Catering manager vs catering supervisor

The differences between catering managers and catering supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a catering manager has an average salary of $51,962, which is higher than the $36,455 average annual salary of a catering supervisor.

The top three skills for a catering manager include customer service, culinary and food service. The most important skills for a catering supervisor are customer service, food service, and HACCP.

Catering manager vs catering supervisor overview

	Catering Manager	Catering Supervisor
Yearly salary	$51,962	$36,455
Hourly rate	$24.98	$17.53
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	88,658	8,658
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	39	37
Years of experience	4	-

What does a catering manager do?

Catering managers are responsible for managing the daily catering operations and services in hotels, restaurants, and resorts. They monitor the quality of food and service provided by their outlets as well as make sure they are presented well. Their goals include achieving high customer satisfaction, producing excellent quality food, and maintaining that sanitary protocols are strictly followed. A degree is not a standard requirement for this job; however, employers do value those who have relevant qualifications with food, home, hotel, and hospitality management.

What does a catering supervisor do?

A catering supervisor oversees and spearheads the daily operations of a catering business, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. They primarily meet with clients or representatives to identify their catering needs and develop menus according to their budget and preferences. From there, a catering supervisor coordinates with staff, develops plans, sets goals and guidelines, delegates responsibilities among teams, and secures the necessary supplies. They also maintain an open communication line with clients, updating them regularly. Moreover, they lead and encourage employees to reach goals, supervising all procedures to ensure they comply with the industry standards and regulations.

Catering manager vs catering supervisor salary

Catering managers and catering supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Catering Manager	Catering Supervisor
Average salary	$51,962	$36,455
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $71,000	Between $28,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	Santa Clara, CA	San Luis Obispo, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	California
Best paying company	Brigham and Women's Hospital	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between catering manager and catering supervisor education

There are a few differences between a catering manager and a catering supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Catering Manager	Catering Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	-

Catering manager vs catering supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between catering managers' and catering supervisors' demographics:

	Catering Manager	Catering Supervisor
Average age	39	37
Gender ratio	Male, 36.7% Female, 63.3%	Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 8.4% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between catering manager and catering supervisor duties and responsibilities

Catering manager example responsibilities.

Prepare and manage BEOs to client specifications including auto-visual requirements.
Assist patients by test tasting food for allergies and accuracy.
Design and consult members on d cor, menu and wine selection for private events.
Ensure that those with food allergies or restrict diets have appropriate safe dishes to consume at meal times.
Work closely with culinary, stewarding and banquet department on specialty menus and customize events.
Full responsibility for all operations of several bars during service time including reporting and finance management.

Catering supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage servers and dishwashers on a daily basis making sure everything are always maintain accordingly.
Train employees on company policy, POS systems.
Take catering orders over the phone and enter them into POS.
Cater to the guest of event as wait staff also bartending for private gatherings.
Experience includes bar management, bartending, meetings, banquets, dinners, green room and V.I.P.
Perform all inventory and payroll relate functions.

Catering manager vs catering supervisor skills

Common catering manager skills

Customer Service, 25%
Culinary, 10%
Food Service, 10%
Excellent Client, 6%
Booking, 4%
Customer Satisfaction, 4%

Common catering supervisor skills

Customer Service, 17%
Food Service, 13%
HACCP, 8%
Cleanliness, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%
Culinary, 6%

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Catering Manager
Catering Manager vs Catering Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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