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Restaurant owner education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a restaurant owner. Restaurant owners usually study business, accounting, or management. 49% of restaurant owners hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,318 real restaurant owner resumes to see exactly what restaurant owner education sections show.
The most common colleges for restaurant owners are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.
There are also many online restaurant owner courses to help get the education required to be a restaurant owner.
There are certain restaurant owner certifications that you should consider. These restaurant owner certifications include Certified Food Manager (CFM) and Food Safety Manager Certification.
What education do you need to become a restaurant owner?
What degree do you need to be a restaurant owner?
- Bachelor's, 49%
- Associate, 22%
- High School Diploma, 14%
- Master's, 6%
- Other Degrees, 9%
What should I major in to become a restaurant owner?
- Business, 30%
- Accounting, 6%
- Management, 6%
- Culinary Arts, 6%
- Other Majors, 52%
Most common colleges for restaurant owners
| Restaurant owner common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University | 10.40% |
| University of Phoenix | 9.60% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 8.80% |
| Johnson & Wales University | 6.40% |
| St. Petersburg College | 5.60% |
Best majors for restaurant owners
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 30.3% |
| 2 | Accounting | 6.4% |
| 3 | Management | 5.8% |
| 4 | Culinary Arts | 5.8% |
| 5 | Psychology | 4.5% |
Best colleges for restaurant owners
The best colleges for restaurant owners are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.
A restaurant owner with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for restaurant owners. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become restaurant owners.
1. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
2. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
Delhi, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,360
Enrollment
3,142
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce
Mercedita, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,914
Enrollment
4,155
6. University of Akron
Akron, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$11,463
Enrollment
13,676
7. SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville
Morrisville, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,670
Enrollment
2,758
8. SUNY College at Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,369
Enrollment
5,229
9. University of Alaska Anchorage
Anchorage, AK • Private
In-state tuition
$8,580
Enrollment
10,482
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
20 best online courses for restaurant owners
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Top 10 most affordable universities for restaurant owners
The most affordable schools for restaurant owners are USF Sarasota-Manatee, suny farmingdale, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for restaurant owners are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for restaurant owners.
1. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
10. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for restaurant owners
The hardest universities for restaurant owners to get into are Cornell University, New York University, and Boston University.
Some great schools for restaurant owners are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for restaurant owners based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
2. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
9. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
Admissions rate
39%
SAT average
1,367
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for restaurant owners
The easiest schools for restaurant owners to get into are Life University, university of north texas at dallas, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a restaurant owner without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for restaurant owners.
1. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
2. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
5. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
8. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
9. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
Average restaurant owner salary by education level
| Restaurant owner education level | Restaurant owner salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $55,360 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $47,608 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $53,840 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $49,430 |
Restaurant owner education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025