{
  "name": "New Orleans Restaurant Profit Margin Benchmarks",
  "description": "Gross margin, net margin, cost-share, labor, and market-size benchmarks for independent restaurants in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ranges are planning benchmarks for owner-operated businesses, not forecasts.",
  "version": "2026 city benchmark edition",
  "city": "New Orleans",
  "state": "Louisiana",
  "industry": "Restaurant",
  "reviewStatus": "screening",
  "coverage": "Independent restaurant operators in New Orleans, Louisiana; national chains, franchise groups, and multi-unit operators excluded unless noted",
  "dataCompiledAt": "2026-06-22",
  "sourcesVerifiedAt": "2026-09-27",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "sourcePage": "https://hustlefin.com/benchmarks/restaurant/city/new-orleans/",
  "citation": "HustleFin (2026). New Orleans Restaurant Profit Margin Benchmarks. Retrieved from https://hustlefin.com/benchmarks/restaurant/city/new-orleans/",
  "metrics": [
    {
      "key": "gross_margin_pct",
      "label": "Gross margin",
      "unit": "percent",
      "low": 58,
      "average": 66,
      "high": 72
    },
    {
      "key": "net_margin_pct",
      "label": "Net margin",
      "unit": "percent",
      "low": 0,
      "average": 5,
      "high": 7
    },
    {
      "key": "labor_cost_pct",
      "label": "Labor cost (% of revenue)",
      "unit": "percent",
      "low": 22,
      "average": 27,
      "high": 31
    },
    {
      "key": "rent_cost_pct",
      "label": "Rent (% of revenue)",
      "unit": "percent",
      "low": 3,
      "average": 6,
      "high": 10
    },
    {
      "key": "typical_revenue",
      "label": "Typical revenue",
      "unit": "text",
      "value": "$250,000 – $2,500,000/year for independent New Orleans restaurants"
    }
  ],
  "labor": {
    "minimumWage": "$7.25/hr (federal)",
    "stateMinimumWage": "$7.25/hr (Louisiana follows federal)",
    "tippedWage": "$2.13/hr + tips",
    "note": "No state or local minimum wage above the federal rate. Market wages ($15–22/hr kitchen, $25–40/hr tipped with tips) are well above the legal minimum due to tourism-driven labor demand."
  },
  "market": [
    {
      "label": "Estimated restaurants",
      "value": 1400
    },
    {
      "label": "Commercial rent range",
      "value": "$18–28/sqft (Uptown/Bywater/Mid-City), $28–35/sqft (French Quarter)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Sales tax on food",
      "value": "9.45% on prepared food (4.45% state + 5.0% Orleans Parish)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Special fees",
      "value": "Hurricane windstorm insurance $12K–$30K/yr; go-cup alcohol laws; Vieux Carré Commission restrictions in French Quarter"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "label": "Louisiana Department of Revenue",
      "url": "https://revenue.louisiana.gov/",
      "note": "State sales tax and parish-level tax administration."
    },
    {
      "label": "U.S. Census Bureau — County Business Patterns",
      "url": "https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/cbp.html",
      "note": "Establishment counts and payroll by industry and geography. Source of the estimated business counts on this page."
    },
    {
      "label": "BLS OEWS — New Orleans-Metairie, LA",
      "url": "https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_35380.htm",
      "note": "Metropolitan-area occupational wage estimates from the BLS OEWS program."
    },
    {
      "label": "FEMA Flood Map Service Center",
      "url": "https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home",
      "note": "Official flood zone determinations used for coastal insurance-cost context."
    },
    {
      "label": "National Restaurant Association — Research",
      "url": "https://restaurant.org/research-and-media/research/",
      "note": "Industry operations data and cost-structure research for US restaurants."
    },
    {
      "label": "City of New Orleans",
      "url": "https://nola.gov/",
      "note": "City occupational licenses and local permits."
    }
  ]
}