Restaurant Award, explained for shift work.
Restaurant Industry Award 2020 · Reviewed July 2026 by the MyGig compliance team
Restaurants, cafés serving meals prepared on the premises, and their catering operations, distinct from pubs/hotels (Hospitality Award) and takeaway outlets (Fast Food Award).
Penalties and loadings to know
- Casual loading of 25% on the ordinary hourly rate
- Weekend penalty treatment differs from the Hospitality Award: check the current clause
- Substantial public holiday penalties
- Split-shift and late-work allowances can apply
Roles typically covered
Current minimum rates
Entry-level adult casual: $33.05/hr as at 1 July 2026, from MyGig's award engine (the same data that prices every shift). Award rates change with every annual wage review (first full pay period on or after 1 July). For the full classification tables, use the official pay guide, or let MyGig apply them for you: every shift estimate uses current rates, penalties included, clause cited.
Restaurant Award FAQs
My café: Restaurant Award or Hospitality Award?
A café preparing and serving meals on premises generally sits under the Restaurant Award; a café inside a hotel or pub operation follows the Hospitality Award. Classification depends on the operation, and MyGig determines it per venue.
Are restaurant weekend penalties the same as pubs?
Not identical: the two awards have different penalty tables and histories. It is a classic source of payroll error when venues assume they match. MyGig applies the correct award’s table per shift.
Where are current restaurant award rates?
In the official MA000119 pay guide linked here, updated each annual wage review.
General information only, not legal advice. The award itself (Restaurant Industry Award 2020, MA000119) and the Fair Work Ombudsman’s pay tools are the authoritative sources: read the award. Back to all award guides or MyGig compliance & EOR.
Stop interpreting awards by hand.
MyGig employs your casual workers as EOR and applies this award automatically: rates, loadings, penalties, and super, with the clause cited.