Restaurants hire counter crew, kitchen staff, servers and bartenders in every season. The industry gives work to about 1.2 million people, and Restaurants Canada calls it the country’s number one source of first jobs.
Fast food brands on this page
Each card leads to one chain’s jobs, wages and application tips ↓
Restaurants by the numbers
Few sectors take on as many beginners. Most crew and kitchen roles are learned on the job, which is why so many teenagers and newcomers start their working life behind a counter or a fryer.
Front of house or back of house: who does what
Restaurant staff split into two teams. The front of house deals with guests, while the back of house cooks and cleans. Pay ranges below leave out tips and come from Job Bank’s national figures.
🍽️ Front of house
🔪 Back of house
Hourly ranges from Job Bank. The low end matches the lowest provincial minimum, so most provinces start above it.
💡 Ask about the tip-out: many restaurants pool tips and pass part of them to cooks and dishwashers, so a kitchen job can pay more than its hourly rate. Ask how the pool is shared before you accept.
Tips, tip pools and Quebec’s tipped wage
In Ontario, an employer cannot keep any part of your tips or take them back. A tip pool is allowed, but an owner can join it only if they regularly do the same work as the staff sharing it.
Quebec is the only province with a lower minimum for staff who usually get tips. Servers and bartenders there can be paid $13.30 an hour, while the general minimum is $16.60. Everywhere else, the full provincial minimum applies to tipped staff too.
Serving alcohol needs a provincial certificate
Pouring or carrying drinks in a licensed restaurant or bar means taking a short course first. Each province runs its own, and having it before the interview lets a manager schedule you right away.
Burgers, chicken, subs or ice cream: pick a menu
Most fast food locations belong to local franchise owners who hire their own crews. Each restaurant advertises separately, so pay and hours can differ between two locations of the same chain.
What new restaurant workers usually ask
Is fast food or a sit-down restaurant better for a first job?
Fast food trains complete beginners and hires in bigger numbers. Sit-down places often want some experience for servers, but they still take on hosts, bussers and dishwashers without it.
Do cooks and dishwashers get any tips?
Often yes, through the tip pool or a tip-out from the servers. It depends on each restaurant, so ask before your first shift.
Will I have to close late at night?
Probably some nights. Drive-thrus and bars stay open late, and closing crews finish after the last customer leaves and the kitchen is clean.
⚠️ Kitchens are hot and fast: you work next to fryers, sharp knives and wet floors, and the lunch and dinner rushes leave little time to sit. Most restaurants also count on you for Friday and Saturday nights.
Where to send your first restaurant application
Look for restaurants on your bus route or within walking distance, because the first and last shifts of the day start early or end late. Asking for the manager at a quiet hour, such as mid-afternoon, is still a good way to get noticed.
Sector figures from Restaurants Canada. Wage ranges from Job Bank, the federal job site, before tips. Tip rules from Ontario’s Employment Standards Act and Quebec’s CNESST; course details from Smart Serve, Responsible Service BC and AGLC. Pay is shown per hour in Canadian dollars.