A person working as a Waiter / Waitress in Poland typically earns around 2,290 PLN per month. Salaries range from 1,120 PLN (lowest) to 3,570 PLN (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 Poland range from 1,120 PLN per month (minimum salary) to 3,570 PLN per month (maximum salary).
The median salary is 2,340 PLN per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Waiter / Waitress(s) are earning less than 2,340 PLN while the other half are earning more than 2,340 PLN. 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 1,560 PLN while 75% of them are earning more than 1,560 PLN. Also from the diagram, 75% of Waiter / Waitress(s) are earning less than 3,010 PLN while 25% are earning more than 3,010 PLN.
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 1,330 PLN per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 1,710 PLN 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 2,360 PLN 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 2,920 PLN 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 3,130 PLN 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 3,340 PLN per month, 7% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 1,330 PLN | |
2 - 5 Years | +29% | 1,710 PLN |
5 - 10 Years | +38% | 2,360 PLN |
10 - 15 Years | +24% | 2,920 PLN |
15 - 20 Years | +7% | 3,130 PLN |
20+ Years | +7% | 3,340 PLN |
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 1,710 PLN per month.
While someone with a Certificate or Diploma gets a salary of 2,440 PLN per month, 43% more than someone having a High School degree.
A Bachelor's Degree gets its holder an average salary of 3,380 PLN per month, 38% more than someone with a Certificate or Diploma.
High School | 1,710 PLN | |
Certificate or Diploma | +43% | 2,440 PLN |
Bachelor's Degree | +38% | 3,380 PLN |
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 Poland earn 5% less than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 2,220 PLN | |
Female | +5% | 2,350 PLN |
Waiter / Waitress(s) in Poland are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 9% every 17 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 17 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 Poland 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.
71% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 29% 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 | 29% | |
No Bonus | 71% |
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 55% 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 | 2,980 PLN | ![]() |
Assistant Executive Housekeeper | 2,100 PLN | ![]() |
Assistant Food and Beverage Director | 9,300 PLN | ![]() |
Assistant Hospitality Manager | 9,600 PLN | ![]() |
Assistant Storekeeper | 2,030 PLN | ![]() |
Assistant Tour Manager | 4,640 PLN | ![]() |
Baker and Pastrycook | 2,570 PLN | ![]() |
Bakery Manager | 5,730 PLN | ![]() |
Bakery Superintendent | 3,590 PLN | ![]() |
Banquet Manager | 3,710 PLN | ![]() |
Banquet Server | 2,290 PLN | ![]() |
Bar Attendant | 2,510 PLN | ![]() |
Bar Manager | 4,980 PLN | ![]() |
Bar Supervisor | 3,340 PLN | ![]() |
Barista | 2,780 PLN | ![]() |
Bartender | 2,890 PLN | ![]() |
Bellman | 2,370 PLN | ![]() |
Beverage Manager | 5,730 PLN | ![]() |
Bistro Attendant | 2,510 PLN | ![]() |
Buffet Chef | 4,370 PLN | ![]() |
Buffet Host | 2,260 PLN | ![]() |
Buffet Manager | 5,430 PLN | ![]() |
Butcher and Slaughterer | 1,980 PLN | ![]() |
Cafeteria Manager | 4,390 PLN | ![]() |
Cake Decorator | 2,800 PLN | ![]() |
Casino Shift Manager | 8,640 PLN | ![]() |
Chain Store Customer Support | 4,030 PLN | ![]() |
Chef | 4,660 PLN | ![]() |
Club Manager | 8,790 PLN | ![]() |
Cluster Director | 11,500 PLN | ![]() |
Cluster Revenue Manager | 8,790 PLN | ![]() |
Cocktail Server | 2,410 PLN | ![]() |
Coffee Shop Manager | 8,190 PLN | ![]() |
Concierge | 2,170 PLN | ![]() |
Confectionery Baker | 2,690 PLN | ![]() |
Conference Services Manager | 5,380 PLN | ![]() |
Cook | 3,900 PLN | ![]() |
Corporate Sous Chef | 6,770 PLN | ![]() |
Corporate Travel Consultant | 6,420 PLN | ![]() |
Croupier | 3,320 PLN | ![]() |
Culinary Assistant | 2,060 PLN | ![]() |
Culinary Associate | 2,000 PLN | ![]() |
Dietary Aide | 4,740 PLN | ![]() |
Dining Room Supervisor | 4,200 PLN | ![]() |
Dishwasher | 1,830 PLN | ![]() |
Duty Manager | 5,590 PLN | ![]() |
Events Coordinator | 3,650 PLN | ![]() |
Executive Chef | 5,100 PLN | ![]() |
Executive Pastry Chef | 4,180 PLN | ![]() |
Fast Food Cook | 3,580 PLN | ![]() |
Fast Food Shift Supervisor | 3,780 PLN | ![]() |
Fine Dining Cook | 6,800 PLN | ![]() |
Fine Dining Restaurant Chef | 6,860 PLN | ![]() |
Fleet Manager | 11,700 PLN | ![]() |
Food and Beverage Manager | 8,440 PLN | ![]() |
Food Consultant | 7,460 PLN | ![]() |
Food Safety Coordinator | 5,370 PLN | ![]() |
Food Server | 2,360 PLN | ![]() |
Food Service Director | 8,660 PLN | ![]() |
Food Service Manager | 9,160 PLN | ![]() |
Food Service Sales | 5,440 PLN | ![]() |
Food Service Worker | 2,400 PLN | ![]() |
Front Desk Agent | 2,790 PLN | ![]() |
Front Office Manager | 4,910 PLN | ![]() |
Guest Service Executive | 7,620 PLN | ![]() |
Guest Service Representative | 3,210 PLN | ![]() |
Head Concierge | 3,700 PLN | ![]() |
Hospitality Director | 14,400 PLN | ![]() |
Hostess / Host | 2,810 PLN | ![]() |
Hotel Desk Clerk | 2,650 PLN | ![]() |
Hotel Maid | 2,030 PLN | ![]() |
Hotel Manager | 13,400 PLN | ![]() |
Hotel Sales Manager | 9,960 PLN | ![]() |
Hotel Service Supervisor | 7,340 PLN | ![]() |
Hotel Staff | 2,450 PLN | ![]() |
Inventory Coordinator | 3,070 PLN | ![]() |
Kitchen Manager | 4,330 PLN | ![]() |
Kitchen Staff | 2,560 PLN | ![]() |
Kitchen Supervisor | 3,850 PLN | ![]() |
Line Cook | 4,220 PLN | ![]() |
Luggage Porter | 1,830 PLN | ![]() |
Motel Manager | 7,480 PLN | ![]() |
Pastrycooking and Baking Assistant | 2,480 PLN | ![]() |
Production Operator | 3,810 PLN | ![]() |
Quality, Health and Safety Coordinator | 4,270 PLN | ![]() |
Receptionist | 2,690 PLN | ![]() |
Regional Restaurant Manager | 9,960 PLN | ![]() |
Restaurant Manager | 9,140 PLN | ![]() |
Room Reservations Manager | 8,790 PLN | ![]() |
Room Service Manager | 8,130 PLN | ![]() |
Sous Chef | 5,260 PLN | ![]() |
Supervisor of Food Services | 6,440 PLN | ![]() |
Tour Consultant | 6,360 PLN | ![]() |
Travel Agent | 4,700 PLN | ![]() |
Travel Consultant | 6,450 PLN | ![]() |
Waiter / Waitress | 2,290 PLN | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Gdansk | 2,190 PLN |
Katowice | 2,130 PLN |
Krakow | 2,510 PLN |
Lublin | 2,160 PLN |
Poznan | 2,220 PLN |
Szczecin | 2,160 PLN |
Warsaw | 2,540 PLN |
Wroclaw | 2,480 PLN |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Poland earn 7% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 7,250 PLN | |
Public Sector | +7% | 7,790 PLN |