Most restaurants burn through cash by making staffing decisions with their gut instead of their calculator. The difference between hiring full-time versus freelance kitchen staff can make or break your profit margins. But the math isn't as straightforward as comparing hourly rates to monthly salaries.
The real costs of full-time vs. freelancers
That €3,200 monthly salary? It's just the starting point. Here's what you actually pay:
- Base salary: €2,800 - €3,500 per month
- Employer taxes: +30% (pension, unemployment, workers' comp)
- Holiday allowance: 8% additional
- Paid time off: sick days, vacation, holidays
- Development costs: training, certifications, uniforms
💡 Example: Full-time chef breakdown
Base salary: €3,200/month
- Employer taxes: €960 (30%)
- Holiday allowance: €256 (8%)
- PTO coverage: €200
- Training/uniforms: €100
True monthly cost: €4,716
Freelancers charge €18-25 per hour but you're only paying for productive time. No sick days, no vacation payouts, no dead weight.
Find your break-even point
The magic number? How many hours you consistently need each month. Under 160 hours, freelancers typically win on pure economics.
💡 Break-even math:
Full-time monthly cost: €4,716
Freelancer rate: €22/hour
Break-even point: €4,716 ÷ €22 = 214 hours/month
Below 214 hours monthly? Freelancers cost less
Quality and consistency matter too
But raw numbers don't tell the whole story. Your full-time chef memorizes every recipe and works twice as fast after three months.
- Ramp-up time: 2-3 shifts before new freelancers hit full speed
- Recipe mastery: full-time staff execute from memory
- Ownership mentality: permanent staff care more about outcomes
- Reliability: freelancers bail more often
⚠️ Hidden costs alert:
Don't forget the hours you spend recruiting, scheduling, and retraining freelancers. That's real money too.
Revenue-based staffing decisions
€30,000 - €50,000 monthly revenue:
Stick with freelancers. You don't have enough consistent volume yet. Build relationships with 2-3 reliable people and pay them well.
€50,000 - €80,000 monthly revenue:
The gray zone. Crunch your actual kitchen hours needed. Based on real restaurant P&L data, most operators in this range benefit from one full-time core person plus freelancers for rushes.
€80,000+ monthly revenue:
Full-time starts making sense. You've got the volume to justify the overhead, and consistency becomes more valuable than flexibility.
💡 Real scenario:
Restaurant pulling €60,000 monthly:
- Service shifts: 6 days × 8 hours = 48 hours/week
- Prep time: 5 days × 4 hours = 20 hours/week
- Total consistent need: 68 hours/week = 272 hours/month
Result: Full-time makes financial sense (exceeds 214-hour break-even)
The hybrid model wins
Smart operators often split the difference: one dependable full-time person anchoring the kitchen plus freelancers for coverage and busy periods.
Why hybrid works:
- Lower fixed costs than going fully permanent
- More predictable than pure freelance
- Someone owns the kitchen's success
- Institutional knowledge stays put
Making the transition
Ready to hire your first full-timer? Here's how to do it right:
- Promote from within: Offer your best freelancer a permanent spot
- Document processes: Get recipes, procedures, and standards written down
- Overlap period: Have your new hire work alongside freelancers initially
- Track performance: Monitor if efficiency gains justify higher costs
How do you calculate whether full-time staff is viable?
Add up all actual full-time staff costs
Gross salary + 30% employer contributions + 8% holiday pay + sick leave/vacation payouts + training costs. These are your total monthly costs.
Calculate your break-even point in hours
Divide your total monthly costs by the hourly rate of freelancers. This gives you the number of hours where both options cost the same.
Count your structural hours per month
How many cooking hours do you structurally need each week? Add up service, prep, and cleaning. Multiply by 4.3 for monthly total.
✨ Pro tip
Track your kitchen hours for 8 weeks before making any hiring decisions. If you consistently need more than 200 hours monthly and have one freelancer who excels, offer them a permanent contract with a 90-day trial period.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
At what revenue should I consider full-time kitchen staff?
Around €50,000-€60,000 monthly revenue, assuming you need more than 200 hours of kitchen work per month. The exact number depends on your menu complexity and operational efficiency.
What happens if my full-time chef calls in sick?
You're still paying their salary with zero production. This is why many restaurants use a hybrid approach: one full-time anchor plus a network of reliable freelancers for backup and peak periods.
How do I maintain quality with rotating freelancers?
Work with the same 3-4 people consistently and pay above market rates for loyalty. Document every recipe in detail and assign the same dishes to the same people whenever possible.
Should I promote a freelancer to full-time?
That's often the smartest move - you already know their work quality and cultural fit. Offer the transition once you have enough consistent hours to justify the fixed costs.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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