Restaurant Award Rates 2025–2026

Quick summary for time-poor owners

If you only skim one section, make it this one:

• The Restaurant Industry Award 2020 [MA000119] ("Restaurant Award") sets minimum pay and conditions for employees working in cafés, restaurants, bistros and similar food-focused venues.
• Rates are typically reviewed annually, with the current pay guide effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2025.
• You must get four things right for every staff member:
  • Award coverage – does the Restaurant Award actually apply?
  • Classification – Food & Beverage Attendant Grades, Cook Grades, Chef classifications, etc.
  • Employment type – full-time, part-time or casual.
  • When they work – weekdays, weekends, public holidays, overtime.
• Restaurant Award rules around part-time hours, overtime and penalties are stricter than many employers expect.
• Casuals with regular patterns may be able to give written notice to change to permanent employment once eligible under updated casual conversion laws.

What the Restaurant Award actually is

Think of the Restaurant Award as the minimum legal framework for food-focused hospitality businesses. You can view the official consolidated award text on the Fair Work Commission website.

It sets:

• Minimum hourly rates for different roles and skill levels
• Penalty rates for weekends, public holidays and overtime
• Rules for part-time hours and agreed patterns
• Allowances (split shifts, uniforms, meals, tools, etc.)
• How the Award interacts with the National Employment Standards (NES)

You can always pay more — but you cannot legally pay less.

Award coverage decision tree (Start here before checking pay rates)

Not sure which award applies? Use this decision tree first. Follow it from top to bottom. When you hit YES, follow the arrow.

Who the Restaurant Award covers (and who it doesn't) — see also Restaurant & cafés industry information

Commonly covered businesses

• Cafés
• Restaurants
• Bistros
• Casual dining venues
• Some takeaway businesses (especially if food/drink is mainly eaten on the premises and/or table service is offered) — always confirm in PACT

Common roles under the Award

• Food & Beverage Attendants (grades and supervisor classification)
• Baristas
• Cooks and apprentice cooks
• Chefs and chef de parties
• Kitchen hands
• Supervisors working in restaurants

Who might not be covered?

You may need a different award if:

• The business operates primarily as a pub, hotel or bar (Hospitality Award)
• The business is part of a fast-food chain (Fast Food Award)
• The employee is a senior manager clearly above Award level

2025–2026 pay rates overview: what you must pay

This section gives you a sanity-check snapshot of 2025–2026 minimum rates under the Restaurant Award.

Adult – Full-time & part-time minimum rates

Exact minimum hourly rates (adult, full-time / part-time) from the Fair Work pay guide (first full pay period on/after 1 July 2025):

Casuals

• Casuals receive 25% casual loading
• Casual loading does not remove penalty rates

Juniors

• Junior rates are a percentage of adult rates
• Rates depend on age + classification
• Always use the junior tables in the current pay guide

How classification works under the Restaurant Award

Unlike the Hospitality Award, the Restaurant Award does not classify employees by "Level 1–6".

Instead, employees are classified using:

• Food & Beverage Attendant Grades
• Cook Grades
• Chef classifications

The pay guide then assigns Level 1–6 pay rates to those classifications. You cannot reuse Hospitality Award classifications in a restaurant.

👉 Not sure how to classify staff? See Appendix A: How classification works under the Restaurant Award

👉 Barista, kitchen hand, cook, supervisor — see Appendix B: Common café roles → likely classifications

Full-time, part-time and casual: why cafés and restaurants get caught out

Full-time

• 38 ordinary hours per week
• Paid leave entitlements under the NES

Part-time (high-risk area)

• Less than 38 hours
• Must have agreed hours and patterns in writing — roster templates can help lock in patterns
• Working outside the agreed pattern can trigger overtime

Casual

• 25% loading instead of paid leave
• Regular patterns over time can trigger casual conversion rights

Casual conversion in restaurants

Under the employee choice pathway, an employee can give written notice to change to permanent employment if they believe they no longer meet the legal casual definition and have a regular and systematic pattern of hours. See Becoming a permanent employee (casual conversion).

In simple terms, a casual may give written notice if:

• They've worked regularly for 6 months (12 months for small businesses); and
• They believe they no longer meet the casual definition (i.e., their hours are regular and systematic, not ad hoc).

If conversion happens:

• Casual loading stops
• Paid leave entitlements begin
• Overtime and part-time rules apply

Penalty rates & overtime (where cafés and restaurants get stung)

Restaurant Award penalties are less forgiving than many owners expect.

Penalties commonly apply for:

• Saturdays – weekend penalty loading applies
• Sundays – higher weekend penalty rates
• Public holidays – significant penalty multipliers
• Late nights – late night loading for work after certain hours
• Early mornings – early morning penalty rates may apply

Actual penalty loads and multipliers are set out in the pay guide and award. There are multiple layers of penalties — not just weekends and public holidays. See Penalty rates (Fair Work explainer).

Not all penalties apply to every role or shift. Always check the specific award clause and pay guide tables before assuming a penalty does or does not apply.

Overtime can trigger when (see Overtime pay explainer):

• Part-timers work outside agreed hours
• Daily or weekly limits are exceeded
• Shifts exceed ordinary spans

Allowances you can't ignore

Common Restaurant Award allowances include (see Allowances explainer):

• Split shift allowance
• Uniform / special clothing allowance
• Laundry allowance
• Meal allowance
• Tool allowance (where applicable)

Allowance rules and dollar amounts differ from the Hospitality Award.

Leave entitlements under the Award & NES

Permanent employees receive:

• 4 weeks paid annual leave (pro-rata for part-time)
• Paid personal/carer's leave
• Other NES entitlements

Casuals:

• No paid leave
• Receive casual loading instead

Step-by-step compliance plan for cafés & restaurants

1. Confirm the Award applies
2. Download the latest pay guide
3. Classify each employee correctly
4. Set base rates by classification and age
5. Check penalties and overtime every pay run — award interpretation software can automate this
6. Apply allowances where required
7. Review casuals for conversion risk — use digital employment contracts to document agreed hours
8. Keep time and wages records for 7 years — legible, in English, and readily accessible to a Fair Work Inspector. See Record-keeping and pay slips (Fair Work fact sheet)
9. Issue payslips within 1 working day of paying employees. See Pay slips (when they must be given)
10. Ensure records aren't false or misleading; don't change them except to correct an error. Tools like photo proof clock-ins help prevent disputes

Common mistakes in cafés and restaurants

• Treating Hospitality Award rules as interchangeable
• Poorly documented part-time agreements
• Ignoring Sunday and public holiday penalties
• Long-term casuals with permanent hours
• Missing allowances
• Unlawful deductions or "cashback" arrangements
• Annualised salary arrangements that don't cover all Award entitlements

If you think you've underpaid someone: Check penalties, overtime, allowances and leave when calculating backpay. See I think I've underpaid my employee (steps to fix it) for the correct steps.

Final takeaways

• The Restaurant Award is strict — especially on part-time hours and overtime
• Classification errors are common and costly
• Regular reviews reduce backpay risk
• Tools and systems can help, but responsibility always sits with the employer

👉 Also read: Hospitality Award Rates 2025 – A Simple Guide for Small Businesses (for pubs, bars and hotels).

Appendix A: How employee classification works under the Restaurant Award

(Restaurant Industry Award 2020 [MA000119])

Correct employee classification is one of the most common causes of underpayment in cafés and restaurants. This appendix explains how classification works, what to look for, and where businesses go wrong.

Start here: Which classification type?

Use this quick flowchart to find the right section for your employee:

1. How classification works (in plain English)

Under the Restaurant Award:

• Employees are classified by role type and skill level
• Classifications are grouped into:
  • Food & Beverage Attendant Grades
  • Cook Grades
  • Chef classifications
• The pay guide then assigns Level 1–6 pay rates to those classifications

👉 Levels are pay rates, not job descriptions.

You must:

1. Identify the correct classification
2. Then apply the correct pay rate level from the pay guide

2. Food & beverage attendant classifications

These apply to front-of-house roles such as service staff, baristas and supervisors working in restaurants.

Common duties include:

• Table service
• Taking orders
• Making and serving coffee
• Point-of-sale operation
• Customer service
• Supervising staff (at higher grades)

Typical classification guide:

2A. Kitchen attendant classifications

Kitchen Attendant grades apply to back-of-house employees who perform cleaning, prep and support duties but do not cook.

Common duties include:

• Dishwashing and scullery work
• Cleaning kitchen areas and equipment
• Basic ingredient prep (not cooking)
• Assisting cooks with non-cooking tasks

Typical classification guide:

3. Cook classifications

Cook grades apply to kitchen employees who prepare food but are not trade-qualified chefs.

Common duties include:

• Food preparation
• Cooking menu items
• Following recipes and systems
• Maintaining kitchen hygiene

Typical classification guide:

4. Chef classifications

Chef classifications apply to trade-qualified chefs or those performing chef-level duties.

Common duties include:

• Menu planning
• Ordering and stock control
• Supervision of kitchen staff
• Quality control
• Costing and food safety oversight

Chef levels vary based on:

• Trade qualification
• Size and complexity of the kitchen
• Level of responsibility and supervision

5. What classification is NOT based on

Classification is not determined by:

• Job title alone ("Supervisor", "Manager", "Senior Staff")
• What the employee is called internally
• What another café pays
• Payroll software defaults
• The employee's age (age affects pay rate, not classification)

These are common audit failure points.

6. Common classification mistakes in restaurants

• Paying experienced baristas as Grade 1
• Treating cooks as chefs without trade qualifications
• Using Hospitality Award levels in restaurants
• Never reviewing classifications as staff skills increase
• Assuming casuals can be "lower graded"

7. How to classify safely (best practice)

Before finalising a classification:

1. Review the classification definitions in the Restaurant Award
2. Compare the employee's actual duties, not their contract title
3. Consider:
   • Skill level
   • Autonomy
   • Supervision of others
4. Document your reasoning
5. Review classifications regularly (especially after promotions or role changes)

8. Where to double-check classifications

• Restaurant Industry Award 2020 (classification schedules)
• Fair Work Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT)
• Professional advice if duties are mixed or unclear

Appendix B: Common café roles → likely classifications

(Restaurant Industry Award 2020)

Start here: Find your role type

Use this quick flowchart to jump to the right section of the table:

Quick "first check"

• Introductory level is for someone new to the industry who can't yet meet Level 1 competency (intended for a limited period while the employee gains competency)
• Food & beverage roles are classified as Food & Beverage Attendant (Grades)
• Back-of-house cleaning/prep is usually Kitchen Attendant (Grades); cooking roles are Cook Grades

Common café roles mapping

Two "gotchas" worth calling out

Baristas: Why there isn't a single "barista grade"

The Fair Work restaurant/café industry info lists baristas as covered by the Restaurant Award in mainly eat-in cafés, but the award classification you use is still Food & Beverage Attendant (Grades) — it depends on whether the role is basic service vs skilled duties vs training/supervision.

Grade 2 → Grade 3 is not just "experience"

The award framework ties Grade 3 to the appropriate level of training, and the award text includes a note about training/qualification expectations when moving up.