Research
March 06, 2026
Total restaurant industry jobs
Restaurants lost nearly 30k jobs in February
Restaurant employment declined in February, which ended a period solid job growth that was in place for much of the past year.
Eating and drinking places lost a net 29,700 jobs in February on a seasonally-adjusted basis, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That was part of broader weakness in the overall U.S. labor market, which shed 92,000 jobs in February.
February represented the industry’s largest monthly decline since February 2025, when restaurants lost more than 38,000 jobs. The February employment report also included downward-revised readings in both December and January.
Even with February’s decline, eating and drinking places added a net 128,800 jobs during the past 12 months. In comparison, the overall economy added just 156,000 jobs during that period.
The recent slowdown in restaurant job growth coincided with a soft patch in sales. Total consumer spending at eating and drinking places edged lower in both December and January, which may have caused some operators to pause hiring or even trim staffing levels.
It’s also likely that the widespread storms in late-January dampened hiring activity into February. The reference period for the BLS survey is the pay period that includes the 12th of each month, so any lingering effects would be reflected in lower employment levels.
The bottom line is that although February’s preliminary reading showed a sizable drop in restaurant jobs, it doesn’t necessarily indicate that a prolonged downturn is imminent.
While job growth flipped negative in recent months, restaurant staffing levels remained above pre-pandemic readings. As of February 2026, eating and drinking places were 42,000 jobs (or 0.3%) above their February 2020 employment peak.
Fullservice segment remains more than 200k 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 January 2026, fullservice restaurant employment was still 204,000 jobs (or 3.6%) below pre-pandemic readings.
However, fullservice restaurants expanded staffing levels at a healthy pace in recent months. The fullservice segment added a net 76,000 jobs between January 2025 and January 2026. In comparison, the three limited-service segments added 82,000 jobs during that same period.
As of January 2026, employment at snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars – including coffee, donut and ice cream shops – was 201,000 jobs (or 25%) above February 2020 readings.
Employee counts at quickservice and fast casual restaurants were 96,000 jobs (or 2.1%) above pre-pandemic levels.
[Note that the segment-level employment figures are lagged by one month, so January 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 lost a net 29,700 jobs in February on a seasonally-adjusted basis, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That was part of broader weakness in the overall U.S. labor market, which shed 92,000 jobs in February.
February represented the industry’s largest monthly decline since February 2025, when restaurants lost more than 38,000 jobs. The February employment report also included downward-revised readings in both December and January.
Even with February’s decline, eating and drinking places added a net 128,800 jobs during the past 12 months. In comparison, the overall economy added just 156,000 jobs during that period.
The recent slowdown in restaurant job growth coincided with a soft patch in sales. Total consumer spending at eating and drinking places edged lower in both December and January, which may have caused some operators to pause hiring or even trim staffing levels.
It’s also likely that the widespread storms in late-January dampened hiring activity into February. The reference period for the BLS survey is the pay period that includes the 12th of each month, so any lingering effects would be reflected in lower employment levels.
The bottom line is that although February’s preliminary reading showed a sizable drop in restaurant jobs, it doesn’t necessarily indicate that a prolonged downturn is imminent.
While job growth flipped negative in recent months, restaurant staffing levels remained above pre-pandemic readings. As of February 2026, eating and drinking places were 42,000 jobs (or 0.3%) above their February 2020 employment peak.
Fullservice segment remains more than 200k 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 January 2026, fullservice restaurant employment was still 204,000 jobs (or 3.6%) below pre-pandemic readings.
However, fullservice restaurants expanded staffing levels at a healthy pace in recent months. The fullservice segment added a net 76,000 jobs between January 2025 and January 2026. In comparison, the three limited-service segments added 82,000 jobs during that same period.
As of January 2026, employment at snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars – including coffee, donut and ice cream shops – was 201,000 jobs (or 25%) above February 2020 readings.
Employee counts at quickservice and fast casual restaurants were 96,000 jobs (or 2.1%) above pre-pandemic levels.
[Note that the segment-level employment figures are lagged by one month, so January 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.