Season 3 of "The Bear" premiered June 26, meaning fans finally got to devour new episodes of the viral kitchen drama.
The previous season followed chef Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (played by Jeremy Allen White) and his crew transform their beloved family-owned restaurant — the Original Beef of Chicagoland — into a fine-dining restaurant, The Bear.
Ask a fan of "The Bear" if it's inspired their cooking and you'll likely hear, "Yes, chef."
How about a career change?
Now, that one's less certain — but as viewers watch Carmy and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) cook up food for patrons, one question might arise: How much money does a chef and their staff actually make?
Those salaries will differ across establishments, locations, and times. But it's possible to get a general sense: Business Insider analyzed national and Chicago-area wage data for restaurant workers to gauge the average staff salaries if The Bear opened in 2023.
Overall, pay for leisure and hospitality workers — which includes restaurants — has outpaced other workers in recent years.
Restaurant staff's wages have grown 31.1% since January 2020, which is faster than the average 25.4% increase in wages for all private workers.
That growth is due to state-level minimum wage increases between 2019 and 2023 coinciding with a tight labor market, according to the nonprofit think tank Economic Policy Institute.
Overall inflation has risen roughly 21% since January 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, meaning restaurant wages have also outpaced general price increases.
All things considered, though, staff at The Bear wouldn't necessarily be better off right now.
According to a new report by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, 48% of renters in Chicago feel cost-burdened — meaning they spend between 30% and 50% of their income on housing.
Chicago's suburbs are also the second most competitive rental market in the US.
But when it comes to basics, like the annual salary for staff at The Bear, that number depends on the job.