Waiter – Waitress Salary in Canada | By Province
In Canada, the median wage for waiters is $18.50/hr.
Waiters in Canada: job prospects, employment requirements, licensing.
Waiters in Canada, classified under NOC 65200 as food and beverage servers, greet patrons, present menus, take food and beverage orders, serve meals and drinks, process payments, and ensure a positive dining experience in restaurants, bars, hotels and other food service establishments. This is a large occupational group with tens of thousands employed nationally, many in part-time or seasonal roles. Job prospects are balanced nationally through 2033, with numerous openings expected primarily from very high labour turnover and replacement demand in the accommodation and food services sector.
Median hourly wages stand at about 18.50 Canadian dollars nationally, with typical ranges from 15.00 to 30.00 dollars per hour depending on location, experience and employer, often significantly supplemented by tips. Most positions require short-term on-the-job training with no formal education needed, and work conditions commonly involve part-time or full-time shifts including evenings, weekends and holidays, physically active tasks in fast-paced environments, prolonged standing, and strong customer service focus.
Licensing
Occupations in the tourism/hospitality industry are not regulated in Canada. This means that you are not required to register with one of the provincial or territorial regulatory authorities to be authorized to practise occupations in the tourism industry anywhere in Canada.
View updated hourly rates for Cooks across Canada.
Waiter Salary by Province
| WAITER/WAITRESS (NOC 65200) | |||
| 2025 | Wages/hr | ||
| Community/Area | Low | Median | High |
| Canada | 15.00 | 18.50 | 30.00 |
| Newfoundland and L | 16.35 | 16.50 | 25.00 |
| Prince Edward Island | 17.00 | 18.81 | 27.99 |
| Nova Scotia | 16.75 | 16.75 | 25.00 |
| New Brunswick | 15.90 | 17.00 | 25.00 |
| Quebec | 16.60 | 20.00 | 35.00 |
| Ontario | 17.60 | 17.60 | 26.00 |
| Manitoba | 16.00 | 16.00 | 23.00 |
| Saskatchewan | 15.35 | 15.35 | 22.50 |
| Alberta | 15.00 | 18.00 | 30.00 |
| British Columbia | 18.25 | 20.00 | 30.00 |
| Yukon Territory | 18.51 | 22.00 | 30.00 |
| Northwest Territories | 16.95 | 16.95 | 24.61 |
| Nunavut | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Source: Job Bank. 2026 | |||
In 2020, the average wage for waiters is $15/hr.
| FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVERS (NOC 6513) | |||
| 2020 | Wages ($/hour) | ||
| Province/Territory | Low | Median | High |
| Canada | 11.6 | 15 | 24 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 12.15 | 13 | 23 |
| Prince Edward Island | 12.85 | 12.85 | 20 |
| Nova Scotia | 12.55 | 13 | 18 |
| New Brunswick | 11.7 | 13 | 20 |
| Quebec | 13.1 | 16 | 27 |
| Ontario | 14.25 | 15 | 22 |
| Manitoba | 11.9 | 13 | 20 |
| Saskatchewan | 11.45 | 13.9 | 20 |
| Alberta | 15 | 16 | 25 |
| British Columbia | 14.6 | 15 | 22 |
| Yukon Territory | 13.71 | 13.71 | 16 |
| Northwest Territories | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Nunavut | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Source: Job Bank. Dec 2020 | |||
Waiter Job Prospects in Canada (2019-2021)
| Labour demand and labour supply projections (2019-2021) | |
| Newfoundland and L | Limited |
| Prince Edward Island | Fair |
| Nova Scotia | Good |
| New Brunswick | Fair |
| Québec | Fair |
| Ontario | Good |
| Manitoba | Fair |
| Saskatchewan | Fair |
| Alberta | Fair |
| British Columbia | Good |
| Yukon | Fair |
| Northwest Territories | Fair |
| Nunavut | Good |
| Source: Job Bank. Dec 2020 | |
In Canada, the average wage for waiters was $13/hr. in 2019
| FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVERS (NOC 6513) | |||
| 2019 | Wages ($/hour) | ||
| Province/Territory | Low | Median | High |
| Canada | 11.32 | 13 | 20 |
| Newfoundland and L | 11.4 | 12.3 | 20 |
| Prince Edward Island | 12.25 | 12.25 | 18 |
| Nova Scotia | 11.55 | 12 | 20 |
| New Brunswick | 11.5 | 13 | 20 |
| Quebec | 12.5 | 15 | 24 |
| Ontario | 14 | 14 | 20 |
| Manitoba | 11.65 | 13 | 20 |
| Saskatchewan | 11.32 | 13 | 20 |
| Alberta | 15 | 15 | 22 |
| British Columbia | 13.85 | 14 | 20 |
| Yukon Territory | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Northwest Territories | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Nunavut | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Source: Job Bank. October, 2019 | |||
In 2017, waiters in Quebec reported higher salaries.
| FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVERS (NOC 6513-C) | |||
| 2017 | Wages ($/yr) | ||
| Province/Territory | Low | Median | High |
| Canada | 10.85 | 10.85 | 16 |
| Québec | 11.25 | 11.25 | 22.19 |
| Yukon | 11.32 | 13 | 18 |
| Newfoundland and L | 11 | 11 | 16.14 |
| British Columbia | 11.35 | 11.35 | 15.69 |
| Alberta | 13.6 | 13.6 | 15 |
| Ontario | 14 | 14 | 15 |
| Saskatchewan | 10.96 | 11 | 14.49 |
| Manitoba | 11.15 | 11.15 | 13.17 |
| Nova Scotia | 10.85 | 10.85 | 13 |
| Prince Edward Island | 11.25 | 11.25 | 12.5 |
| New Brunswick | 11 | 11 | 12 |
| Northwest Territories | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Nunavut | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Source: Job Bank. September 2017* | |||
According to Canada’s Job Bank, in 2016, the median wage for a waitress in Canada was $10.5/hr.
In 2016, waiters had the lowest wage ($10.5/hr.) in Newfoundland and Labrador.
| FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVERS (NOC 6513-C) | |||
| 2016 | Wages ($/hr) | ||
| Province/Territory | Low | Median | High |
| Canada | 10.5 | 10.5 | 15.6 |
| Québec | 10.75 | 10.75 | 21.4 |
| Yukon | 11.07 | 13 | 18 |
| Newfoundland and L | 10.5 | 10.75 | 17.71 |
| British Columbia | 10.85 | 10.85 | 15.14 |
| Alberta | 12.2 | 12.2 | 15 |
| Saskatchewan | 10.72 | 10.72 | 14.38 |
| Ontario | 11.4 | 11.4 | 14.25 |
| Nova Scotia | 10.7 | 10.7 | 12.95 |
| Manitoba | 11 | 11 | 12.75 |
| Prince Edward Island | 11 | 11 | 12.5 |
| New Brunswick | 10.65 | 10.65 | 12 |
| Northwest Territories | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Nunavut | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Source: Job Bank. November 2016* | |||
*Wages are reviewed and updated on the Job Bank Web site on an annual basis.
WAITER SALARY IN CANADA 2019
WAITER SALARY IN CANADA 2017
WAITER SALARY IN CANADA 2016
