Calculate calories burned waitressing or waiting tables from your weight, shift length and service pace, plus calories per hour and a weekly total.

MET is energy use relative to rest. Pick the pace that matches most of your shift.

Weekly total (optional)
Typical full-time schedule of 5 shifts; clear it to skip the weekly total.

Related Calculators

Calories Burned Waitressing Formula

The calculator uses body weight, shift length, and the MET value of your service pace.

C = MET × 3.5 × BW ÷ 200 × M

Variables:

  • C is calories burned
  • BW is body weight in kilograms
  • M is shift length in minutes
  • MET is the service-pace intensity

Use 2.3 MET for table service, 3.5 MET for busy service, and 4.5 MET for fast service while carrying light items.

Calories Burned Waitressing by Shift Pace

For a 150-lb server:

  • Table service (2.3 MET): 164 calories per hour, 657 calories in 4 hours, 1,315 calories in 8 hours
  • Busy service (3.5 MET): 250 calories per hour, 1,000 calories in 4 hours, 2,000 calories in 8 hours
  • Fast service (4.5 MET): 321 calories per hour, 1,286 calories in 4 hours, 2,572 calories in 8 hours

How to Use the Calculator

  1. Enter your body weight in pounds or kilograms.
  2. Enter your shift length in hours or minutes.
  3. Select your shift pace.
  4. Optionally, enter how many similar shifts you work per week for a weekly total.
  5. Click Calculate.

Example

A 150-lb server working 6 hours of table service (2.3 MET) burns about 986 calories.

At a busy pace (3.5 MET), the same 6-hour shift burns about 1,500 calories.