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The differences between caterers and banquet captains can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a banquet captain has an average salary of $34,428, which is higher than the $28,891 average annual salary of a caterer.
The top three skills for a caterer include food service, kitchen equipment and food delivery. The most important skills for a banquet captain are customer service, cleanliness, and food service.
| Caterer | Banquet Captain | |
| Yearly salary | $28,891 | $34,428 |
| Hourly rate | $13.89 | $16.55 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 1,648 | 60,883 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A caterer is responsible for monitoring food preparation and presentation, ensuring the adequacy and accuracy of food stock based on the clients' specifications and guest count. Caterers often work with clients for special occasions and events, identify their needs, including the menu and nutritional requirements. They arrange food services from the dinnerware to choosing the appropriate staff to help with assisting the food preparation in the event's location. A caterer should maintain the highest sanitary standards at all times to guarantee the foods' safety, as well as showcase communication skills when responding to the clients' inquiries and concerns.
Banquet captains are responsible for directing each banquet staff in the entire meal service and assign tasks to them as required. Their duties include teaching new staff members how to execute their designated tasks in the banquet. Also, they organize meetings to give updates on service or policy changes as well as administering any staff issues and resolving them in a timely manner. Additionally, they guide the setup of the banquet, preserve stock room supply, and ensure all sanitary regulations and company policies on appropriate and safe food handling are followed by every staff member.
Caterers and banquet captains have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Caterer | Banquet Captain | |
| Average salary | $28,891 | $34,428 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $36,000 | Between $28,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Beverly, MA | Buffalo, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | The College of St. Scholastica | Aspen Snowmass |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a caterer and a banquet captain in terms of educational background:
| Caterer | Banquet Captain | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between caterers' and banquet captains' demographics:
| Caterer | Banquet Captain | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.0% Female, 57.0% | Male, 54.1% Female, 45.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 6.1% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |