Black Workers Are Underrepresented in Hospitality's Best-Tipped Roles

NEW YORK, June 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Black workers make up 12.7% of the U.S. workforce, but they are less represented in some of hospitality's most tip-dependent occupations, according to a new analysis of 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data by OysterLink.

Among bartenders, just 7.4% are Black — the lowest share among major food service occupations and 5.3 percentage points below the national workforce average. Waiters and waitresses are 11.9% Black, also below the overall workforce benchmark.

In contrast, Black representation is higher in several back-of-house roles where tips are uncommon. Black workers account for 17.3% of cooks and food preparation workers, 15.3% of dishwashers and 13.9% of fast-food and counter workers.

The findings highlight a notable divide between hospitality's customer-facing positions and many kitchen and support roles.

Table 1. Black Representation Across Food Service Occupations

Overall, Black workers account for 14.9% of all food preparation and serving-related occupations, exceeding their 12.7% share of the U.S. workforce. However, representation drops sharply in bartending and remains below average among waiters and waitresses.

"When most people think of hospitality, they picture bartenders and servers," said Milos Eric, Co-founder and General Manager of OysterLink. "But this data shows Black workers are more likely to be found in the kitchen than in some of the industry's most visible roles."

The gap is especially pronounced between chefs and bartenders. While 18.9% of chefs and head cooks are Black, the figure falls to 7.4% among bartenders — a difference of 11.5 percentage points.

As hospitality employers continue competing for talent, workforce data can help identify where representation differs across occupations and where opportunities may exist to broaden access to customer-facing and leadership-track roles.

About OysterLink      

OysterLink is a job platform for restaurant and hospitality professionals, reaching over 400,000 monthly visitors. The platform connects talent with opportunities across the U.S., including cook jobs in NYC and part-time bartender jobs in Miami.

OysterLink also publishes data-driven trend reports, industry insights and interviews with hospitality leaders. To post a job or explore more labor market data, visit www.oysterlink.com.

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SOURCE OysterLink