Research
June 05, 2026
Total restaurant industry jobs
Restaurants added 48k jobs in May, the strongest gain in more than three years
Restaurant job growth regained its momentum in recent months, mirroring the labor market resurgence in the overall economy.
Eating and drinking places added a net 48,000 jobs in May on a seasonally-adjusted basis, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That represented the strongest monthly employment increase since January 2023 (76,000).
May’s solid job growth came on the heels of upward-revised gains in both March (27,500) and April (34,700). The 110,000 jobs added during the last three months was the largest 3-month gain since early 2023, when the industry was still working to recover from the pandemic-induced job losses.
The solid payroll expansion during the last three months confirmed that February’s loss of 38,800 jobs – the largest since December 2020 – was just a temporary blip resulting from the late-January winter storms.
Looking ahead to the second half of 2026, the expectation is that restaurant employment will continue to rise, though likely not at the robust pace seen in May.
Restaurant operators will continue to balance staffing levels with ever-changing business conditions, and remain nimble if there is any deterioration in consumers’ ability to spend.
The recent acceleration in job growth pushed the size of the restaurant workforce further above pre-pandemic levels. As of May 2026, eating and drinking place employment was nearly 153,000 jobs (or 1.2%) above its February 2020 level.
Fullservice segment remains 187k 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 April 2026, fullservice restaurant employment was still 187,000 jobs (or 3.3%) below pre-pandemic readings.
However, fullservice restaurants expanded payrolls at a healthy rate in recent months, after lagging behind for much of the post-pandemic expansion. The fullservice segment added a net 98,000 jobs between April 2025 and April 2026. In comparison, the three limited-service segments added combined 84,000 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 April 2026, employment at snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars – including coffee, donut and ice cream shops – was 217,000 jobs (or 27%) above April 2020 levels.
Employee counts at quickservice and fast casual restaurants were 88,000 jobs (or 1.9%) above pre-pandemic levels.
[Note that the segment-level employment figures are lagged by one month, so April 2026 is the most current data available.]
Restaurant job growth uneven across states
More than 5 years after the onset of the pandemic in the U.S., restaurant staffing levels remain below pre-pandemic readings in 18 states and the District of Columbia.
This group was led by West Virginia, which had nearly 6% fewer eating and drinking place jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025 than it did in the fourth quarter of 2019. Maine (-5%), New Mexico (-5%), Massachusetts (-4%) and Illinois (-4%) were also well below their pre-pandemic restaurant employment levels.
In contrast, restaurant employment in several of the mountain states has climbed well beyond pre-pandemic levels. This group is led by Idaho (+20%), Utah (+14%) and Nevada (+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 added a net 48,000 jobs in May on a seasonally-adjusted basis, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That represented the strongest monthly employment increase since January 2023 (76,000).
May’s solid job growth came on the heels of upward-revised gains in both March (27,500) and April (34,700). The 110,000 jobs added during the last three months was the largest 3-month gain since early 2023, when the industry was still working to recover from the pandemic-induced job losses.
The solid payroll expansion during the last three months confirmed that February’s loss of 38,800 jobs – the largest since December 2020 – was just a temporary blip resulting from the late-January winter storms.
Looking ahead to the second half of 2026, the expectation is that restaurant employment will continue to rise, though likely not at the robust pace seen in May.
Restaurant operators will continue to balance staffing levels with ever-changing business conditions, and remain nimble if there is any deterioration in consumers’ ability to spend.
The recent acceleration in job growth pushed the size of the restaurant workforce further above pre-pandemic levels. As of May 2026, eating and drinking place employment was nearly 153,000 jobs (or 1.2%) above its February 2020 level.
Fullservice segment remains 187k 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 April 2026, fullservice restaurant employment was still 187,000 jobs (or 3.3%) below pre-pandemic readings.
However, fullservice restaurants expanded payrolls at a healthy rate in recent months, after lagging behind for much of the post-pandemic expansion. The fullservice segment added a net 98,000 jobs between April 2025 and April 2026. In comparison, the three limited-service segments added combined 84,000 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 April 2026, employment at snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars – including coffee, donut and ice cream shops – was 217,000 jobs (or 27%) above April 2020 levels.
Employee counts at quickservice and fast casual restaurants were 88,000 jobs (or 1.9%) above pre-pandemic levels.
[Note that the segment-level employment figures are lagged by one month, so April 2026 is the most current data available.]
Restaurant job growth uneven across states
More than 5 years after the onset of the pandemic in the U.S., restaurant staffing levels remain below pre-pandemic readings in 18 states and the District of Columbia.
This group was led by West Virginia, which had nearly 6% fewer eating and drinking place jobs in the fourth quarter of 2025 than it did in the fourth quarter of 2019. Maine (-5%), New Mexico (-5%), Massachusetts (-4%) and Illinois (-4%) were also well below their pre-pandemic restaurant employment levels.
In contrast, restaurant employment in several of the mountain states has climbed well beyond pre-pandemic levels. This group is led by Idaho (+20%), Utah (+14%) and Nevada (+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.