Catering manager vs director of catering

The differences between catering managers and directors of catering can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a catering manager and a director of catering. Additionally, a director of catering has an average salary of $65,732, which is higher than the $51,962 average annual salary of a catering manager.

The top three skills for a catering manager include customer service, culinary and food service. The most important skills for a director of catering are booking, customer service, and culinary.

Catering manager vs director of catering overview

	Catering Manager	Director Of Catering
Yearly salary	$51,962	$65,732
Hourly rate	$24.98	$31.60
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	88,658	54,263
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	4	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 director of catering do?

A director of catering spearheads and oversees catering services and programs, from planning to execution. They usually lead the hiring and training procedures, establishing goals and timelines, managing budgets and controlling costs, setting protocols and guidelines, coordinating managers and teams, and negotiating with suppliers, building positive relationships in the process. They may also participate in developing marketing plans, meeting with clients to identify their needs and preferences, monitoring inventories, solving issues and concerns, and supervising catering services to ensure operations run smoothly and efficiently.

Catering manager vs director of catering salary

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

	Catering Manager	Director Of Catering
Average salary	$51,962	$65,732
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $71,000	Between $43,000 And $98,000
Highest paying City	Santa Clara, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	California
Best paying company	Brigham and Women's Hospital	J.F. Shea Co
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between catering manager and director of catering education

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

	Catering Manager	Director Of Catering
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Catering manager vs director of catering demographics

Here are the differences between catering managers' and directors of catering' demographics:

	Catering Manager	Director Of Catering
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 36.7% Female, 63.3%	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%
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, 11.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 8.4% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between catering manager and director of catering 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.

Director of catering example responsibilities.

Manage and execute every aspect of the planning process, creating BEOs and managing banquet staff.
Prepare and manage BEOs to client specifications including auto-visual requirements.
Revamp BEO writing process with training.
Direct the catering, conference service and banquet departments for two five star, five diamond resorts and two country clubs.
Monitor daily activities to ensure quality food and cleanliness standards.
Foster a positive work/customer atmosphere by ensuring facility cleanliness and compliance with health department regulations.

Catering manager vs director of catering skills

Common catering manager skills

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

Common director of catering skills

Booking, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Culinary, 10%
Event Planning, 8%
Food Preparation, 6%
Menu Planning, 5%

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Catering Manager vs Director Of Catering

Updated January 8, 2025

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