What does a Food Service Manager do?
A food service manager's role is to oversee and supervise all operations in a restaurant or a similar setting. They are primarily responsible for ensuring customer satisfaction through optimal foodservice, an efficient workforce, and a safe and healthy environment. A food service manager must also greet customers, escort them to their tables, handle any issues and concerns, manage the employees, train new hires, manage the payroll and budget, and coordinate with all restaurant personnel. Furthermore, a food service manager must delegate tasks among employees and assign their schedules accordingly.
Food service manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real food service manager resumes:
- Manage all aspects of the human resources task, including hiring, training, payroll, and the negotiated contract.
- Manage operations and provide support to a team of 245 union employees at various elementary, middle and high school cafeterias.
- Manage inventory, ordering and delivery of groceries.
- Train food & nutrition team in SERVSAFE, HACCP, knife skills and environmental safety.
- Maintain all Intel, Aramark and ServSafe safety, sanitation and security guidelines.
- Review and complete adequate weekly sales projections, with mastery of using POS system
- Order & stock all of non foods weekly along with returns and damage goods.
- Develop and implement strategic plans to market and merchandise all non food areas of store.
- Coordinate successful JCAHO and Medicare surveys, resulting in no deficiencies in areas of responsibility.
- Conduct staff training and conduct investigations to include incidents/accidents, workers compensation, OSHA compliance, and follow up.
- Project and practice for better rehabilitation services.
- Maintain cafeteria and kitchen cleanliness according to health department standards.
- Coordinate and implement adherence to sanitation regulations, using HACCP principles.
- Enjoy recipe development, testing, standardization and implementation following HACCP guidelines.
- Faith-Base not-for-profit offering skil nursing, independent living, & rehabilitation services.
Food service manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 27% of Food Service Managers are proficient in Customer Service, Sanitation Standards, and Cleanliness. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Food Service Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 27%
Specialized in maintaining top-notch customer service, various accounting functions, accurate inventory and stock level management.
- Sanitation Standards, 10%
Maintained safety and sanitation standards at a high level throughout areas of responsibility to comply with all regulatory agencies.
- Cleanliness, 7%
Maintained cafeteria and kitchen cleanliness according to health department standards.
- Patients, 6%
Performed comprehensive nutritional screenings and assessments, collected and documented relevant data, interviewed, educated, and monitored patients
- Kitchen Equipment, 5%
Participated in preparation of menu items per standardized recipes using a variety of kitchen equipment.
- Food Handling, 4%
Maintained OSHA regulation through food temperature control, ensuring proper food handling/holding temperature.
"customer service," "sanitation standards," and "cleanliness" are among the most common skills that food service managers use at work. You can find even more food service manager responsibilities below, including:
Business skills. One of the key soft skills for a food service manager to have is business skills. You can see how this relates to what food service managers do because "food service managers must understand all aspects of the restaurant business, including how to budget for supplies, comply with regulations, and manage workers." Additionally, a food service manager resume shows how food service managers use business skills: "collaborated with culinary staff in special event menu planning and actively in planning and development of new catering business. "
Communication skills. Many food service manager duties rely on communication skills. "food service managers must give clear orders to staff and be able to convey information effectively to employees and customers.," so a food service manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways food service manager responsibilities rely on communication skills: "well developed communications skills demonstrated through successful interaction with customers and food service staff. "
Customer-service skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of food service managers is customer-service skills. This skill is critical to many everyday food service manager duties, as "food service managers must be courteous and attentive when dealing with patrons." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided leadership to crew and other managers during a shift to ensure great quality, service and cleanliness to our customers. "
Leadership skills. A commonly-found skill in food service manager job descriptions, "leadership skills" is essential to what food service managers do. Food service manager responsibilities rely on this skill because "managers must establish good relationships with staff to maintain a productive work environment." You can also see how food service manager duties rely on leadership skills in this resume example: "provided quality service to military and civilian personnel while teaching hands-on leadership in culinary etiquette. "
Organizational skills. Another skill commonly found on food service manager job descriptions is "organizational skills." It can come up quite often in food service manager duties, since "managers have many different responsibilities, including scheduling and overseeing staff, budgeting, and maintaining financial records." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day food service manager responsibilities: "set the daily organizational standard for daily food service operations. "
The three companies that hire the most food service managers are:
- AAramark361 food service managers jobs
- TThorntons110 food service managers jobs
- SSodexo Management, Inc.88 food service managers jobs
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Compare different food service managers
Food service manager vs. Assistant restaurant manager
An assistant restaurant manager's role is to perform managerial support tasks and oversee restaurant operations, ensuring efficiency in workflow and customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities revolve around maintaining records of all invoices and contracts, delegating tasks, monitoring the inventory of supplies, liaising with suppliers and vendors, and addressing issues and concerns. There are also instances when one must attend to customers' needs, prepare schedules, perform regular workforce inspection, and report to the manager. Furthermore, it is essential to implement all the company's health regulations and policies, all to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between food service managers and assistant restaurant manager. For instance, food service manager responsibilities require skills such as "patients," "kitchen equipment," "employee engagement," and "servsafe." Whereas a assistant restaurant manager is skilled in "restaurant operations," "guest service," "quality guest," and "guest satisfaction." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Assistant restaurant managers tend to make the most money working in the hospitality industry, where they earn an average salary of $43,632. In contrast, food service managers make the biggest average salary, $44,075, in the government industry.The education levels that assistant restaurant managers earn slightly differ from food service managers. In particular, assistant restaurant managers are 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a food service manager. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Food service manager vs. Shift lead manager
A shift lead manager is an employee who is responsible for supervising the daily activities of a store, particularly in creating schedules and assigning them to staff members. Shift lead managers are required to monitor the team's performance and manage the requests of employees. They must open registers and close them by the end of the day and prepare cash to be deposited. Shift lead managers are also required to handle customer issues and report them to the management during the shift.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real food service manager resumes. While food service manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "sanitation standards," "patients," "kitchen equipment," and "food handling," shift lead managers use skills like "management," "leadership," "daily sales," and "cash drawers."
In general, shift lead managers achieve similar levels of education than food service managers. They're 1.9% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Food service manager vs. Banquet manager
A banquet manager oversees the daily operations of banquet-hosting establishments, from planning to execution, ensuring events run smoothly and efficiently according to client requirements and preferences. They coordinate with the banquet director and head chef, working together to establish goals, guidelines, budgets, schedules, and strategies to meet the events' needs. They have the authority to delegate responsibilities among staff, communicate with clients, and liaise with external parties to secure supplies. It is also their responsibility to manage the venue, decorations, seat plans, and other services, resolving issues promptly and professionally to ensure client and guest satisfaction.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, food service managers are more likely to have skills like "sanitation standards," "patients," "kitchen equipment," and "food handling." But a banquet manager is more likely to have skills like "wine," "guest satisfaction," "guest service," and "quality service."
Banquet managers earn the best pay in the hospitality industry, where they command an average salary of $55,820. Food service managers earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $44,075.Most banquet managers achieve a similar degree level compared to food service managers. For example, they're 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Food service manager vs. Kitchen manager
A kitchen manager is responsible for supervising overall kitchen operations duties, checking food storage, and distributing appropriate kitchen staff tasks. Kitchen managers' jobs also include monitoring food preparation, ensuring that all orders and serving portions are correct, organizing menu prices, researching current market trends of the food industry, and maintaining the highest sanitation procedures. Kitchen managers should also assist guests with their inquiries, manage concerns, and handle complaints. They should have excellent communication and leadership skills to lead the kitchen staff in providing the best customer experience.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between food service managers and kitchen managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a food service manager might have more use for skills like "patients," "customer satisfaction," "employee training," and "employee engagement." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of kitchen managers require skills like "fifo," "food waste," "food products," and "handling maintenance. "
In general, kitchen managers earn the most working in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $48,707. The highest-paying industry for a food service manager is the government industry.kitchen managers reach similar levels of education compared to food service managers, in general. The difference is that they're 2.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of food service manager
Updated January 8, 2025
