The average salary for a Waiter in Los Angeles is 50,447 $ per year on a 40-hour full-time equivalent, or 4,204 $ gross per month and 24.25 $ gross per hour. The reported full-time salary range is 28,000 $ to 88,000 $. The analysis is based on 35 salary reports from workers and employers in Los Angeles. Part-time salaries are proportionally converted to 40 weekly hours so the values are comparable.
| Date | Job title | Weekly hours | Reported gross/year | Normalized to 40h/year | Gross/month 40h | Gross/hour 40h | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06/15/2026 | Floor Manager | 45.0 h | 92,000 $ | 81,778 $ | 6,815 $ | 39.32 $ | I was promoted from server to floor manager and work about 45 hours a week overseeing front-of-house operations and staff scheduling. |
| 06/01/2026 | Fine Dining Head Server | 40.0 h | 84,000 $ | 84,000 $ | 7,000 $ | 40.38 $ | I head the serving team at a top fine-dining venue and work full-time; responsibilities include station assignment and mentoring junior staff. |
| 03/27/2026 | Cocktail Server | 20.0 h | 26,000 $ | 52,000 $ | 4,333 $ | 25.00 $ | I work evenings as a cocktail server about 20 hours per week; shift premiums and tips during weekend nights make up most of my pay. |
| 01/10/2026 | Fine Dining Server | 40.0 h | 88,000 $ | 88,000 $ | 7,333 $ | 42.31 $ | I'm a full-time server at a top-tier steakhouse and regularly handle high-ticket tables; tips are substantial and consistent. |
| 12/12/2025 | Lead Server / Trainer | 39.0 h | 62,000 $ | 63,590 $ | 5,299 $ | 30.57 $ | I work about 39 hours weekly leading service training and covering the busiest nights at a mid-sized restaurant. |
| 09/02/2025 | Server (Hotel Restaurant) | 40.0 h | 54,000 $ | 54,000 $ | 4,500 $ | 25.96 $ | I work full-time at a large hotel restaurant. The corporate environment gives steady hours and good banquet work for extra pay. |
| 05/30/2025 | Private Event Server | 32.0 h | 35,000 $ | 43,750 $ | 3,646 $ | 21.03 $ | I work mostly private events and weddings about 32 hours a week; events pay well and tips boost my annual income despite part-time hours. |
| 01/18/2025 | Front of House Manager | 45.0 h | 82,000 $ | 72,889 $ | 6,074 $ | 35.04 $ | I was promoted from server to front-of-house manager. I work about 45 hours weekly handling staffing, scheduling, and service oversight. |
| 11/05/2024 | Senior Server | 40.0 h | 65,000 $ | 65,000 $ | 5,417 $ | 31.25 $ | I'm a senior server with leadership duties on the floor at a mid-sized restaurant and I work full-time managing the busiest sections. |
| 08/23/2024 | Banquet Sales Server | 40.0 h | 55,000 $ | 55,000 $ | 4,583 $ | 26.44 $ | I handle banquet service and some private sales events full-time. My role mixes serving with client coordination which raises my pay. |
| 06/20/2024 | Server (Weekend) | 15.0 h | 12,000 $ | 32,000 $ | 2,667 $ | 15.38 $ | I only work weekends, about 15 hours a week; it's a part-time job while I pursue other work and the shifts are busy but limited. |
| 02/14/2024 | Fine Dining Server | 40.0 h | 78,000 $ | 78,000 $ | 6,500 $ | 37.50 $ | I serve in a renowned fine-dining restaurant and work full-time. I regularly manage large tables and handle wine lists, which increases my tips. |
| 12/05/2023 | Server (Casual Dining) | 37.5 h | 45,000 $ | 48,000 $ | 4,000 $ | 23.08 $ | I work 37.5 hours a week in a high-volume casual dining restaurant; steady shifts and regular tips make my income predictable. |
| 09/01/2023 | Banquet Server (Part-time) | 28.0 h | 24,000 $ | 34,286 $ | 2,857 $ | 16.48 $ | I do part-time banquet shifts around 28 hours a week during peak season. The work is event-based and tips can be good on larger functions. |
| 04/10/2023 | Floor Captain | 42.0 h | 72,000 $ | 68,571 $ | 5,714 $ | 32.97 $ | I work as a floor captain (management level) with 42 hours weekly; I oversee service, resolve guest issues, and still serve when needed. |
| 02/28/2023 | Event Server Lead | 40.0 h | 60,000 $ | 60,000 $ | 5,000 $ | 28.85 $ | I lead event teams for a catering company and work full-time coordinating floor plans and service on large events. |
| 11/11/2022 | Senior Fine Dining Server | 40.0 h | 70,000 $ | 70,000 $ | 5,833 $ | 33.65 $ | I have been a senior server in fine dining since 2020, working full-time and mentoring newer staff. My sections are high-revenue which boosts tips. |
| 09/22/2022 | Banquet Server | 18.0 h | 19,800 $ | 44,000 $ | 3,667 $ | 21.15 $ | I work part-time (around 18 hours) doing private events and banquets; income depends on event season and overtime opportunities. |
| 07/04/2022 | Head Server | 40.0 h | 68,000 $ | 68,000 $ | 5,667 $ | 32.69 $ | I am the head server at a busy upscale spot. Full-time hours and heavy tipping sections push my annual earnings higher. |
| 12/15/2021 | Server / Trainer | 35.0 h | 42,000 $ | 48,000 $ | 4,000 $ | 23.08 $ | I work 35 hours a week full-time and train new hires at a small neighborhood restaurant. I don't formally manage people but I lead shifts. |
| 06/01/2021 | Fine Dining Server | 40.0 h | 62,000 $ | 62,000 $ | 5,167 $ | 29.81 $ | I've worked full-time at a high-end restaurant since 2018 and reported this salary for 2021. Tips rebounded sharply and I'm assigned to the best sections. |
| 03/30/2021 | Server (Part-time, student) | 20.0 h | 14,000 $ | 28,000 $ | 2,333 $ | 13.46 $ | I worked about 20 hours a week part-time while in school in early 2021; shifts were mostly nights and tips supplemented my hourly wage. |
| 11/20/2020 | Server (Part-time) | 20.0 h | 15,600 $ | 31,200 $ | 2,600 $ | 15.00 $ | I worked about 20 hours weekly part-time during the height of the pandemic; shifts were irregular and tips were down compared to pre-2020. |
| 08/14/2020 | Server | 40.0 h | 28,000 $ | 28,000 $ | 2,333 $ | 13.46 $ | I worked full-time at a small family-run bistro in 2020; business was inconsistent and tips suffered during closures. |
| 03/05/2020 | Lead Server | 40.0 h | 34,500 $ | 34,500 $ | 2,875 $ | 16.59 $ | I was the lead server at a medium-sized restaurant through 2020; hours were full-time but the pandemic reduced covers and my overall tips that year. |
| 11/27/2019 | Server | 30.0 h | 26,000 $ | 34,667 $ | 2,889 $ | 16.67 $ | I worked part-time around 30 hours weekly at a busy downtown restaurant in late 2019; steady midweek shifts and weekend nights. |
| 08/12/2019 | Fine Dining Server | 40.0 h | 52,000 $ | 52,000 $ | 4,333 $ | 25.00 $ | I'm a full-time server in fine dining with three years' experience. Tips are strong and I handle high-end sections regularly. |
| 05/22/2019 | Catering Server | 36.0 h | 37,000 $ | 41,111 $ | 3,426 $ | 19.76 $ | I worked full-time during the catering season in 2019 with a lot of weekend work; tips on events significantly added to my base. |
| 10/18/2018 | Lead Waiter | 40.0 h | 36,000 $ | 36,000 $ | 3,000 $ | 17.31 $ | I was the lead waiter at a family-owned restaurant in 2018, working full-time and handling the most challenging sections. |
| 05/30/2018 | Server | 30.0 h | 22,620 $ | 30,160 $ | 2,513 $ | 14.50 $ | I work 30 hours a week part-time while finishing school. My shifts are mostly evening service and tips vary by season. |
| 03/02/2018 | Server | 16.0 h | 12,500 $ | 31,250 $ | 2,604 $ | 15.02 $ | I worked a small number of evening shifts (about 16 hours) at a café in early 2018; this was supplementary income while job hunting. |
| 12/05/2017 | Server | 34.0 h | 30,050 $ | 35,353 $ | 2,946 $ | 17.00 $ | I worked around 34 hours a week part-time in a busy bar/restaurant hybrid in 2017; tips were decent but shifts could be long. |
| 11/02/2017 | Waiter | 40.0 h | 33,600 $ | 33,600 $ | 2,800 $ | 16.15 $ | I'm full-time at a small casual spot with five years' experience. I don't manage staff and most of my income is hourly plus tips. |
| 09/30/2016 | Banquet Supervisor | 40.0 h | 39,500 $ | 39,500 $ | 3,292 $ | 18.99 $ | I supervised banquet nights at a convention venue in 2016, working full-time with variable schedules and occasional overtime. |
| 07/15/2016 | Server | 25.0 h | 23,400 $ | 37,440 $ | 3,120 $ | 18.00 $ | I work part-time (about 25 hours a week) at a neighborhood restaurant and have been here for two years. Tips make up most of my pay and hours vary on weekends. |
Los Angeles is one of the country’s most dynamic dining markets, backed by tourism, entertainment, and a large local customer base. For waiters, the city typically offers steady opportunities across fine dining, trendy neighborhood spots, hotel restaurants, private clubs, and large venues. As visitor volumes rebound and major events return to the calendar, many employers report ongoing demand for experienced front-of-house talent.
The greater Downtown LA core, Hollywood, the Arts District, Koreatown, and the Westside neighborhoods inside city limits continue to see new concepts and refreshed dining rooms. Awards season, convention business around L.A. LIVE and the Los Angeles Convention Center, and year-round sports often create surges in reservations and banquet activity, which can boost hiring for servers and banquet staff.
Hiring for waiters in Los Angeles is influenced by tourism, corporate travel, film and TV production schedules, and local weekend dining patterns. Full-service restaurants and upscale casual venues often post openings for evening and weekend shifts, and many operators value proven service skills over formal credentials. Turnover in hospitality remains higher than in many other fields, so replacement hiring is common, and new restaurants frequently seek opening teams.
The city’s restaurant scene is diverse—Korean BBQ in Koreatown, sushi counters and omakase rooms, vegan-forward kitchens on the Westside, classic steakhouses and seafood houses downtown, and chef-driven destinations in the Arts District. The Michelin Guide’s renewed focus on Los Angeles has kept attention on high-touch service at places that prioritize tasting menus and wine service, which can create opportunities for servers with fine-dining experience.
Regulatory and training requirements that many Los Angeles employers look for include:
Union representation is a factor at some hotels, airport outlets, and large venues in the Los Angeles area (for example, workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 11), which can affect scheduling, training, and pathways into banquet departments.
Waiters in Los Angeles can find roles with independent restaurants, hospitality groups, hotels, private clubs, and event venues. Real-world examples include:
Openings also appear in neighborhood brunch spots, hotel rooftop lounges, and pop-up driven dining rooms that test new concepts before expanding—common patterns in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles offers multiple pathways for waiters to grow. Many servers advance by moving into higher-touch dining rooms, captaining sections, or taking on training responsibilities for new hires. Others pursue beverage knowledge and transition into bartender, sommelier, or wine steward roles in restaurants with strong cellar programs. In hotels and venues, experienced waiters can move into banquet server, banquet captain, or food and beverage supervisor positions, which often broaden scheduling and management exposure.
With steady restaurant openings, a busy venue calendar, and ongoing tourism, the outlook for waiters in Los Angeles is generally positive. Candidates who bring strong guest service, menu fluency, and reliability—backed by required food safety and beverage certifications—tend to find consistent opportunities across the city’s varied hospitality landscape.
The average salary for a Waiter in Los Angeles is 50,447 $ per year on a 40-hour basis, or 4,204 $ gross per month.
Part-time and full-time reports are normalized to a 40-hour workweek so salary reports can be compared fairly.
You can find more comparisons on the profession overview for Waiter and the city overview for Los Angeles. They show reported cities or jobs with their difference from the average.
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