MenuSpy / City reports / Miami, FL
Market snapshot · October 2026
Miami, FL restaurant market snapshot
What local menus charge, which weeks fill the town, and which rules change the math, for operators in Miami, FL. Every number links to the page it came from.
In Miami, FL (checked October 2026), a cheeseburger ran $9.99 to $21.00 across 3 menus and a chicken sandwich ran $10.75 to $13.99 across 3 menus. Restaurant meals are taxed at 7%, the minimum wage is $15.00 per hour ($11.98 tipped cash wage), and 4 events have published dates in the next twelve months.
Population and income: US Census QuickFacts.
Observed menu prices
34 prices read from 14 independent menus on October 1, 2026 to October 2, 2026, from the restaurants' own websites or first-party ordering pages. Delivery-app prices are excluded. A median is shown only when three or more observations exist. This is a small sample; use it as a range check, not a rule.
| Benchmark item | Observations | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheeseburger | 3 | $9.99 | $18.00 | $21.00 |
| Chicken sandwich | 3 | $10.75 | $13.99 | $13.99 |
| Taco plate (3 tacos) | 3 | $14.00 | $18.49 | $19.00 |
| Large cheese pizza | 3 | $20.25 | $24.00 | $26.50 |
| Wings (10 or closest count) | 5 | $11.00 | $20.00 | $22.00 |
| Cuban sandwich | 3 | $10.25 | $11.99 | $11.99 |
| Breakfast plate (2 eggs, meat, side) | 3 | $7.50 | $13.00 | $14.25 |
| Entree salad with protein | 4 | $11.50 | $14.75 | $18.00 |
| Draft beer (pint) | 3 | $5.50 | $7.00 | $8.00 |
| Fountain soda | 4 | $1.85 | $4.72 | $5.00 |
Part of the MenuSpy Menu Price Index. Restaurant names are kept in our source file and not published; a paid report names them and links each menu.
The next 12 months
Dates come from organizer or official pages opened on October 1, 2026. An event with a published 2026 or 2027 date is marked confirmed. Everything else is a recurring pattern with its date not yet announced, listed so you can watch for it, not staff for it.
Confirmed dates
Art Basel Miami Beach
December 4 - 6, 2026 · Art Basel
Art week brings a global, high-spend crowd to Miami Beach, Wynwood and the Design District for a full week of events and dinners.
Life Time Miami Marathon and Half Presented by FP Movement
JANUARY 31, 2027 · Life Time
Race weekend brings runners and families downtown and to Miami Beach, with road closures that reshape Sunday brunch traffic.
Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by Capital One
February 25-28, 2027 in Miami Beach · Florida International University (beneficiary) / SOBEWFF
Four-day festival of chef-driven events puts national attention on Miami's restaurant scene and fills South Beach hotels.
Ultra Music Festival
Mar 26 - 27 - 28, 2027, Miami, FL (Bayfront Park) · Ultra Music Festival
Three-day downtown festival draws tens of thousands of international attendees to Bayfront Park and surrounding Brickell/Downtown restaurants.
Rules that hit the P&L
Minimum wage: $15.00 per hour, tipped cash wage $11.98
Effective September 30, 2026. The $15.00 rate runs from September 30, 2026 through December 31, 2027; the tipped wage is $15.00 minus the fixed 2003 tip credit of $3.02.
Sales tax on restaurant meals: 7%
6% Florida state sales tax + 1% Miami-Dade County discretionary sales surtax (DR-15DSS, Calendar Year 2026 form) Miami-Dade County adds its own food and beverage taxes on some establishments; see below.
Miami-Dade food and beverage tax, hotels and motels: 2%
Food, beverages and alcoholic beverages sold in hotels and motels only. Funds tourism promotion.
Miami-Dade food and beverage tax, alcohol-licensed places: 1%
Food and drink sold in places licensed to sell alcohol for on-premises consumption, other than hotels and motels. Places with $400,000 or less in gross revenue the previous calendar year, veterans' organizations and package sales are exempt. Funds homeless programs and domestic violence centers.
Resort tax in Miami Beach, Bal Harbour and Surfside: 2%
These three cities levy their own resort tax on food and beverages instead of the county food and beverage taxes. A Miami Beach restaurant collects 2% on all food and drink, including delivery-app sales.
Food service license
Florida DBPR, Division of Hotels and Restaurants. Annual renewal on a district schedule; new locations need a satisfactory opening inspection.
Florida state records for the Miami metro
From Florida's DBPR license files and DOR restaurant sales (April 2025 to March 2026), covering Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach counties. Busiest and slowest months are restaurant sales as a multiple of the average month.
Every Florida metro and county, with seats, new licenses and tax rates: Florida restaurant market data · Florida restaurant rules for 2026.
Local signals
Recent local reporting on the Miami restaurant scene. Multiple articles from one publisher count as one source publisher. Even coverage by different publishers can repeat the same announcement; confirm independent evidence before treating a signal as a trend.
Casa Tua Brings Its Italian Marketplace to Wynwood
Miami New Times reports the Italian marketplace Casa Tua Cucina has opened its second Miami location in Wynwood with housemade pasta and a grill; the same openings-closings feed notes a popular Cuban bakery debuting its first full-service bar in the Florida Keys.
Cult-Favorite Miami Bistro Returns for One Night Only
Miami New Times reports a Miami bistro will return for one night only in Wynwood with creative dishes from over a decade ago.
Coverage and limits
This is a dated snapshot built from public pages opened on October 1, 2026. It is not a sales forecast, legal advice or a site approval. Menus, calendars and rules change; open the linked source before acting.
Not confirmed when this page was checked:
- No visitor or tourism figure captured (the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau research page was not read).
- Miami Spice 2027 dates not confirmed.
- Local openings and closings coverage newer than April 2026 was not reached.
- Menu prices: every benchmark item has 3 or more menus (14 menus read October 1 to 2, 2026). One menu PDF is dated May 2025, so its prices may have changed since.
Questions operators ask
What is the sales tax on restaurant meals in Miami, FL?
7%. 6% Florida state sales tax + 1% Miami-Dade County discretionary sales surtax. Local taxes can add to it: Miami-Dade food and beverage tax, hotels and motels (2%); Miami-Dade food and beverage tax, alcohol-licensed places (1%); Resort tax in Miami Beach, Bal Harbour and Surfside (2%).
What is the minimum wage for restaurant workers in Miami?
$15.00 per hour, with a tipped cash wage of $11.98, effective September 30, 2026. The $15.00 rate runs from September 30, 2026 through December 31, 2027; the tipped wage is $15.00 minus the fixed 2003 tip credit of $3.02.
How much does a cheeseburger cost in Miami?
Across 3 independent menus read on October 1, 2026 to October 2, 2026, a cheeseburger ran $9.99 to $21.00, median $18.00. Small sample; check the menu price index for the full table.
Want this for one restaurant in Miami?
A one-time $79 report names nearby menus, links available prices, and researches local dates and rules for your address. Sources and gaps included. No account.
Planning to open instead? The local area report does the same research for an address or neighborhood you are considering.
Related: market research before opening · all city reports · menu price index · restaurant pricing strategy guide