Catering manager vs general manager

The differences between catering managers and general managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a catering manager, becoming a general manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a general manager has an average salary of $71,581, 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 general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.

Catering manager vs general manager overview

	Catering Manager	General Manager
Yearly salary	$51,962	$71,581
Hourly rate	$24.98	$34.41
Growth rate	10%	6%
Number of jobs	88,658	442,690
Job satisfaction	-	4.25
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	39	44
Years of experience	4	6

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 general manager do?

A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.

Catering manager vs general manager salary

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

	Catering Manager	General Manager
Average salary	$51,962	$71,581
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $71,000	Between $40,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	Santa Clara, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	Hawaii
Best paying company	Brigham and Women's Hospital	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Manufacturing

Differences between catering manager and general manager education

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

	Catering Manager	General Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	University of Pennsylvania

Catering manager vs general manager demographics

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

	Catering Manager	General Manager
Average age	39	44
Gender ratio	Male, 36.7% Female, 63.3%	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%
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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between catering manager and general manager 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.

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General manager example responsibilities.

Generate positive EBITDA and improve cash flow by managing costs and inventory.
Manage all recruiting and training efforts, and develop systems to track ROI comparison results.
Work as a FOH AGM and train to manage all staff functions including training, hiring, food and labor controls.
Develop yearly budget for multiple hotels that include revenue, labor, fix and variable costs to achieve overall EBITDA goal.
Task primarily with building logistics infrastructure, managing operational expenses, and supporting start up strategies.
Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.

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Catering manager vs general manager skills

Common catering manager skills

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

Common general manager skills

Customer Service, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Food Safety, 7%
Guest Service, 4%
Payroll, 4%
Math, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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