Food Runner Salary in the United States
How Much Do Food Runners Make?
The average base Food Runner salary in the U.S. is $29,691 per year or $3,632 per month before tips.
Depending on the policies of the employer, Food Runners receive tips that can significantly increase their income.
What Is the Hourly Wage for Food Runners?
Food Runners make $14 per hour.
What Is the Weekly Wage for Food Runners?
Food Runners earn $571 a week.
Do Food Runners Receive Bonuses or Tips Directly From Customers?
Food Runners typically do not receive direct tips from customers in most dining environments. Instead, their tip earnings are usually part of a tip pool or tip-out system. However, in some cases, particularly in smaller or casual restaurants, a customer may choose to tip a Food Runner directly for exceptional service.
- Tip Pooling:
- Common in fine dining and high-end restaurants, all front-of-house staff (servers, bartenders, hosts, and food runners) contribute to a tip pool. At the end of the shift, tips are distributed based on each role’s contribution or hours worked.
- Typical Distribution: Food Runners may receive 10-20% of the pooled tips, depending on the establishment’s policy.
- Tip-Out Method:
- In this system, servers and bartenders “tip out” Food Runners, contributing a percentage of their total earnings (usually 3-5% of their sales or tips). This reflects the runner’s role in ensuring smooth service.
- For example, if a server earns $300 in tips, they may tip out $10 to $15 to the Food Runner.
- Direct Tips (Rare):
- Direct tips from customers may occur in luxury or resort dining, where personalized service is emphasized.
- Special Circumstances: Private events or banquets may involve direct cash tips from guests or event organizers for attentive service.
Key Insight:
- While direct tipping is rare, Food Runners can boost their earnings by providing exceptional service, increasing their share of tip-outs or pool distributions.
- Upscale venues, resorts, and high-profile restaurants typically yield higher tips through indirect channels.
How a Food Runner's Salary Can Vary
Food Runner salary can vary according to the type of establishment, level of experience and geographical location.
Type of establishment
Food Runners in upscale dining venues and luxury hotels generally earn higher salaries. These establishments often charge premium prices, leading to larger tips. This is because gratuities are typically calculated as a percentage of the total bill.
In contrast, Food Runners working in casual dining environments usually earn lower salaries and receive smaller tips.
Level of experience
Tenured Food Runners can earn as much as $37,760 per year. This is 48% higher than what those with less than a year of experience receive, which is $25,510 per year.
Employers value experienced Food Runners because of their accuracy, attention to detail and customer service skills.
Location
New York, the food capital of the world, is the highest-paying state for Food Runners with an average base salary of $43,840 per year.
With approximately 25,000 restaurants in New York City alone catering to both locals and tourists, employers need Food Runners to handle high-volume of service efficiently.
In contrast, West Virginia, located in a mountain region and being among the least populous states, has a small demand for Food Runners. This contributes to the region offering the lowest salary, which is $24,067 per year. To see how salaries for Food Runners vary per state, check out our map below.
Aside from New York, Food Runners working in the District of Columbia, New Mexico and Massachusetts also enjoy higher salaries.
How Much Is Your Take-Home Pay as a Food Runner?
If you're eyeing a Food Runner job and want to know how much you'll take home after taxes, our Paycheck Calculator shows your salary following statutory deductions depending on the state you're working in.
How To Make More Money as a Food Runner
Here are a few tips to increase your earnings as a Food Runner:
- Prioritize applying to upscale establishments: Luxurious hotels, restaurants and entertainment centers offer a higher base pay. Guests in these places also have higher disposable incomes, making them more willing to leave generous tips if they find the service satisfactory.
- Highlight relevant skills: When negotiating salary with a potential employer, consider highlighting excellent communication, time management and organizational skills. You can also emphasize your ability to work well in teams and stay calm under pressure. Based on the most recent job postings for Food Runners, these are the skills most sought after by employers.
- Negotiate for non-monetary benefits: Employee perks such as commuter benefits, free meals and 401(k) matching can add to your overall earnings. Commuter benefits and free meals significantly reduce your daily personal expenses. Meanwhile, 401(k) matching lowers your taxable income and helps you invest for retirement.
Food Runner Salary Compared to Other Similar Positions
In the U.S., Food Runners earn less than Waiters, Servers and Hosts. With experience, Food Runners can transition to these roles and earn higher wages.
Food Runner Salary Data
All salary figures included in this guide were calculated using estimates from various job posting websites. For more information regarding our sources and process of collecting and calculating salary data, please visit our methodology page.