Certified dietary manager vs kitchen manager

The differences between certified dietary managers and kitchen 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 kitchen manager. Additionally, a kitchen manager has an average salary of $50,448, which is higher than the $45,721 average annual salary of a certified dietary manager.

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

Certified dietary manager vs kitchen manager overview

	Certified Dietary Manager	Kitchen Manager
Yearly salary	$45,721	$50,448
Hourly rate	$21.98	$24.25
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	127,317	151,781
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 31%
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 kitchen manager do?

A kitchen manager is responsible for supervising overall kitchen operations duties, checking food storage, and distributing appropriate kitchen staff tasks. Kitchen managers' jobs also include monitoring food preparation, ensuring that all orders and serving portions are correct, organizing menu prices, researching current market trends of the food industry, and maintaining the highest sanitation procedures. Kitchen managers should also assist guests with their inquiries, manage concerns, and handle complaints. They should have excellent communication and leadership skills to lead the kitchen staff in providing the best customer experience.

Certified dietary manager vs kitchen manager salary

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

	Certified Dietary Manager	Kitchen Manager
Average salary	$45,721	$50,448
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $68,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Rhode Island
Best paying company	-	Hillstone Restaurant Group
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between certified dietary manager and kitchen manager education

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

	Certified Dietary Manager	Kitchen Manager
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Associate Degree, 31%
Most common major	Food And Nutrition	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Certified dietary manager vs kitchen manager demographics

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

	Certified Dietary Manager	Kitchen Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%	Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0%
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, 10.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between certified dietary manager and kitchen 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.

Kitchen manager example responsibilities.

Manage the daily operations of the kitchen, providing professional leadership and direction to all personnel.
Supervise cooks and manage the preparation, portioning, garnishing, and storage of all food items.
Manage kitchen staff and cook, develop new recipes, inventory and ordering, and fill in for bartending.
Manage kitchen staff, delegates responsibilities, place groceries order, prepare menus and prepare food base on recipes.
Prepare bills for orders, manage cash register, help with accounting using adding machine, POS software and programs.
Manage the daily operation of food production for patients, guests and employees as well as all internal and external catering.

Certified dietary manager vs kitchen manager skills

Common certified dietary manager skills

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

Common kitchen manager skills

Customer Service, 15%
Kitchen Equipment, 13%
Cleanliness, 9%
Food Handling, 9%
Fifo, 8%
Food Waste, 6%

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Certified Dietary Manager
Certified Dietary Manager vs Kitchen Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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