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Cafeteria manager vs food service director

The differences between cafeteria managers and food service directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a cafeteria manager and a food service director. Additionally, a food service director has an average salary of $53,939, which is higher than the $32,485 average annual salary of a cafeteria manager.

The top three skills for a cafeteria manager include kitchen equipment, food safety and bank deposits. The most important skills for a food service director are customer service, culinary, and servsafe.

Cafeteria manager vs food service director overview

Cafeteria ManagerFood Service Director
Yearly salary$32,485$53,939
Hourly rate$15.62$25.93
Growth rate10%10%
Number of jobs66,736136,337
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 31%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age3939
Years of experience44

Cafeteria manager vs food service director salary

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

Cafeteria ManagerFood Service Director
Average salary$32,485$53,939
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $48,000Between $35,000 And $82,000
Highest paying CityWaterbury, CTSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandCalifornia
Best paying companyBoston Public SchoolsBaptist Health Care
Best paying industryHospitalityHealth Care

Differences between cafeteria manager and food service director education

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

Cafeteria ManagerFood Service Director
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 31%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common majorBusinessCulinary Arts
Most common collegeCornell UniversityCornell University

Cafeteria manager vs food service director demographics

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

Cafeteria ManagerFood Service Director
Average age3939
Gender ratioMale, 23.7% Female, 76.3%Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 13.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.3% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage10%10%

Differences between cafeteria manager and food service director duties and responsibilities

Cafeteria manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage three main cafeterias and multiple internal plant cafeteria sites.
  • Manage cafeteria as well as ordering groceries and other supplies and making sure all paper work is done.
  • Manage festival concessions, including product selection, vendor management and volunteer training.
  • Train staff as it relates to food preparation procedures and safety regulations and POS system.
  • Order supplies and groceries from approve vendors.
  • Monitor students' allergies and arrange for substitution if necessary.
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Food service director example responsibilities.

  • Train and manage countless dishwashers, cooks, servers, and other managers to achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
  • Manage both front of the house (FOH) and back of the house (BOH) operations.
  • Manage a team of 12 managers and 160 FTE.
  • Achieve highest level of compliance with CMS and Steritech audits.
  • Manage departmental budget and payroll for 111 FTE's, service and production of ~ 1200 meals/day.
  • Manage food services at 142 bed sub-acute rehabilitation and skil nursing facility with a staff of 43 FTE's.
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Cafeteria manager vs food service director skills

Common cafeteria manager skills
  • Kitchen Equipment, 18%
  • Food Safety, 15%
  • Bank Deposits, 9%
  • Payroll, 8%
  • ServSafe, 6%
  • Plan Menus, 5%
Common food service director skills
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Culinary, 9%
  • ServSafe, 8%
  • Food Preparation, 6%
  • Good Judgment, 5%
  • Cost Control, 4%

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