What is the Annual Salary for Chefs That Work in a Hotel?

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According to the National Restaurant Association, the average profit on checks over $25 for private restaurants is only 3.2 percent. These razor thin profit margins severely limit the flexibility that typical restaurants have when it comes to paying higher salaries to chefs. Hotels, on the other hand, aren’t limited in the same way many private restaurants are limited. According to Michel Morauw, the general manager of the Park Hyatt Washington, hotels will pay “whatever it takes” to get, and keep, the best chefs.

Differences Between Hotel and Freestanding Restaurants

While the pay can be higher at hotel restaurants, it’s worth keeping in mind that hotel restaurants are typically owned by national, or multinational, corporations. Working for a corporation is much different than working for a privately owned restaurant. The chefs at hotel restaurants, even the executive chefs, will often have much less say in the operation of the restaurant than they would in a privately owned establishment.

Since many factors go into the annual salary of a chef working at a hotel, it can be difficult to lay down averages. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the median annual income for all chefs and head cooks to be $46,620. But, when we look at chefs working in “traveler accommodations,” which is the subcategory that includes hotel chefs, we see the median annual salary rises to $52,750. Even line cooks earn higher salaries in hotels than in freestanding restaurants – $12 to $15 per hour in freestanding restaurants, but $18.50 per hour in many hotels.

Location Matters

The old business adage applies equally well when we’re considering the annual salary of a chef working in a hotel: location, location, location. Chef’s working in hotels in New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, or other large city that put’s an emphasis on fine dining stand to make more money than chefs working in smaller markets. If you are considering a career as a hotel chef then Las Vegas has probably entered your mind. It’s no secret that Las Vegas has some of the best hotels in the country with some very nice restaurants.

Chefs in Nevada tend to earn higher annual salaries than the national average; $46,620 is the median annual salary of a chef within the United States and $52,090 is the median annual salary for chefs working in Nevada. If you’re a pastry chef and interested in working at a hotel restaurant then Las Vegas should be your first choice. Pastry chefs at Las Vegas hotel restaurants earn about $70,000 annually; this is the highest salary for pastry chefs in the country.

Star Power Also Matters

For many hotel executive chefs star power plays a key role in both salary expectations, and job prospects. The same goes for many freestanding restaurants as well, the more star power an executive chef has, the more money the restaurant stands to make. It’s not uncommon for executive chefs working in hotels to have six figure salaries.

The competition to be a hotel executive chef anywhere or a pastry chef in Las Vegas is stiff. If you want to compete at this level, you need to start with a good culinary arts education. If your goal is to work at a hotel restaurant, you should search for a culinary arts program that has a reputation for placing graduates in the hotel industry.