A person working as a Waiter / Waitress in Lebanon typically earns around 715,000 LBP per month. Salaries range from 350,000 LBP (lowest) to 1,120,000 LBP (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Waiter / Waitress salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Waiter / Waitress salaries in Lebanon range from 350,000 LBP per month (minimum salary) to 1,120,000 LBP per month (maximum salary).
The median salary is 729,000 LBP per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Waiter / Waitress(s) are earning less than 729,000 LBP while the other half are earning more than 729,000 LBP. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Waiter / Waitress(s) are earning less than 486,000 LBP while 75% of them are earning more than 486,000 LBP. Also from the diagram, 75% of Waiter / Waitress(s) are earning less than 941,000 LBP while 25% are earning more than 941,000 LBP.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Waiter / Waitress salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Waiter / Waitress with less than two years of experience makes approximately 415,000 LBP per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 534,000 LBP per month, 29% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 737,000 LBP per month, 38% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Waiter / Waitress(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 913,000 LBP per month, 24% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 978,000 LBP per month, 7% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 1,040,000 LBP per month, 7% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 415,000 LBP | |
2 - 5 Years | +29% | 534,000 LBP |
5 - 10 Years | +38% | 737,000 LBP |
10 - 15 Years | +24% | 913,000 LBP |
15 - 20 Years | +7% | 978,000 LBP |
20+ Years | +7% | 1,040,000 LBP |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Waiter / Waitress salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is High School, the average salary of a Waiter / Waitress is 534,000 LBP per month.
While someone with a Certificate or Diploma gets a salary of 764,000 LBP per month, 43% more than someone having a High School degree.
A Bachelor's Degree gets its holder an average salary of 1,050,000 LBP per month, 38% more than someone with a Certificate or Diploma.
High School | 534,000 LBP | |
Certificate or Diploma | +43% | 764,000 LBP |
Bachelor's Degree | +38% | 1,050,000 LBP |
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Waiter / Waitress employees in Lebanon earn 11% less than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 663,000 LBP | |
Female | +13% | 748,000 LBP |
Waiter / Waitress(s) in Lebanon are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 8% every 20 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 7% granted to employees every 20 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 2% | |
Energy | 4% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 8% | |
Travel | 1% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 5% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Lebanon for the year 2022. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
A Waiter / Waitress is considered to be a low bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
74% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 26% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 0% to 4% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 26% | |
No Bonus | 74% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Waiter / Waitress is 53% less than that of Food / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering. Also, Food / Hospitality / Tourism / Catering salaries are 33% less than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
All Rounder | 956,000 LBP | ![]() |
Assistant Executive Housekeeper | 678,000 LBP | ![]() |
Assistant Food and Beverage Director | 3,160,000 LBP | ![]() |
Assistant Hospitality Manager | 3,110,000 LBP | ![]() |
Assistant Storekeeper | 618,000 LBP | ![]() |
Assistant Tour Manager | 1,570,000 LBP | ![]() |
Baker and Pastrycook | 766,000 LBP | ![]() |
Bakery Manager | 1,790,000 LBP | ![]() |
Bakery Superintendent | 1,120,000 LBP | ![]() |
Banquet Manager | 1,210,000 LBP | ![]() |
Banquet Server | 758,000 LBP | ![]() |
Bar Attendant | 776,000 LBP | ![]() |
Bar Manager | 1,600,000 LBP | ![]() |
Bar Supervisor | 1,130,000 LBP | ![]() |
Barista | 887,000 LBP | ![]() |
Bartender | 935,000 LBP | ![]() |
Bellman | 717,000 LBP | ![]() |
Beverage Manager | 1,940,000 LBP | ![]() |
Bistro Attendant | 825,000 LBP | ![]() |
Buffet Chef | 1,370,000 LBP | ![]() |
Buffet Host | 726,000 LBP | ![]() |
Buffet Manager | 1,650,000 LBP | ![]() |
Butcher and Slaughterer | 632,000 LBP | ![]() |
Cafeteria Manager | 1,470,000 LBP | ![]() |
Cake Decorator | 832,000 LBP | ![]() |
Casino Shift Manager | 2,730,000 LBP | ![]() |
Chain Store Customer Support | 1,270,000 LBP | ![]() |
Chef | 1,390,000 LBP | ![]() |
Club Manager | 2,860,000 LBP | ![]() |
Cluster Director | 3,640,000 LBP | ![]() |
Cluster Revenue Manager | 2,630,000 LBP | ![]() |
Cocktail Server | 756,000 LBP | ![]() |
Coffee Shop Manager | 2,570,000 LBP | ![]() |
Concierge | 712,000 LBP | ![]() |
Confectionery Baker | 902,000 LBP | ![]() |
Conference Services Manager | 1,600,000 LBP | ![]() |
Cook | 1,200,000 LBP | ![]() |
Corporate Sous Chef | 2,050,000 LBP | ![]() |
Corporate Travel Consultant | 2,140,000 LBP | ![]() |
Croupier | 1,040,000 LBP | ![]() |
Culinary Assistant | 633,000 LBP | ![]() |
Culinary Associate | 646,000 LBP | ![]() |
Dietary Aide | 1,440,000 LBP | ![]() |
Dining Room Supervisor | 1,350,000 LBP | ![]() |
Dishwasher | 613,000 LBP | ![]() |
Duty Manager | 1,660,000 LBP | ![]() |
Events Coordinator | 1,130,000 LBP | ![]() |
Executive Chef | 1,680,000 LBP | ![]() |
Executive Pastry Chef | 1,330,000 LBP | ![]() |
Fast Food Cook | 1,160,000 LBP | ![]() |
Fast Food Shift Supervisor | 1,210,000 LBP | ![]() |
Fine Dining Cook | 2,090,000 LBP | ![]() |
Fine Dining Restaurant Chef | 2,140,000 LBP | ![]() |
Fleet Manager | 3,600,000 LBP | ![]() |
Food and Beverage Manager | 2,800,000 LBP | ![]() |
Food Consultant | 2,350,000 LBP | ![]() |
Food Safety Coordinator | 1,600,000 LBP | ![]() |
Food Server | 712,000 LBP | ![]() |
Food Service Director | 2,730,000 LBP | ![]() |
Food Service Manager | 3,020,000 LBP | ![]() |
Food Service Sales | 1,800,000 LBP | ![]() |
Food Service Worker | 752,000 LBP | ![]() |
Front Desk Agent | 917,000 LBP | ![]() |
Front Office Manager | 1,540,000 LBP | ![]() |
Guest Service Executive | 2,370,000 LBP | ![]() |
Guest Service Representative | 1,010,000 LBP | ![]() |
Head Concierge | 1,150,000 LBP | ![]() |
Hospitality Director | 4,580,000 LBP | ![]() |
Hostess / Host | 880,000 LBP | ![]() |
Hotel Desk Clerk | 900,000 LBP | ![]() |
Hotel Maid | 614,000 LBP | ![]() |
Hotel Manager | 4,390,000 LBP | ![]() |
Hotel Sales Manager | 3,210,000 LBP | ![]() |
Hotel Service Supervisor | 2,280,000 LBP | ![]() |
Hotel Staff | 762,000 LBP | ![]() |
Inventory Coordinator | 950,000 LBP | ![]() |
Kitchen Manager | 1,410,000 LBP | ![]() |
Kitchen Staff | 789,000 LBP | ![]() |
Kitchen Supervisor | 1,280,000 LBP | ![]() |
Line Cook | 1,370,000 LBP | ![]() |
Luggage Porter | 584,000 LBP | ![]() |
Motel Manager | 2,410,000 LBP | ![]() |
Pastrycooking and Baking Assistant | 837,000 LBP | ![]() |
Production Operator | 1,190,000 LBP | ![]() |
Quality, Health and Safety Coordinator | 1,280,000 LBP | ![]() |
Receptionist | 907,000 LBP | ![]() |
Regional Restaurant Manager | 3,190,000 LBP | ![]() |
Restaurant Manager | 2,770,000 LBP | ![]() |
Room Reservations Manager | 2,790,000 LBP | ![]() |
Room Service Manager | 2,700,000 LBP | ![]() |
Sous Chef | 1,640,000 LBP | ![]() |
Supervisor of Food Services | 2,030,000 LBP | ![]() |
Tour Consultant | 2,080,000 LBP | ![]() |
Travel Agent | 1,400,000 LBP | ![]() |
Travel Consultant | 2,170,000 LBP | ![]() |
Waiter / Waitress | 715,000 LBP | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Beirut | 771,000 LBP |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Lebanon earn 12% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 2,120,000 LBP | |
Public Sector | +12% | 2,380,000 LBP |