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Assistant food service director vs food service manager

The differences between assistant food service directors and food service managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an assistant food service director and a food service manager. Additionally, a food service manager has an average salary of $43,564, which is higher than the $41,871 average annual salary of an assistant food service director.

The top three skills for an assistant food service director include food preparation, cleanliness and servsafe. The most important skills for a food service manager are customer service, sanitation standards, and cleanliness.

Assistant food service director vs food service manager overview

Assistant Food Service DirectorFood Service Manager
Yearly salary$41,871$43,564
Hourly rate$20.13$20.94
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs150,177160,740
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age3939
Years of experience44

What does an assistant food service director do?

An Assistant Food Service Director supervises and coordinates food preparation and food service activities. They work under the direction of the director of food service.

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.

Assistant food service director vs food service manager salary

Assistant food service directors and food service managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Assistant Food Service DirectorFood Service Manager
Average salary$41,871$43,564
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $59,000Between $28,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-Rhode Island
Best paying company-Kern Community College District
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between assistant food service director and food service manager education

There are a few differences between an assistant food service director and a food service manager in terms of educational background:

Assistant Food Service DirectorFood Service Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeCornell UniversityCornell University

Assistant food service director vs food service manager demographics

Here are the differences between assistant food service directors' and food service managers' demographics:

Assistant Food Service DirectorFood Service Manager
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 50.7% Female, 49.3%Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 7.2% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between assistant food service director and food service manager duties and responsibilities

Assistant food service director example 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.
  • Prepare and research material to become expert on topics ranging from HACCP's, cross contamination, and food borne illness.
  • Facilitate development, implementation and utilization of HACCP.
  • Show more

Food service manager example responsibilities.

  • 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
  • Show more

Assistant food service director vs food service manager skills

Common assistant food service director skills
  • Food Preparation, 22%
  • Cleanliness, 16%
  • ServSafe, 14%
  • Culinary, 7%
  • Fine Dining, 7%
  • Food Production, 6%
Common food service manager skills
  • Customer Service, 27%
  • Sanitation Standards, 10%
  • Cleanliness, 7%
  • Patients, 6%
  • Kitchen Equipment, 5%
  • Food Handling, 4%

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