Payroll compliance · Industries

Payroll compliance: Restaurant Award

Restaurant payroll, done properly. Split shifts, penalty rates, junior and casual rates: we get them right every pay run, no matter how the roster looks.

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Modern award Restaurant Award MA000119

Modern award compliance

Getting the award right isn't optional

Employers must pay employees in accordance with the Restaurant Industry Award, accurately calculating pay rates, penalties and allowances, and keeping proper records. Getting it wrong, even unintentionally, has serious financial and legal consequences.

$93,900

Maximum fine per breach for underpaying the minimum wage — on top of back-payments owed.

Who the award covers

Restaurants Cafes and bistros Catering attached to restaurants

What it sets

Minimum pay rates Penalties & overtime Allowances Leave & rostering Record-keeping

Biggest pitfalls

Where restaurant and cafe employers get caught out

Non-compliance is rarely deliberate. It usually comes down to four traps:

Thin official guidance

The Fair Work website is hard to navigate, and there's little practical guidance on staying compliant.

Technical legal jargon

Awards read like legislation. Misreading a single clause is one of the most common paths to non-compliance.

Manual errors

Unintentional mistakes and inadequate systems still count as non-compliance — and still attract penalties.

Missed allowances

You can't roll allowances into a salary "chunk". Every allowance an employee qualifies for must be paid, item by item.

The solution

Automated payroll, with time and attendance built in

Automated software does the interpreting for you — calculating hours worked, catching timesheet errors and generating accurate payslips, while staying current with changing regulations.

Employment Hero Payroll

Automatically applies modern award and enterprise agreement rules year-round — timesheet import, gross-to-net reporting, leave accruals, super and ATO reporting.

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Employment Hero HR

Paperless onboarding and end-to-end people management — recruit, onboard, roster and manage your team across the whole employee lifecycle.

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How Pay Cat can help

We set it up. You run your business.

Our team lives in modern awards. We implement and manage Pay Cat Payroll (powered by Employment Hero) configured to the Restaurant Award, so your obligations are met automatically — from employee information to pay runs to government reporting.

100% compliant with the Restaurant Award

Allowances, penalties and loadings paid automatically

Award updates applied as rates change

Training, advice and support long after go-live

Know where you stand The Restaurant Industry Award MockUp

Not sure which award covers your team?

Download our free eBook on the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award

— entirely jargon-free, so you can understand your rights and obligations in plain English.