Prevailing Wage for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
The prevailing wage for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant (SOC 35-3041) sets the minimum salary a U.S. employer must pay when sponsoring a Food Server or Food Service Worker for an H-1B, E-3, or green card. DOL publishes four experience-based wage levels for this occupation, and the floor varies significantly by city and metro area.
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Level 1 covers entry-level Food Service Workers with no prior experience in the role. Employees at this level follow established procedures under close supervision and perform routine tasks like delivering trays or restocking supplies in nonrestaurant settings.
Level 2 applies to qualified Food Servers, Nonrestaurant with some related experience who work with moderate supervision. This is the most common filing level for this occupation, reflecting roles where workers handle standard service duties independently in hotels, hospitals, or care facilities.
Level 3 covers experienced room servers or tray servers who work with minimal supervision, handle non-routine service situations, and may informally guide newer staff. Employers file at this level when the role requires demonstrated competency across varied nonrestaurant service environments.
Level 4 applies to fully competent Food Service Workers in senior or lead-level roles, such as those who coordinate service operations, train team members, or manage specialized dietary or room-service programs with significant autonomy and accountability.
Prevailing Wage for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
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See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Verify your worksite city before accepting an offer
Nonrestaurant food service roles span hotels, hospitals, and residential care facilities across vastly different wage markets. The prevailing wage for the same Room Service Server title can differ by tens of thousands of dollars annually between Puerto Rico metros and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Confirm gratuity and tips are excluded from the wage floor
DOL's prevailing wage for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant must be met through base wages alone. Employers cannot count tips, gratuities, or discretionary service charges toward satisfying the LCA wage obligation for sponsored Kitchen Runners or Room Servers.
Watch for title mismatches that apply the wrong SOC
Job postings for nonrestaurant food service roles sometimes use titles like Food Service Associate or Dining Attendant, which employers may file under a different SOC. Verify the LCA lists SOC 35-3041 so the correct prevailing wage floor applies to your sponsored position.
Search Migrate Mate for employers who have sponsored this role
Hotels, hospital systems, and senior living operators vary widely in sponsorship history for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant. Migrate Mate shows which employers have actual H-1B or green card sponsorship counts for this occupation, helping you target companies with a demonstrated track record.
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Find Jobs for Food Servers, NonrestaurantPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 35-3041.00 alongside Food Servers, Nonrestaurant, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Food Server Prevailing Wage
Food Server Prevailing Wage
Food Server positions fall under SOC 35-3041.00 (Food Servers, Nonrestaurant). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Food Service Worker Prevailing Wage
Food Service Worker Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Food Service Worker for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 35-3041.00 (Food Servers, Nonrestaurant). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Kitchen Runner Prevailing Wage
Kitchen Runner Prevailing Wage
Kitchen Runner is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 35-3041.00 (Food Servers, Nonrestaurant). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Room Server Prevailing Wage
Room Server Prevailing Wage
Room Server positions fall under SOC 35-3041.00 (Food Servers, Nonrestaurant). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Room Service Server Prevailing Wage
Room Service Server Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Room Service Server for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 35-3041.00 (Food Servers, Nonrestaurant). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Tray Server Prevailing Wage
Tray Server Prevailing Wage
Tray Server is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 35-3041.00 (Food Servers, Nonrestaurant). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant?
DOL calculates prevailing wages using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across hundreds of U.S. metro areas. For SOC 35-3041, DOL publishes four wage levels derived from the regional wage distribution for the occupation. Employers sponsoring a Food Server or Room Service Server must certify on the LCA that they will pay at least the applicable prevailing wage for the worksite location.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my job offer?
DOL's four levels reflect experience and supervision. Level 1 is entry-level with close oversight; Level 2 is qualified with moderate supervision and is the most common filing level for Food Servers, Nonrestaurant; Level 3 is experienced with minimal supervision; Level 4 is fully competent in a senior or lead capacity. The level on the LCA must match the actual duties, supervision, and complexity of the offered position, not simply the employer's preferred pay point.
Why does the prevailing wage for this occupation differ so much from city to city?
OFLC assigns the prevailing wage based on the worksite address listed on the LCA, not the employer's headquarters. DOL calculates wages from regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, so local labor market conditions, cost of living, and employer concentration all affect the figures. A tray server position in a Hawaii resort market sits in a very different wage band than the same title in a rural Louisiana metro, and the LCA must reflect the actual work location.
What happens if an employer's offer is below the prevailing wage for a sponsored Food Server, Nonrestaurant position?
An employer cannot certify an LCA with an offered wage below the DOL prevailing wage floor. USCIS will not approve an H-1B or similar petition if the underlying LCA wage is deficient. If a shortfall is discovered after certification, the employer faces back-wage liability and potential debarment from future visa sponsorship. Candidates who identify a below-floor offer should ask the employer to confirm the LCA wage level before accepting.
How can I find and verify the prevailing wage for a Food Servers, Nonrestaurant role in a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up SOC 35-3041 wages by metro area and wage level. Enter the worksite city or county to retrieve the current DOL figures for each of the four levels. Migrate Mate can help you identify employers in your target metro who have sponsored Food Service Workers or Room Servers in the past, so you can focus your search on companies already familiar with the sponsorship process.
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