Certified dietary manager vs food service manager

The differences between certified dietary managers and food service managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a certified dietary manager and a food service manager. Additionally, a certified dietary manager has an average salary of $45,721, which is higher than the $43,564 average annual salary of a food service manager.

The top three skills for a certified dietary manager include customer service, healthcare and quality standards. The most important skills for a food service manager are customer service, sanitation standards, and cleanliness.

Certified dietary manager vs food service manager overview

	Certified Dietary Manager	Food Service Manager
Yearly salary	$45,721	$43,564
Hourly rate	$21.98	$20.94
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	127,317	160,740
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	4	4

What does a certified dietary manager do?

A certified dietary manager oversees the day-to-day foodservice operations of private or public facilities such as restaurants, hospitals, companies, and even schools. They are in charge of conducting research, developing and implementing meal plans, setting objectives and guidelines, arranging schedules, and coordinating with external parties such as suppliers to order and secure quality ingredients and supplies. In some companies, they usually work alongside nutritionists and handle the recruitment and training of new employees. Moreover, as certified dietary managers, you will be responsible for supervising employees to ensure that all procedures adhere to health standards and regulations.

What does a food service manager do?

A food service manager's role is to oversee and supervise all operations in a restaurant or a similar setting. They are primarily responsible for ensuring customer satisfaction through optimal foodservice, an efficient workforce, and a safe and healthy environment. A food service manager must also greet customers, escort them to their tables, handle any issues and concerns, manage the employees, train new hires, manage the payroll and budget, and coordinate with all restaurant personnel. Furthermore, a food service manager must delegate tasks among employees and assign their schedules accordingly.

Certified dietary manager vs food service manager salary

Certified dietary managers and food service managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Certified Dietary Manager	Food Service Manager
Average salary	$45,721	$43,564
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $68,000	Between $28,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	Rhode Island
Best paying company	-	Kern Community College District
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between certified dietary manager and food service manager education

There are a few differences between a certified dietary manager and a food service manager in terms of educational background:

	Certified Dietary Manager	Food Service Manager
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Food And Nutrition	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Certified dietary manager vs food service manager demographics

Here are the differences between certified dietary managers' and food service managers' demographics:

	Certified Dietary Manager	Food Service Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between certified dietary manager and food service manager duties and responsibilities

Certified dietary manager example responsibilities.

Handle USDA reimbursement; attend USDA grant meetings along with monthly monitoring at every site, and manage budgets.
Manage point of sale system and train staff on system's functions, also implement and train on a new POS.
Manage operations and provide support to a team of 245 union employees at various elementary, middle and high school cafeterias.
Serve as an SNF and MDS team member responsible for resident wind, nutritional, and over all care assessment.
Have a weekly culinary meeting with residents to get there input.
Oversee kitchen staff production, maintaining OSHA standards, maintain residents charts.

Food service manager example responsibilities.

Manage all aspects of the human resources task, including hiring, training, payroll, and the negotiated contract.
Manage operations and provide support to a team of 245 union employees at various elementary, middle and high school cafeterias.
Manage inventory, ordering and delivery of groceries.
Train food & nutrition team in SERVSAFE, HACCP, knife skills and environmental safety.
Maintain all Intel, Aramark and ServSafe safety, sanitation and security guidelines.
Review and complete adequate weekly sales projections, with mastery of using POS system

Certified dietary manager vs food service manager skills

Common certified dietary manager skills

Customer Service, 20%
Healthcare, 19%
Quality Standards, 19%
CMS, 14%
Food Quality, 13%
Food Production, 6%

Common food service manager skills

Customer Service, 27%
Sanitation Standards, 10%
Cleanliness, 7%
Patients, 6%
Kitchen Equipment, 5%
Food Handling, 4%

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Certified Dietary Manager
Certified Dietary Manager vs Food Service Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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