Disclaimer: This article is Urhere's plain-language interpretation of how this award is applied in the urhere platform. It is provided as general information only and is not legal advice. Award entitlements can change and can depend on your specific circumstances. You should refer to the current award on the Fair Work Ombudsman website and seek your own professional or legal advice before relying on it.
The Restaurant Industry Award covers employers and employees in the restaurant industry, including cafés and catering businesses. In urhere it comes as three ready-to-use pay templates — one for full-time/part-time staff, and two casual templates split by classification level (because the casual Sunday rate differs between the lower and higher levels).
How rates work in urhere: each employee has a base hourly rate that matches their classification level. The pay templates below apply penalties and overtime as a percentage of that base rate. For casual employees, the 25% casual loading is already included in their base rate. All examples use a base rate of $30.00/hour purely to illustrate the maths.
Pay templates in this award
Pay template | Who it's for |
Restaurant — Full-time / Part-time | Permanent staff (all levels) |
Restaurant — Casual (Introductory–Level 2) | Casual staff at the lower classification levels |
Restaurant — Casual (Level 3–Level 6) | Casual staff at the higher classification levels (higher Sunday rate) |
Restaurant — Full-time / Part-time
Ordinary hours
Employees are paid 100% for ordinary hours Monday to Friday. Two extra amounts apply for work at unsociable times, Monday to Friday:
When | Extra pay |
Late night — 10:00pm to midnight | + $2.95 per hour |
Early morning — midnight to 6:00am | + $4.42 per hour |
Weekend and public holiday rates
When | Rate | Example (base $30/hr) |
Saturday | 125% | $37.50/hr |
Sunday | 150% | $45.00/hr |
Public holiday | 225% | $67.50/hr |
Overtime
Overtime applies after 11.5 hours in a day (or 38 hours in a week):
When | First 2 hours | After that |
Monday–Friday | 150% | 200% |
Saturday | 175% | 200% |
Sunday | 200% | 200% |
Public holiday | 250% | 250% |
Minimum shift length
Monday–Sunday: 3 hours
Public holiday: 4 hours
Restaurant — Casual
Casual employees include the 25% casual loading in their base rate. The percentages below are applied to that loaded rate. The two casual templates are identical except for the Sunday rate.
Ordinary hours
Paid 100% Monday to Friday, with the same evening add-ons as full-time/part-time (+$2.95/hr from 10:00pm–midnight, +$4.42/hr from midnight–6:00am).
Weekend and public holiday rates
When | Casual Intro–L2 | Casual L3–L6 |
Saturday | 120% | 120% |
Sunday | 120% | 140% |
Public holiday | 200% | 200% |
Overtime
Overtime applies after 12 hours in a day (or 38 hours in a week):
When | First 2 hours | After that |
Monday–Friday | 120% | 160% |
Saturday | 140% | 160% |
Sunday | 160% | 160% |
Public holiday | 200% | 200% |
Minimum shift length
2 hours per engagement (Monday–Sunday and public holidays).
What's not included
Delayed meal-break penalties are handled separately.
Junior and apprentice rates — set the correct base rate on the employee record.
Allowances (meal, split-shift, tool, clothing) and higher-duties pay are handled separately.
Rates current as at 1 July 2026. Penalty and overtime percentages follow the Fair Work MA000119 pay guide.