Restaurant General Manager Salary (August 2024) - Zippia (2024)

Quoted Expert

Sun-Hwa Kim

Average restaurant general manager salary

$56,521

$27.17 hourly rate

Entry-level restaurant general manager salary

$40,000 yearly salary

Updated June 25, 2024

How much does a restaurant general manager make?

The average restaurant general manager salary in the United States is $56,521. Restaurant general manager salaries typically range between $40,000 and $79,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for restaurant general managers is $27.17 per hour.

Restaurant general manager salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Restaurant general managers earn the highest average salary in New York.

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Restaurant general manager salary by:

  • State
  • City
  • Experience
  • Company
  • Trends

Where can a Restaurant General Manager earn more?

Compare salary by location

Vs

102k

82k

62k

42k

22k

Ashburn, VA$80,333

Las Vegas, NV$52,370

Compare salary by company

Vs

117k

97k

77k

57k

37k

Tesoro$95,842

Which Wich$66,969

Restaurant General Manager

A restaurant general manager with 0-2 years of experience earns an average entry-level salary of $23,280. A mid-career restaurant general manager with 3-6 years of experience makes $56,521 a year on average. A senior level restaurant general manager with 7-12 years of experience enjoys an average annual salary of $65,193.

According to Sun-Hwa Kim, Associate Professor at Marketing, HRTM, and Law at Coastal Carolina University, "Do your research. Understand the average starting salary for your position and location. Don't be afraid to negotiate your starting salary, even for your first job. Be prepared to highlight your skills, experience, and the unique value you bring to the table. Compensating goes beyond just your base salary. Consider other benefits like bonuses and paid time off, and HR programs that your organization offers. Salary is important. However, don't lose sight of company culture, growth opportunities and overall fit. If you like the job and people but the initial offer falls short, consider accepting with a plan to negotiate internally over time. You can have earning opportunities from within."

Experience LevelAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
Entry-level restaurant general manager$23,300$11.19
Mid-level restaurant general manager$36,000$17.29
Senior-level restaurant general manager$65,200$31.34

Restaurant General Manager salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor and Ziprecruiter, the average salary for a restaurant general manager typically falls between $54,214 and $68,661.

zippia

$56,521yearly

glassdoor[1]

$68,661yearly

Salary.com[2]

$54,214yearly

ZipRecruiter[3]

$65,615yearly

Average restaurant general manager salary by state

The highest-paying states for restaurant general managers are New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The lowest average restaurant general manager salary states are Vermont, Utah, and Missouri.

  • State View
  • County View

Average Salary:

Restaurant General Manager Salary (August 2024) - Zippia (1)

Highest paying states for restaurant general managers

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
1New York$78,166$37.58
2New Jersey$77,084$37.06
3Delaware$68,624$32.99
4Connecticut$73,991$35.57
5North Carolina$59,859$28.78
6Pennsylvania$57,669$27.73
7Illinois$57,350$27.57
8District of Columbia$80,257$38.59
9Virginia$61,275$29.46
10Rhode Island$63,866$30.70
11New Hampshire$63,883$30.71
12Massachusetts$66,704$32.07
13Washington$62,652$30.12
14Michigan$55,362$26.62
15Maryland$61,849$29.74
16Colorado$60,712$29.19
17Indiana$53,198$25.58
18Ohio$52,528$25.25
19Louisiana$53,431$25.69
20Texas$52,094$25.05
21California$61,521$29.58
22Wisconsin$57,694$27.74
23South Dakota$57,974$27.87
24Alaska$59,161$28.44
25Alabama$49,570$23.83
26Hawaii$61,300$29.47
27Tennessee$48,608$23.37
28Arizona$51,290$24.66
29Nevada$52,563$25.27
30Minnesota$53,310$25.63
31South Carolina$48,295$23.22
32Maine$53,992$25.96
33Oregon$54,133$26.03
34Kentucky$45,573$21.91
35Montana$48,472$23.30
36Georgia$50,158$24.11
37West Virginia$45,770$22.00
38North Dakota$50,017$24.05
39Florida$46,831$22.51
40New Mexico$49,725$23.91
41Utah$44,162$21.23
42Oklahoma$45,600$21.92
43Missouri$43,597$20.96
44Kansas$45,089$21.68
45Iowa$45,621$21.93
46Arkansas$41,834$20.11
47Nebraska$47,070$22.63
48Idaho$45,151$21.71
49Mississippi$40,328$19.39
50Wyoming$40,388$19.42
51Vermont$45,048$21.66

Top restaurant general manager jobs near you

Highest paying cities for restaurant general managers

The highest-paying cities for restaurant general managers are Washington, DC, New York, NY, and Boston, MA.

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
1Washington, DC$80,333$38.62
2New York, NY$78,275$37.63
3Boston, MA$66,743$32.09
4Seattle, WA$62,943$30.26
5San Francisco, CA$62,812$30.20
6Greenville, NC$62,068$29.84
7Columbia, MD$61,840$29.73
8Virginia Beach, VA$61,536$29.58
9Denver, CO$60,694$29.18
10Philadelphia, PA$57,915$27.84
11Milwaukee, WI$57,878$27.83
12Chicago, IL$57,764$27.77
13Grand Rapids, MI$54,609$26.25
14Portland, ME$54,180$26.05
15Portland, OR$53,993$25.96
16Richmond, IN$53,982$25.95
17Cleveland, OH$53,859$25.89
18Baton Rouge, LA$53,500$25.72
19Minneapolis, MN$53,330$25.64
20Las Vegas, NV$52,370$25.18

Restaurant General Managers are the most in-demand in these five cities:

  1. Washington, DC
  2. New York, NY
  3. Boston, MA
  4. Seattle, WA
  5. San Francisco, CA

Restaurant General Manager salary details

A restaurant general manager's salary ranges from $40,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $79,000 at the 90th percentile.

Restaurant General Manager Salary (August 2024) - Zippia (2)

What is a restaurant general manager's salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$79,000$6,583$38
75th Percentile$67,000$5,583$32
Average$56,521$4,710$27
25th Percentile$47,000$3,917$23
10th Percentile$40,000$3,333$19

Highest paying restaurant general manager jobs

The highest paying types of restaurant general managers are lead manager, general manager of operations, and general service manager.

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Store Manager$46,950$3,912$22.57446,127
Shift Manager$32,110$2,676$15.44335,517
Floor Manager$43,813$3,651$21.06442,213
Night Manager$41,998$3,500$20.19384,150
Co-Manager/Store Manager$41,516$3,460$19.96359,826
Lead Manager$101,883$8,490$48.98385,395

Top companies hiring restaurant general managers now:

  1. Steak 'n Shake Jobs (32)
  2. Goodwin Recruiting Jobs (432)
  3. Red Robin Jobs (91)
  4. Denny's Jobs (40)
  5. Jack in the Box Jobs (45)

Which companies pay restaurant general managers the most?

Restaurant general manager salaries at Tesoro and Morton's The Steakhouse are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average restaurant general manager salary at companies like On The Border and Romano's Macaroni Grill are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1Tesoro$95,842$46.08
2Morton's The Steakhouse$80,313$38.61
3On The Border$79,058$38.01
4Romano's Macaroni Grill$78,951$37.96
5Club$74,114$35.63
6Firebirds Wood Fired Grill$69,726$33.52
7Sage Hospitality Group$69,152$33.25
8Hersha Hospitality$69,022$33.18
9Highgate Hotels$68,805$33.08
10Radisson Hotels International Inc$68,074$32.73
11Sage Hospitality$68,060$32.72
12Hyatt Hotels$67,981$32.68
13$67,851$32.62
14$67,847$32.62
15Radisson$67,512$32.46
16Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts$67,343$32.38
17$67,261$32.34
18Skyline Chili$67,169$32.29
19Memphis Country Club$66,998$32.21
20Which Wich$66,969$32.20

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$59,000$57,800$56,600$55,400$54,200$53,000

MaleFemale

Restaurant General Manager salary trends

The average restaurant general manager salary has risen by $4,635 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average restaurant general manager earned $51,886 annually, but today, they earn $56,521 a year. That works out to a 4% change in pay for restaurant general managers over the last decade.

Compare restaurant general manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average restaurant general manager salary over time

Compare restaurant general manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

    Restaurant General Manager salary by year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2024$56,500$27.17+2.8%
    2023$55,000$26.42-0.1%
    2022$55,000$26.46+0.5%
    2021$54,800$26.32+1.1%
    2020$54,200$26.04+1.6%

    Show more

    Recently added restaurant general manager salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    Self Opportunity, Inc.Restaurant General ManagerWilmington, NC07/03/2023$65,000
    Martin Recruiting PartnersRestaurant General Manager Quick ServiceMemphis, TN07/03/2023$55,000
    Martin Recruiting PartnersRestaurant General Manager Fast CasualAtlanta, GA07/03/2023$55,000
    Restaurant General Manager (GMBel Air, MD07/02/2023$55,000
    Pyramid Hotel GroupGeneral Manager, Rooftop RestaurantBerkeley, CA07/02/2023$95,000
    SbarroRestaurant General ManagerMurray, UT07/02/2023$60,000
    SbarroRestaurant General ManagerAugusta, GA07/02/2023$39,653
    SbarroMulti-Unit Restaurant General ManagerColumbus, OH07/02/2023$45,000
    SbarroRestaurant General ManagerHappy Valley, OR07/02/2023$37,566
    SbarroRestaurant General Manager-Sbarro PizzaSalina, KS07/02/2023$45,000

    Show more

    Restaurant General Manager salary FAQs

    Have more questions?

    See all answers to common executive management questions.

    Search for restaurant general manager jobs

    Restaurant General Manager Related Salaries

    • Assistant General Manager Salary
    • Assistant Restaurant Manager Salary
    • Bar Manager Salary
    • Floor Manager Salary
    • General Manager Salary
    • General Manager In Training Salary
    • General Manager Of Operations Salary
    • General Manager/Partner Salary
    • General Service Manager Salary
    • Lead Manager Salary
    • Night Manager Salary
    • Regional General Manager Salary
    • Restaurant Manager Salary
    • Restaurant Supervisor Salary
    • Restaurant/BAR Manager Salary

    Restaurant General Manager Related Careers

    • Assistant General Manager
    • Assistant Restaurant Manager
    • Bar Manager
    • Co-Manager/Store Manager
    • Floor Manager
    • General Manager
    • General Manager In Training
    • General Manager Of Operations
    • General Manager/Partner
    • General Service Manager
    • Hourly Manager
    • Lead Manager
    • Night Manager
    • Regional General Manager
    • Restaurant Manager

    Restaurant General Manager Related Jobs

    • Assistant General Manager
    • Assistant Restaurant Manager
    • Bar Manager
    • General Manager
    • General Manager In Training
    • General Manager Of Operations
    • General Manager/Partner
    • General Service Manager
    • Hourly Manager
    • Regional General Manager
    • Restaurant Manager
    • Restaurant Supervisor
    • Restaurant/BAR Manager
    • Retail Operation Manager

    What Similar Roles Do

    • What Does an Assistant General Manager Do
    • What Does an Assistant Restaurant Manager Do
    • What Does a Bar Manager Do
    • What Does a Floor Manager Do
    • What Does a General Manager Do
    • What Does a General Manager In Training Do
    • What Does a General Manager Of Operations Do
    • What Does a General Manager/Partner Do
    • What Does a General Service Manager Do
    • What Does a Lead Manager Do
    • What Does a Night Manager Do
    • What Does a Regional General Manager Do
    • What Does a Restaurant Manager Do
    • What Does a Restaurant Supervisor Do
    • What Does a Restaurant/BAR Manager Do
    • Zippia Careers
    • Executive Management Industry
    • Restaurant General Manager
    • Restaurant General Manager Salary

    Updated June 25, 2024

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    Restaurant General Manager Salary (August 2024) - Zippia (2024)

    FAQs

    Restaurant General Manager Salary (August 2024) - Zippia? ›

    The best Restaurant Manager jobs can pay up to $136,000 per year. A Restaurant Manager is responsible for supervising the overall operation of a restaurant. This includes ensuring that all waiting, serving, hosting, and kitchen operations are running to standard. A Restaurant Manager may also interact with tables.

    What is the highest paid Restaurant Manager? ›

    The best Restaurant Manager jobs can pay up to $136,000 per year. A Restaurant Manager is responsible for supervising the overall operation of a restaurant. This includes ensuring that all waiting, serving, hosting, and kitchen operations are running to standard. A Restaurant Manager may also interact with tables.

    What is the average age of a restaurant general manager? ›

    The average restaurant general manager age is 44 years old. The most common ethnicity of restaurant general managers is White (67.1%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (15.4%), Asian (6.4%) and Black or African American (6.3%). In 2022, women earned 92% of what men earned.

    Who is higher than general manager at the restaurant? ›

    A director of operations holds superiority over general managers and other employees. General managers are often right below directors in the company's ranking.

    What is the difference between a GM and a Restaurant Manager? ›

    The major difference between the GM and the restaurant manager is that the GM works on higher level aspects of the business, including monitoring payroll records, overseeing the yearly budget, and handling human resource issues. The restaurant manager works more closely with managing people.

    What is the highest paid position in a restaurant? ›

    High Paying Restaurant Jobs
    • Fermentation Engineer. Salary range: $90,500-$147,500 per year. ...
    • Director of Restaurant Operations. Salary range: $72,000-$130,500 per year. ...
    • Culinary Director. ...
    • Corporate Executive Chef. ...
    • Research Chef. ...
    • Restaurant Area Director. ...
    • Executive Pastry Chef. ...
    • Executive Chef.

    Do restaurant managers make more than servers? ›

    Many managers work extensive hours and are paid a salary without overtime, and this can quickly lead to feeling undervalued, especially since many front-of-house managers previously work as servers, making hundreds in tips every night. In many restaurants, servers make more cash than managers do.

    Is being a restaurant GM hard? ›

    Restaurant management is a difficult task. The long hours, hectic atmosphere and constant interaction – often in tight spaces – are suited to specific personality types and characteristics.

    How stressful is being a restaurant manager? ›

    High Stress of Restaurant Management

    The hours are unforgiving. Long days turn into long nights, and it seems like you're constantly playing catch-up. Your average day managing a restaurant will have you clocking 10+ hour shifts. And those hours will extend well beyond that on weekends.

    Are restaurant managers underpaid? ›

    Restaurant Manager Salary in California. $44,400 is the 25th percentile. Salaries below this are outliers. $62,700 is the 75th percentile.

    What is the next position after general manager? ›

    Chief Operating Officer (COO)

    At the pinnacle of the General Manager hierarchy, the COO holds responsibility for the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of a company. This C-suite executive plays a vital role in setting strategic goals and ensuring they are met through efficient operations.

    Who is higher, GM or COO? ›

    Is a general manager higher than a COO? In most cases, general managers are below COOs in a company's leadership hierarchy. Depending on the specific tasks and duties assigned to the general manager , they might report directly to the COO or to another intermediary leadership employee, like an operations manager.

    Is general manager a big position? ›

    Is General Manager a High Position? General managers usually have several lower-level managers reporting to them, so it can be a high position. They are not executive-level, but usually, they report to the executives.

    Is a GM a middle manager? ›

    Middle managers are usually assigned to a specific area of the business, such as a department or branch. Different types of managers at the middle level include: General manager. Department manager or head.

    What is the main responsibility of restaurant general manager? ›

    Restaurant General Manager Job Expectations and Best Practices. At surface level, the general manager is responsible for the daily operations of the restaurant which includes restaurant staffing, scheduling, and supervision while ensuring a quality guest experience.

    Is GM higher than senior manager? ›

    A senior manager typically works under a general manager in a large corporation where there are several management levels. The general management role focuses on the company or organization as a whole.

    Who is the highest manager in a restaurant? ›

    Restaurant general managers are pretty high in the restaurant hierarchy, answering only to the owner of the restaurant and, sometimes, the executive chef.

    Which manager is highly paid? ›

    1. Chief Executive Officer. A CEO, or Chief Executive Officer, is the highest-ranking executive in an organization, typically a corporation or company and one of the highest of the high-paying jobs.

    Do McDonald's managers make 6 figures? ›

    How much does a Mcdonalds Management make in California? As of Jul 18, 2024, the average annual pay for a Mcdonalds Management in California is $64,295 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $30.91 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,236/week or $5,357/month.

    Who is the highest paid fast food manager? ›

    Top paying industries
    • McDonald's. $36,818.
    • Chick-fil-A Corporate. $34,520.
    • Taco Bell. $30,370.

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