What London hospitality jobs pay.
In November 2026, the middle advertised starting pay for a job at an independent London café, restaurant, pub or bakery is £14.00 an hour. Only 29 of the 360 jobs we found (about 1 in 12) said the pay at all, and 10 of those pay within 25p of the £12.71 legal minimum for adults.
By Elliott Gibb, founder of Instead and director of Monty Ventures Limited. Last updated 3 November 2026.
What does each job pay?
The middle advertised hourly rate for each kind of job, from 29 ads that said the pay. A role needs 5 ads before we state its middle.
| Job | Middle | Range | Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chef or cook | £14.00 | £12.71 to £18.46 | 7 |
| Barista | £14.32 | £12.71 to £15.00 | 6 |
| Supervisor or manager | Too few ads | £10.60 to £14.00 | 4 |
| Shop and deli | Too few ads | £12.85 to £12.85 | 4 |
| Front of house | Too few ads | £8.75 to £14.80 | 3 |
| Kitchen porter | Too few ads | £12.75 to £13.15 | 2 |
| Bar staff | Too few ads | £14.00 to £18.00 | 2 |
| Baker or pastry | Too few ads | £14.00 | 1 |
Which ads are these?
Every ad in the index, highest pay first, as each business published it. Starting pay: the bottom of any range.
- £18.46 Chef de Partie, Gloria · EC2A
- £18.00 Bartender, Sexy Fish · W1J
- £16.00 ACE Pizza Second Chef (Pizza Chef) at The Pembury Tavern, The Five Points Brewery & Taproom · E8
- £15.21 Demi Chef - Cold Section, Gloria · EC2A
- £15.00 Weekday Morning Barista, One Long Black · Richmond · on Instead
- £14.80 Front of House/Barista at e5 Storehouse, e5 Bakehouse · Hackney
- £14.80 Seasonal Theatre Team Member, King's Head · Islington
- £14.80 Senior Barista, Macatia and Coffee · SE24
- £14.21 Runner, Gloria · EC2A
- £14.00 Waiter / Waitress Supervisor, Brasserie Toulouse Lautrec · SE11
- £14.00 Part-Time Bartender, Brasserie Toulouse Lautrec · SE11
- £14.00 Weekend Production Baker [Hackney Downs], Luminary Bakery · N16
- £14.00 Bar Supervisor, The Black Heart · Camden
- £14.00 Chef de Partie, Wild Tavern · Chelsea
- £14.00 Demi Chef de Partie, Wild Tavern · Chelsea
- £14.00 Commis Chef, Wild Tavern · Chelsea
- £13.85 Barista, Mont58 Coffee · SE26
- £13.15 Kitchen Assistant (Part Time), Hai Cafe · E5
- £13.00 Lead Barista & Service Specialist (Opening Team), Daisy's Bakery · WC1X
- £12.90 Supervisor, Mother Kelly's Bethnal Green E2, Mother Kelly's · N17
- £12.85 Wholesale Cheesemonger — Maturing Rooms, Mellis Cheese · N8
- £12.85 Cheesemonger — Morningside, Mellis Cheese · N8
- £12.85 Cheesemonger — Victoria Street, Mellis Cheese · N8
- £12.85 Shop Assistant, Oseyo
- £12.75 Part Time Counter & Kitchen Assistant, Arments Pie & Mash
- £12.71 Experienced Chef de Partie, Brawn · E2
- £12.71 Bagel Artist & Barista, Secret Smokehouse · Hackney
- £10.60 Retail Supervisor, Paul
- £8.75 Team Member, Kings Arms · SW6
How is it worked out?
Instead's London engine reads the websites of independent London businesses every day (12,182 so far) and keeps the job pages of cafés, restaurants, pubs, bars and bakeries.
We count a job when its page names the role, and we count its pay only when the page states an hourly rate in pounds. Salaries, day rates and tips are left out, and so are chains and groups with a head office. Live jobs on Instead count too, since every one of them says the pay. The middle is the median. A business that lists the same job on two pages counts once. The figures change as places hire and new ads appear, so quote the month with them.
Quote it as “Instead London Hospitality Pay Index, November 2026, instead.work/pay”. Free to reuse with credit (CC BY 4.0). Questions, or a business that wants its ad changed or left out: elliott@instead.work.
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