The Real Cost of Working in Restaurants: Time, Health & Money

When I tell people I worked 80-hour weeks in restaurants for €35,000 a year, they nod sympathetically. But when I tell them that breaks down to €8.40 per hour—less than Portugal's minimum wage—they look shocked.

Most chefs never do this math. We focus on the annual salary and ignore the hours, the health damage, the missed life, and the opportunity cost. We accept "that's just how it is" and grind until we break.

After 15 years in restaurants, I finally calculated what my career was really costing me. The number was terrifying. And it didn't include the two weddings I missed, the relationship that ended because I was never home, or the chronic back pain that still wakes me up some mornings.

This post breaks down the real cost of working in restaurants: time, health, money, and relationships. Plus, I'll show you how to calculate your actual hourly rate—the number your employer doesn't want you to see.

The Time Cost: What 80-Hour Weeks Actually Mean

Let's start with the most obvious cost: your time. But not just hours worked—let's talk about what those hours cost you in missed life.

The Reality of Chef Hours

Most restaurant jobs advertise 40-48 hour weeks. Here's what they don't mention:

• Unpaid prep time: Arriving 30-60 minutes early to set up your station
• Unpaid cleanup: Staying 30-60 minutes after close to finish properly
• Split shifts: Working lunch and dinner with dead time in between (you're not home, but not paid)
• Covering shifts: Coming in on days off when someone calls in sick
• Inventory and admin: Ordering, scheduling, training—all "part of the job"
• Menu development: Testing recipes on your own time

When I tracked my actual hours for a month as a sous chef in London, the average was 72 hours per week. My contract said 45.

What You Miss

Here's what working every night, weekend, and holiday actually costs:

• Family events: Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays—you're working when everyone else is celebrating
• Friendships: Everyone's free Friday and Saturday nights. You're not. Eventually, they stop inviting you.
• Relationships: Date nights happen when normal people are at dinner. You're cooking dinner for strangers.
• Your own health: No time for the gym, regular meals, or doctor appointments
• Hobbies and interests: What hobbies? You're always at work or recovering from work.

I missed my best friend's wedding because we were launching a new menu. I missed my nephew's first birthday because it was a Saturday—our busiest night. I can't get those moments back.

The Health Cost: Physical Damage You Can't Undo

Restaurant work destroys your body. Slowly at first, then all at once. Here's what 15 years in kitchens did to me:

Physical Toll

Issue	How It Happens	Long-Term Impact
Chronic back pain	Standing/bending 10+ hours daily	Permanent lower back damage, occasional sciatica
Knee problems	Hard floors, constant standing, carrying weight	Early arthritis, cartilage damage
Burns and cuts	Hot pans, sharp knives, rushing during service	Permanent scars, nerve damage in fingers
Carpal tunnel	Repetitive knife work, heavy pots	Numbness, weakness in hands
Varicose veins	Standing all day, poor circulation	Visible veins, aching legs
Sleep disorders	Late nights, irregular schedule, stress	Chronic insomnia, poor quality sleep

By age 32, I had the back of a 50-year-old. My GP told me I needed to change careers or I'd need surgery by 40. I had a drawer full of ibuprofen and a routine of ice packs before bed.

Mental Health Toll

The physical damage is visible. The mental health cost is hidden—until it isn't. The restaurant industry has some of the highest rates of:

• Depression and anxiety: Constant stress, irregular sleep, and isolation create perfect conditions for mental health issues
• Substance abuse: Industry culture normalizes drinking after shifts to "come down" from service adrenaline
• Burnout: 80% of chefs report experiencing severe burnout (see my full post on chef burnout)

I had a panic attack during service at age 29. Heart racing, couldn't breathe, thought I was dying. The head chef told me to "toughen up" and sent me back on the line. Nobody asked if I was okay. That was normal.

The Money Cost: Your Real Hourly Rate

Now for the math that most chefs avoid. Let's calculate what you're actually earning per hour.

The Formula

Most people calculate hourly rate like this:

But that's a lie. Here's the real calculation:

My Real Numbers

Here's what my sous chef job looked like:

Annual salary:	€35,000
Contract hours:	45 hours/week
Actual hours worked:	72 hours/week (average)
Weeks worked:	50 (2 weeks holiday)
Total hours per year:	3,600 hours
Real hourly rate:	€9.72/hour

Portugal's minimum wage in 2023 was €9.50/hour. After 10 years of experience, multiple kitchens, and a culinary degree, I was earning €0.22 above minimum wage.

Calculate Your Own Rate

Shocking, isn't it? And we haven't even factored in the health costs, the relationship damage, or the opportunity cost yet.

The Opportunity Cost: What You're Missing

Opportunity cost is what you could have earned, learned, or experienced if you'd made different choices. It's the hardest cost to calculate because it's hypothetical—but it's real.

Alternative Career Earnings

Let's say you'd spent those 10 years in a different career with similar skill requirements:

• Trades (plumber, electrician): €35k-50k for 40-hour weeks = €17-24/hour
• Office work (admin, sales): €30k-45k for 40-hour weeks = €14-22/hour
• Skilled labor (warehouse, logistics): €28k-40k for 40-hour weeks = €13-19/hour

Even the lowest alternative would give you:

• 30+ hours per week of your life back
• Weekends and holidays off
• Less physical damage
• Similar or better pay

What That Time Is Worth

If you worked 40 hours instead of 70, you'd have an extra 30 hours per week. Over a year, that's 1,560 hours—the equivalent of working a second full-time job.

What could you do with 1,560 extra hours per year?

• Start a side business
• Learn a new skill
• Spend time with family
• Take care of your health
• Actually enjoy your life

I spent mine building a private chef business while still working restaurants. Within 18 months, my side gig was earning more than my salary. I wish I'd started 5 years earlier.

The Relationship Cost: What Isolation Looks Like

The restaurant industry has one of the highest divorce rates of any profession. Some studies suggest it's 2-3 times higher than average. Here's why:

You're Never There

• Date nights: You're working every Friday and Saturday
• Holidays: Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day—your busiest shifts
• Weekends: Everyone's off. You're working doubles.
• Evenings: Dinner time is service time. You eat at midnight.

My last serious relationship while working restaurants lasted 14 months. We saw each other maybe twice a week, usually when she'd visit me at work after service. She'd sit at the bar while I broke down the kitchen, then we'd grab late-night food and go home. That was our quality time—11 PM to 1 AM, when I was exhausted and still smelled like onions.

She left because "it felt like being single anyway." She was right.

The Friends You Lose

After a few years of declining invitations because you're working, people stop asking. Your social circle shrinks to other industry people who work the same hours. But you're all too tired to do anything on your days off except recover.

I went to one birthday party in 3 years. One wedding. Zero Saturday BBQs. When my friends had kids, I barely saw them grow up. I became the guy people said, "Oh yeah, he's always working" about.

The Total Cost: Adding It All Up

Let's put a rough number on what 10 years in restaurants cost me compared to an alternative path:

Cost Category	10-Year Impact
Lower hourly rate	€50,000 in lost earnings (vs. trades)
Health expenses	€15,000 (physio, medications, doctor visits)
Time cost	15,600 extra hours worked (equivalent to 7.5 years of 40-hour weeks)
Missed investment returns	€30,000+ (what those earnings could have grown to)
Relationship & social costs	Immeasurable (but real)
Estimated total:	€100,000+ in quantifiable costs

And that doesn't include the experiences I missed, the stress, the chronic pain, or the years shaved off my life from poor health.

Why Chefs Stay Anyway

If the costs are so high, why do we stay? A few reasons:

• The passion trap: "But I love cooking!" (You can cook without destroying yourself)
• Sunk cost fallacy: "I've invested 10 years already" (Don't throw away another 10)
• Identity: "I'm a chef" (Your identity isn't your job title)
• Fear of the unknown: "What else would I do?" (Lots of things—see below)
• Industry gaslighting: "Real chefs don't complain" (Real chefs deserve better)

I stayed longer than I should have because I thought suffering was part of being a chef. It's not. It's just bad business and toxic culture.

Alternative Paths That Keep You in Food

You don't have to leave cooking to escape the restaurant grind. Here are alternatives I've seen work (or done myself):

Private Chef Work

What I do now. Charge €75-130 per person, work flexible hours, choose your clients, keep weekends free. Read my full guide on starting a private chef business.

Food Consulting

Help new restaurants with menu development, kitchen setup, and training. €500-2,000 per project, no physical labor.

Recipe Development

Create recipes for brands, publications, and cookbooks. Freelance rates: €100-500 per recipe.

Culinary Instruction

Teach cooking classes (virtual or in-person), culinary school, or corporate team building. €50-150/hour.

Food Media

Writing, video, podcasting—share your expertise without the kitchen grind. Income varies widely but builds passive revenue.

All of these paths offer better work-life balance, similar or higher income per hour, and keep you connected to food. Learn more about alternative chef careers here.

The Bottom Line

Working in restaurants costs more than your salary suggests. When you factor in unpaid hours, health damage, missed life experiences, and opportunity cost, the real price tag can exceed €100,000 over a decade.

I'm not saying everyone should leave restaurants. But you should at least know what you're paying. Calculate your real hourly rate. Add up the costs. Then decide if it's worth it.

For me, it wasn't. I walked away, built something better, and I've never looked back.

You don't have to sacrifice your life to cook for a living. There are alternatives. I'm living proof.