Craig Allen, managing director of London’s largest recruitment company in the sector, The Change Group, reveals that while women are increasingly dominating front of house roles, salaries are still generally lagging behind men.

A review of six years of data from the Office of National Statistics as well as the Change Group database of candidate registrations shows that while women hold seven out of 10 chef de rang or waiter positions, men are still paid around £1150 more per annum than women. Male head waiters earn almost £4300 more than female head waitresses or almost 20% more.

Craig Allen, founder and director of The Change Group said: “Our analysis shows that while there isn’t as straightforward a male/female divide as there once was, men are clearly still the winners front of house.

“Even in roles such as waitering, where women clearly dominate, men earn more money. We know that many restaurants and employers are addressing this situation but we all need to do more to ensure fair pay for all.”

While there are more female than male catering and bar managers (on average 56%), men hold more restaurant (67%) and pub manager (60%) roles. Women restaurant managers on average earn almost £3500 less than men (10% less). The gap is much narrower for bar managers where women earn on average around £600 less than men and female assistant bar managers are earning around £600 more than men.

The analysis reveals that in certain categories women are marginally ahead of men. The Change Group reveals that women sommeliers registered with recruitment agency are on average paid £827 more than men, and female floor managers are paid £670 more than men.

>>> Read more from The Change Group here