How To Become An Assistant Food Service Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is an assistant food service director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Foodservice directors oversee the operations of outlets where they serve food, like grocery stores or restaurants. Even though the word â€˜food' is in their name, these directors are more concerned with administrative duty. In some instances, they may also relate with customers and train staff. Assistant food directors assist in some or all of these tasks.

A day in the life of an assistant food service manager may include creating reports, taking inventory, ordering ingredients, supervising cleaning and maintenance of the equipment, and interacting with staff. An assistant food service director may also resolve customer complaints, respond to correspondence, and train new employees.

Many assistant food service directors have at least a GED or its equivalent. But employers often favor on-the-job or prior experience when hiring.

ScoreAssistant Food Service DirectorUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $41,871

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 7.21%

Black or African American 11.63%

Hispanic or Latino 15.48%

Unknown 5.28%

White 59.73%

Gender

female 49.32%

male 50.68%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an assistant food service director

Explore assistant food service director education requirements

Most common assistant food service director degrees

Bachelor's

54.5 %

Associate

27.3 %

High School Diploma

7.4 %

Start to develop specific assistant food service director skills

Skills	Percentages
Food Preparation	21.68%
Cleanliness	16.30%
ServSafe	13.57%
Culinary	7.29%
Fine Dining	6.62%

Complete relevant assistant food service director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New assistant food service directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an assistant food service director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real assistant food service director resumes.

Gain additional assistant food service director certifications

Assistant food service director certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific assistant food service director certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for assistant food service directors include ServSafe Alcohol and Certified Dietary Manager (CDM).

More About Certifications

Research assistant food service director duties and responsibilities

Manage nutrition department of pharmacy and medical home healthcare supply company.
Attend food safety classes and complete the Chicago, Illinois and federal ServSafe certifications.
Adhere to standard operating procedures for cleanliness of the facility and culinary instruments and utensils
Roll out new culinary and nutritional programs in conjunction with Eurest marketing and culinary team.

Get assistant food service director experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become an assistant food service director. The most common roles before becoming an assistant food service director include food service director, general manager team lead and executive chef.

Prepare your assistant food service director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your assistant food service director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an assistant food service director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable assistant food service director resume templates

Build a professional assistant food service director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your assistant food service director resume.