800+ Hospitality & Food Service Jobs in Washington, DC

Government wage data shows broad food preparation and serving work in the metro averaging $20.97 per hour, with the wider food-prep-and-serving occupational family at a $37,860 median and $43,620 mean annually in 2025. By contrast, recent posted compensation in the local sample centers on about $17 to $19 / hour for hourly jobs and about $65k to $79k for salaried postings, which likely reflects a mix of frontline, supervisory, and specialty roles rather than one typical job.

Full September 2026 market report

Advertised pay

Across the 619 openings that disclose pay, the advertised range midpoint runs $35,360 at the 25th percentile, $39,936 at the median and $45,760 at the 75th. These are advertised ranges, not earned pay.

Active openings as of October 17, 2026

Senior roles | Entry level | Remote | Posted this week

Live from the Callings.ai index of over 13 million postings, refreshed hourly and re-checked here nightly. Roles that close are dropped at the next refresh.

Showing 30 of 250+ openings.

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What our analysts see this month

Balanced market | next 3-6 months

Washington is still a workable market for hospitality job seekers, but it is not a surge market. Metro unemployment was 3.8% in August 2026, while leisure and hospitality employment in the metro stood at 331.2 thousand and was down -0.8086% year over year, which means the broader local economy is functioning but sector growth is still soft. The local hiring sample still showed more than 1,900 postings across more than 500 companies over the last 90 days, with most roles on-site and a strong entry-level skew, so openings exist if you target the right employers and move quickly.

Best positioned: Candidates with recent restaurant, hotel, cafe, or institutional foodservice experience plus visible food-safety, customer-service, cash-handling, or inventory skills have the best odds right now.

Main caution: Do not assume the posted salary center of about $65k to $79k reflects typical frontline pay; much of that likely comes from supervisory, management, or specialized salaried roles rather than the average server, barista, or line-cook opening.

From the September 2026 market report

Who is hiring here

Counted across all 818 openings in this market. 10 of the employers below are hiring for more than one role right now.

1. Compass Group: 46 open roles
2. Marriott International, Inc.: 26 open roles
3. Sunrise Senior Living Management, LLC: 25 open roles
4. Brightview Senior Living, LLC: 19 open roles
5. Healthcare Services Group: 19 open roles
6. Crescent Hotels & Resorts: 18 open roles
7. WinStar World Casino Resort: 14 open roles
8. Makers Union Pub: 13 open roles
9. Thompson Hospitality Corp.: 13 open roles
10. Aramark: 11 open roles

Where the openings are

• Washington: 153
• Baltimore: 74
• Alexandria: 58
• Arlington: 50
• Fairfax: 36
• Bethesda: 24
• McLean: 24
• Ashburn: 21

Work arrangement

on-site 745 (98%), remote 11 (1%), hybrid 6 (1%)

Where the demand is

Real opportunity is concentrated in operating environments that need people physically present every shift. In the local posting mix, hospitality accounts for about 40% of postings, restaurants about 15%, and retail, hospitals and health care, and food and beverage each about 10%. That points job seekers toward hotels, hotel restaurants, cafes, contract foodservice, and institutional dining rather than expecting most demand to come from remote travel-planning work. The employer base is broad rather than winner-take-all. The local sample showed more than 1,900 postings across more than 500 companies, with Starbucks Corp. and Compass Group among the most consistently active employers and hiring described as fragmented across employers. That is good news if you need volume, but it means you usually win by targeting clusters of similar employers instead of waiting on one perfect brand. There is also a smaller, faster-moving stream of chef-led and neighborhood openings. Ten Ten West End opened inside One Washington Circle, while Bajo, Bar Nuestro, and the Berliner revival all signaled new local restaurant demand around West End, Blagden Alley, Navy Yard, and Adams Morgan.

• Hotels, hotel restaurants, and guest-facing operations (high): This is the biggest local lane in the posting mix, and the Ten Ten West End opening adds another hotel-linked venue signal in the market.
• Chain coffee and contract foodservice (high): Starbucks Corp. and Compass Group are among the most consistently active employers locally, which makes them useful targets for steady application volume and structured hiring.
• Independent and chef-led restaurants (moderate): Bajo, Bar Nuestro, and the Berliner revival point to smaller-batch openings where speed, neighborhood presence, and direct follow-up matter more than mass applying.
• Travel-specific subroles (limited): This report shows much stronger local evidence for restaurant and hotel work than for travel-agent or flight-attendant subroles.

Where to focus: If you need the fastest traction, focus first on on-site hotel, cafe, and contract foodservice employers with repeat openings, then add chef-led neighborhood openings as secondary targets.

Roles worth searching next

• Customer Support Specialist: Guest-service experience transfers well into phone, chat, and issue-resolution work.
• Receptionist or Administrative Coordinator: Front-desk hospitality skills translate into scheduling, check-in, phone coverage, and visitor handling.
• Retail Store Supervisor: Cash handling, staffing, inventory, and customer-service skills transfer directly.
• Patient Access Representative: Hospitality-style service and problem solving fit well in healthcare intake and registration roles.
• Facilities or Workplace Coordinator: Hospitality workers often already manage vendor readiness, space presentation, and guest experience.

What postings ask for

• ServSafe (table_stakes | immediate): It is the most commonly named certification in the local sample, which makes it a simple screening advantage for food-facing roles. Who: Entry-level applicants, career switchers, and anyone targeting kitchen, cafe, or catering work.
• Food safety and sanitation (table_stakes | immediate): Food safety, sanitation, and safety compliance are explicitly requested across the local market, not just in back-of-house roles. Who: Anyone applying to kitchen, prep, banquet, cafe, or institutional dining jobs.
• Inventory management (differentiator | immediate): Inventory management is the most-requested hard skill in the local posting mix, making it especially useful for shift leads, supervisors, and managers. Who: Mid-career candidates and hourly workers trying to step into lead roles.
• Cash handling and customer service (table_stakes | immediate): Cash handling and customer service appear frequently in local postings, which is why café, counter-service, and front-desk applicants need to show them clearly. Who: Entry-level applicants and career switchers from retail or other service jobs.
• POS and PMS technology literacy (differentiator | near-term): Technology literacy, including POS and property-management systems, is identified as a key hospitality skill for 2026 and helps bridge restaurant, hotel, and multi-unit operations work. Who: Front desk candidates, assistant managers, restaurant supervisors, and hotel-path job seekers.
• CHM or CGSP (premium | near-term): Certified Hospitality Manager and Certified Guest Service Professional credentials are relevant signals for advancing in hospitality, especially on the lodging and guest-service side. Who: Hotel-oriented mid-career candidates and people aiming for guest-service leadership.

Questions about this market

What do Hospitality, Food Service & Travel roles pay in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?

Government wage data shows broad food preparation and serving work in the metro averaging $20.97 per hour, with the wider food-prep-and-serving occupational family at a $37,860 median and $43,620 mean annually in 2025. By contrast, recent posted compensation in the local sample centers on about $17 to $19 / hour for hourly jobs and about $65k to $79k for salaried postings, which likely reflects a mix of frontline, supervisory, and specialty roles rather than one typical job. Washington pays somewhat better than the national broad occupational family, where the annual median was $35,050 and the annual mean was $37,150, but the cost base is still tough and local home prices were up +1.7% year over year in July 2026.

Where is demand for Hospitality, Food Service & Travel roles in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV concentrated?

Real opportunity is concentrated in operating environments that need people physically present every shift. In the local posting mix, hospitality accounts for about 40% of postings, restaurants about 15%, and retail, hospitals and health care, and food and beverage each about 10%. That points job seekers toward hotels, hotel restaurants, cafes, contract foodservice, and institutional dining rather than expecting most demand to come from remote travel-planning work. The employer base is broad rather than winner-take-all. The local sample showed more than 1,900 postings across more than 500 companies, with Starbucks Corp. and Compass Group among the most consistently active employers and hiring described as fragmented across employers. That is good news if you need volume, but it means you usually win by targeting clusters of similar employers instead of waiting on one perfect brand. There is also a smaller, faster-moving stream of chef-led and neighborhood openings. Ten Ten West End opened inside One Washington Circle, while Bajo, Bar Nuestro, and the Berliner revival all signaled new local restaurant demand around West End, Blagden Alley, Navy Yard, and Adams Morgan.

Which employers are hiring the most Hospitality, Food Service & Travel talent in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV?

Recent postings show the most activity from Starbucks Corp. (more than 125 postings), Compass Group (more than 50 postings). See the full market report for the complete employer landscape.

How current are these listings?

Openings come from the Callings.ai live index of over 13 million jobs, refreshed hourly. This page searches postings from the last 30 days; run the search yourself to filter by anything else in plain language.

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