Caterer vs cook supervisor

The differences between caterers and cook supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cook supervisor has an average salary of $41,118, 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 cook supervisor are food handling, food service, and portion control.

Caterer vs cook supervisor overview

	Caterer	Cook Supervisor
Yearly salary	$28,891	$41,118
Hourly rate	$13.89	$19.77
Growth rate	10%	16%
Number of jobs	1,648	183,387
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	37	38
Years of experience	-	4

What does a caterer do?

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.

What does a cook supervisor do?

Cook supervisors are responsible for coordinating the kitchen members and ensure that all orders are prepared on time and according to customer specifications. They must be skilled in the culinary department, knowledgeable of the food safety regulations, and lead a team of cooks, washers, and helpers to achieve an organized kitchen. Monitoring the kitchen inventory, scheduling work shifts for the team, and working with the restaurant manager about the week's menu are also the responsibilities of cook supervisors.

Caterer vs cook supervisor salary

Caterers and cook supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Caterer	Cook Supervisor
Average salary	$28,891	$41,118
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $36,000	Between $27,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City	Beverly, MA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	The College of St. Scholastica	Chelsea Jewish Lifecare
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Health Care

Differences between caterer and cook supervisor education

There are a few differences between a caterer and a cook supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Caterer	Cook Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	-	-

Caterer vs cook supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between caterers' and cook supervisors' demographics:

	Caterer	Cook Supervisor
Average age	37	38
Gender ratio	Male, 43.0% Female, 57.0%	Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6%
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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 7.7% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	10%	6%

Differences between caterer and cook supervisor duties and responsibilities

Caterer example responsibilities.

Help serve foods from buffet to ADM employees.
Plan and prepare meals for the local Headstart program.
Set up's and breaking down of parties, service, bartending
Set up tables, action stations, buffets, service carts, dessert table/carts and cordial carts.
Serve and wait on diners in traditional sit-down meal settings as well as buffets and drink bars.
Perform bartending for many events, often individually.

Cook supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage food expo; facilitate food temp logs; creation of menu specials; management and supervision of production staff
Assist culinary director in assign duties relate to kitchen operations.
Work with multiple POS systems by entering and processing orders.
Organize and put away inventory when it arrive using HACCP guidelines.
Cook all orders that are enter in pos system, enter orders on pos system, clean kitchen when closing.
Have ServSafe food sanitation certification.

Caterer vs cook supervisor skills

Common caterer skills

Food Service, 28%
Kitchen Equipment, 20%
Food Delivery, 8%
Banquet Service, 7%
Bartending, 5%
Fine Dining, 4%

Common cook supervisor skills

Food Handling, 33%
Food Service, 26%
Portion Control, 9%
Kitchen Equipment, 5%
HACCP, 5%
Meal Preparation, 4%

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Caterer vs Cook Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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