 2%) above pre-pandemic levels.
[Note that the segment-level employment figures are lagged by one month, so September 2026 is the most current data available.]
Restaurant job growth uneven across states
More than 6 years after the onset of the pandemic in the U.S., restaurant staffing levels remain below pre-pandemic readings in 16 states and the District of Columbia.
That group was led by Vermont and the District of Columbia, which had nearly 6% fewer eating and drinking place jobs in the third quarter of 2026 than they did in the third quarter of 2019. Massachusetts (-5%) and Oregon (-5%) were also well below their pre-pandemic restaurant employment levels.
In contrast, restaurant employment in several of the mountain and plains states has climbed well beyond pre-pandemic levels. This group is led by South Dakota (+20%), Utah (+15%), Arkansas (+13%) and Idaho (+13%).
[Note that the state-level analysis uses 2019 as the pre-pandemic comparison instead of February 2020, because seasonally-adjusted employment figures are not available for every state.]
View the latest employment data for every state.
Note: Eating and drinking places are the primary component of the total restaurant and foodservice industry, providing jobs for roughly 80% of the total restaurant and foodservice workforce of more than 15.7 million.
Track more economic indicators and read more analysis and commentary from the Association's economists.