TemplatesRead at source, 29 September 2026
Restaurant Job Ad Templates: Servers, Cooks, Fast Food Crew, Hosts and Shift Managers
A restaurant job ad that fills shifts leads with the pay (base plus tips for tipped roles), the shifts that are open, and the location, then names one reason to pick your kitchen over the one next door, such as a shift meal, weekly pay or a paid stage. Keep the application to one question about availability or station. Below are copy-ready ads for seven restaurant roles, plus text for a now-hiring flyer.
What a restaurant job ad has to say in the first line
Many restaurant candidates are working somewhere else already. They scroll job ads on a break, and they compare three things before anything else: what a shift pays, which shifts you need, and how far the restaurant is from home. An ad that leads with "Join our family!" and hides those three will get clicks from the curious and applications from almost no one.
- Pay, stated honestly. For tipped roles, give the base wage and say "plus tips" separately. Don't advertise a tip average you can't back up. For kitchen roles, give an hourly range.
- The shifts. Lunch, dinner, brunch, late night, opening or closing, and how many a week. "Flexible" is not a shift.
- The location. The neighborhood or cross streets for independents, the store address for multi-unit brands.
- One reason to choose you. Shift meals, weekly pay, a set schedule, a promotion path. One line, and only if it is real.
On Facebook and Instagram, restaurant job ads run in Meta's Special Ad Category for employment: no targeting by age, gender or ZIP code, and at least a 15-mile radius. The role name and shift in the first line do the targeting instead. Keep age out of the copy too: the EEOC says it is illegal to publish a job ad showing a preference based on age (40 or older) so leave phrases like "young, energetic staff" out of the copy.
Restaurant job ad templates, by role
Each template is one Facebook or Instagram ad: the primary text, the headline under the image, and the one question on the application form. Words in square brackets are yours to fill in, and the pay must be what you will actually pay.
Server
| Part of the ad | Copy |
|---|---|
| Primary text | Servers wanted at [restaurant], [city]. $[base]/hr plus tips, [lunch, dinner or both], [shifts per week] shifts. [Covers per night or section size, if you share it]. Apply in a minute, trail a shift this week. |
| Headline | Server · $[base]/hr + tips |
| The one form question | Which shifts can you work: weekday lunches, weeknight dinners, weekends? |
BLS counts 2,284,400 waiters and waitresses and projects 423,100 openings a year for 2025 to 2035, with a May 2025 median of $35,230 a year. Servers compare restaurants on what a shift earns, so state the base wage and tips separately and say which shifts are open; tipped cash wages differ by state (the Department of Labor keeps the state table). Duties are on the server job description.
Line cook
| Part of the ad | Copy |
|---|---|
| Primary text | Line cook, [station], at [restaurant], [city]. $[low] to $[high]/hr, [days and hours], [shift meal, if true]. Tell us what stations you've worked. Stage paid at your full rate. |
| Headline | Line cook · $[low] to $[high]/hr |
| The one form question | Which stations have you worked (grill, sauté, fry, prep, other)? |
BLS counts 1,417,500 restaurant cooks, with employment projected to grow 12.1% by 2035, 218,600 openings a year, and a May 2025 median of $37,390. Cooks read the station and the hours before the rate, and a paid stage in the ad says you respect their time. Our line cook recruiting guide covers the stage and the kitchen ladder; the role itself is on the cook job description.
Dishwasher
| Part of the ad | Copy |
|---|---|
| Primary text | Dishwasher at [restaurant], [city]. $[low] to $[high]/hr, [shifts], shift meal included [if true]. No experience needed. Start this week; we can train you up to prep. |
| Headline | Dishwasher · $[low] to $[high]/hr |
| The one form question | Can you work [days], [start time] to close? |
BLS counts 480,400 dishwashers, 68,900 openings a year, and a May 2025 median of $34,810. The strongest line for this role is the path out of it: if dishwashers here move up to prep, say so, because that is what separates your ad from the one next door.
Host
| Part of the ad | Copy |
|---|---|
| Primary text | Host at [restaurant], [city]. $[rate]/hr [plus tip share, if you have one], [evenings and weekends]. You'll run the door and the waitlist on our busiest nights. Apply in a minute. |
| Headline | Host · $[rate]/hr [+ tip share] |
| The one form question | Are you available Friday and Saturday evenings? |
BLS counts 444,200 hosts and hostesses in restaurants, lounges and coffee shops, 107,100 openings a year, and a May 2025 median of $31,200. Many hosts are looking at their first restaurant job and a path to serving, so a line like "most of our servers started as hosts" is worth including if it is true.
Bartender
| Part of the ad | Copy |
|---|---|
| Primary text | Bartender at [restaurant or bar], [city]. $[base]/hr plus tips, [nights], [volume or style: craft cocktails, high-volume, beer and wine]. [State] alcohol server certification required [if your state requires it]. |
| Headline | Bartender · $[base]/hr + tips |
| The one form question | How much bartending experience do you have, and what kind of bar? |
BLS counts 762,600 bartenders, 121,200 openings a year, and a May 2025 median of $34,340. Say what kind of bar it is; a craft cocktail bartender and a high-volume sports bar bartender are different candidates. Alcohol server age and training rules vary by state, so only list a certification if yours requires one.
Fast food crew member
| Part of the ad | Copy |
|---|---|
| Primary text | Crew members at [brand or restaurant], [address or neighborhood]. $[low] to $[high]/hr, [open, mid, close or overnight], pick [number] shifts a week. [Free meal on shift or weekly pay, if true]. Apply in 60 seconds. |
| Headline | Crew member · $[low] to $[high]/hr |
| The one form question | Which shifts can you work: opening, mid, closing or overnight? |
Fast food and counter workers are the largest restaurant occupation on this page: 3,855,900 jobs, 827,400 openings a year, and a May 2025 median of $31,200. BLS also counts baristas and concession workers in this group. Crew candidates pick the store closest to them, so the address matters more here than anywhere; if you run several locations, run the ad per location.
Shift manager or kitchen supervisor
| Part of the ad | Copy |
|---|---|
| Primary text | Shift manager at [restaurant], [city]. $[low] to $[high]/hr, [schedule]. You'll run the floor or the line on [shifts], handle opening or closing, and train new crew. [Path to assistant manager, if true]. |
| Headline | Shift manager · $[low] to $[high]/hr |
| The one form question | Have you led a shift in a restaurant before? For how long? |
BLS counts 1,236,400 first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers, 171,500 openings a year, and a May 2025 median of $44,080. Your best shift manager candidates are often your own crew; post the ad internally first and say in it that you promote from within if you do.
Fast food job ads: what changes at a quick service restaurant
Fast food job ads work differently from full-service ones in three ways. First, volume: quick service restaurants hire continuously, so one always-on ad per location usually beats a new ad for every opening. Second, the shift menu is the offer: open, mid, close and overnight, with how many shifts a week the candidate can choose. Third, speed decides who you hire. Crew applicants often apply to several brands in the same evening and take the first call back, so the application should be one question and the reply should be a text within minutes.
Now hiring flyer and sign copy for restaurants
Many restaurant owners search for a hiring flyer rather than an ad. The copy is the same content in fewer words. Use this for a window sign, a table tent or a social graphic:
Now hiring at [restaurant]: [roles]. Servers $[base]/hr + tips · Cooks $[low] to $[high]/hr. [Shifts open]. Apply in 60 seconds: scan the code or text [keyword] to [number].
Three rules make a flyer work. Put the pay on it; a flyer without a rate is the same as no flyer. Give a way to apply that takes a phone and a minute, not "apply inside." And use the same link or QR code as your online ad, so every applicant lands in one place.
Screening questions for restaurant applications
Ask one question on the form and move everything else to a short call or a working interview. Good restaurant knockouts are availability for the shifts you actually need, the stations a cook has worked, and, for bartenders, anything your state legally requires. Leave out cover letters and résumé uploads. In Boostpoint's 2026 benchmark, what happens after the click explained 70% of the variation in cost per applicant between campaigns; campaigns where fewer than 5% of clickers finished applying paid $53.77 per applicant, against $1.61 where more than 35% did.
What restaurant job ads cost
Boostpoint's 2026 benchmark does not report restaurants as a separate role family or sector, so we won't quote you a restaurant-specific cost per applicant. Across all 891 campaigns in the benchmark, the median was $13.88 per applicant and the middle half ran from $6.48 to $29.74, with costs including campaign management and covering advertising only. The full tables are on the benchmark page, and other frontline roles are compared on the frontline hiring hub. For hotel roles, see our hospitality job ad templates.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write a restaurant job ad?
Put the pay, the open shifts and the location in the first line, add one real reason to work for you, and make applying take a minute on a phone. For tipped roles, give the base wage and say plus tips separately.
What should a restaurant job ad include?
The role, the pay (base plus tips for servers and bartenders, an hourly range for kitchen roles), which shifts are open and how many a week, the location, one differentiator such as shift meals or weekly pay, and a one-minute way to apply.
Should a server job ad include tips?
State the base wage and say plus tips. Only advertise a tip average if you track it and it holds up. Tipped minimum cash wages differ by state; the Department of Labor publishes the state-by-state table.
How do I write a fast food job ad?
Lead with the hourly range, the shift options (open, mid, close, overnight) and the store address, then one perk such as free meals or weekly pay if you offer it. Run one always-on ad per location and reply to applicants by text within minutes.
Can a restaurant job ad ask for young or energetic workers?
No. The EEOC says it is illegal to publish a job ad that shows a preference based on age (40 or older). Describe the pace and the shifts instead and let candidates decide.
What should a restaurant hiring flyer say?
The roles, the pay, the shifts and a way to apply from a phone in a minute, such as a QR code or a text keyword. A flyer that says only "now hiring, apply inside" loses everyone who sees it after closing.
How many questions should a restaurant job application have?
One on the ad form, usually availability or, for cooks, stations worked. In Boostpoint's 2026 benchmark, campaigns where more than 35% of clickers finished applying paid $1.61 per applicant, against $53.77 where fewer than 5% did.
How much does it cost to advertise restaurant jobs on Facebook?
Boostpoint's 2026 benchmark does not break restaurants out separately. Across all 891 campaigns, the median was $13.88 per applicant, with the middle half between $6.48 and $29.74. Costs include campaign management; cost per applicant is not cost per hire.
Want these ads running every week?
Boostpoint Attract writes and runs Facebook and Instagram job ads for restaurants and multi-unit operators, location by location, with the creative made for you. Add Boostpoint Connect, a paid add-on to Attract, to text every applicant the moment they apply. See pricing or book a demo.
Book a DemoSources: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 (waiters and waitresses; cooks, restaurant; dishwashers; hosts and hostesses; bartenders; fast food and counter workers; first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers); BLS, May 2025 median annual wage; U.S. Department of Labor, Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees; EEOC, Prohibited Employment Policies/Practices (job advertisements); Boostpoint 2026 Social Job Advertising Benchmark. Read at source 29 September 2026.