Bobby Flay’s First Job Will Surprise You — See How Much It Pays Today
Written by
Brooke Barley
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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Celebrity chef Bobby Flay, known for his multiple cooking competition shows on Food Networkand numerous restaurants, might have had humbler beginnings than you imagined. Though the “Beat Bobby Flay” star currently owns four restaurants in the United States, he got his start at a place that you probably couldn’t picture him at now.
Read on to find out where Flay’s first job was, and how much it pays to work there today.
Where Was Flay’s First Job?
Flay is currently one of the chefs featured on “BBQ Brawl,” a cooking competition show on Food Network where pitmasters receive mentorship from famous chefs and battle it out against each other. On an episode earlier in 2025, Flay revealed his first job was at none other than the famous teppanyaki-style restaurant Benihana, according to Parade.
Though Flay didn’t say what year he worked at Benihana, we can assume it was before 1981. According to Food Republic, Flay started working at Joe Allen when he was 17, which would have been in either 1981 or 1982. Don’t worry: Flay has no ill will towards Benihana. He said in the episode that he still loves the restaurant. The craft and performance needed to succeed at that job might be why Flay has both the celebrity and the skills he has today.
What Is the Average Pay at Benihana Today?
Your salary at Benihana can vary greatly depending on your position. According to Zippia, a manager can make $93,886 a year, while a kitchen chef would make about $36,783 a year on average. A server makes around $31,000 a year on average and a dishwasher makes around $28,000 a year.
Though we can’t be sure exactly how much Flay would have made, we do know that, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the minimum wage in 1980 was $3.10 an hour — so Flay was probably making somewhere around that number.
What Is Flay’s Net Worth?
Flay is far from those $3.10 an hour workdays. With several cooking shows, cookbooks, partnerships and restaurants under his belt, Flay has amassed quite a fortune. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Flay is worth $60 million. Though most of his money has come from his career, he has also bought and sold several homes, all worth between $1 million and $10 million — that’s quite a lifestyle upgrade from his Benihana days.
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