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Chef manager salary
Average chef manager salary
$53,470
Understanding the Chef Manager Salary
The average salary for a Chef Manager in the United States is around $53,470 per year, translating to about $26 per hour. This role is integral in both culinary and operational aspects, managing kitchen staff, menu planning, and food safety compliance. Salary can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the type of establishment.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level Chef Managers may start at approximately $40,000, while those with extensive experience can earn upwards of $70,000. This reflects the increasing responsibilities and leadership roles they undertake in their positions.
Regional Salary Variations
Chef Managers in states like California and New York often see higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for high-quality culinary experiences. In contrast, regions with lower living costs may offer salaries closer to the national average.
Career Opportunities
Chef Managers can find positions in various settings, including restaurants, hotels, and corporate dining services. With ongoing trends in culinary arts and management, pursuing a career as a Chef Manager offers both professional growth and the chance to influence food service quality.
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Where can a Chef Manager earn more?
Chef manager salaries by experience level
Chef manager salary estimates from across the web
Average chef manager salary by state
The average chef manager salary in New Jersey, Hawaii, and New Hampshire are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average chef manager salary states are Arkansas, Utah, and Kansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for chef managers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | $71,894 | $34.56 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $61,393 | $29.52 |
| 3 | Alaska | $57,275 | $27.54 |
| 4 | Virginia | $56,618 | $27.22 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $57,812 | $27.79 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $62,222 | $29.91 |
| 7 | Washington | $58,236 | $28.00 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $55,207 | $26.54 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $59,277 | $28.50 |
| 10 | Georgia | $50,927 | $24.48 |
| 11 | California | $57,847 | $27.81 |
| 12 | Michigan | $51,173 | $24.60 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $60,036 | $28.86 |
| 14 | Ohio | $50,310 | $24.19 |
| 15 | Texas | $49,617 | $23.85 |
| 16 | Illinois | $52,195 | $25.09 |
| 17 | Indiana | $48,579 | $23.36 |
| 18 | Nevada | $48,201 | $23.17 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $62,618 | $30.10 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $48,811 | $23.47 |
| 21 | New York | $49,601 | $23.85 |
| 22 | Oregon | $50,636 | $24.34 |
| 23 | Florida | $46,035 | $22.13 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $46,349 | $22.28 |
| 25 | Maine | $49,272 | $23.69 |
| 26 | Delaware | $47,698 | $22.93 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $46,433 | $22.32 |
| 28 | Colorado | $45,940 | $22.09 |
| 29 | Arizona | $43,224 | $20.78 |
| 30 | Maryland | $45,112 | $21.69 |
| 31 | Missouri | $43,119 | $20.73 |
| 32 | Alabama | $43,556 | $20.94 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $42,590 | $20.48 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $43,322 | $20.83 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $42,220 | $20.30 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $42,030 | $20.21 |
| 37 | Montana | $39,484 | $18.98 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $44,156 | $21.23 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $41,229 | $19.82 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $41,852 | $20.12 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $41,853 | $20.12 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $41,054 | $19.74 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $40,833 | $19.63 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $37,223 | $17.90 |
| 45 | Utah | $36,038 | $17.33 |
| 46 | Iowa | $39,814 | $19.14 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $34,453 | $16.56 |
| 48 | Vermont | $39,678 | $19.08 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $35,504 | $17.07 |
| 50 | Kansas | $35,629 | $17.13 |
| 51 | Idaho | $32,861 | $15.80 |
Highest paying cities for chef managers
The highest-paying cities for chef managers are Cherry Hill, NJ, Manchester, NH, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cherry Hill, NJ | $71,010 | $34.14 |
| 2 | Manchester, NH | $62,271 | $29.94 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $61,415 | $29.53 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $59,237 | $28.48 |
| 5 | Philadelphia, PA | $58,791 | $28.26 |
| 6 | Arlington, VA | $58,593 | $28.17 |
| 7 | San Diego, CA | $54,402 | $26.15 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $52,387 | $25.19 |
| 9 | Cleveland, OH | $51,535 | $24.78 |
| 10 | San Antonio, TX | $50,704 | $24.38 |
| 11 | New York, NY | $49,782 | $23.93 |
| 12 | Indianapolis, IN | $48,415 | $23.28 |
| 13 | Greenville, NC | $47,426 | $22.80 |
| 14 | Miami, FL | $47,001 | $22.60 |
| 15 | Minneapolis, MN | $46,464 | $22.34 |
| 16 | Denver, CO | $45,874 | $22.05 |
| 17 | Baltimore, MD | $45,486 | $21.87 |
| 18 | Greenville, SC | $43,690 | $21.00 |
| 19 | Tuscaloosa, AL | $43,253 | $20.79 |
| 20 | Phoenix, AZ | $43,225 | $20.78 |
Chef manager salary details
A chef manager's salary ranges from $36,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $78,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a chef manager's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
| 75th Percentile | $65,000 | $5,417 | $31 |
| Average | $53,470 | $4,456 | $26 |
| 25th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
| 10th Percentile | $36,000 | $3,000 | $17 |
Highest paying chef manager jobs
The highest paying types of chef managers are executive chef, manager, and chef de cuisine.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pastry Cook | $34,858 | $2,905 | $16.76 | 136,754 |
| Head Cook | $44,412 | $3,701 | $21.35 | 156,227 |
| Catering Supervisor | $36,455 | $3,038 | $17.53 | 8,658 |
| Kitchen Supervisor | $40,520 | $3,377 | $19.48 | 66,303 |
| Banquet Chef | $48,026 | $4,002 | $23.09 | 23,474 |
| Pastry Chef | $44,879 | $3,740 | $21.58 | 18,844 |
Top companies hiring chef managers now:
Which companies pay chef managers the most?
Chef manager salaries at Alameda Health System and Columbia University in the City of New York are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average chef manager salary at companies like Headway Workforce Solutions and Guest Services are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alameda Health System | $80,141 | $38.53 |
| 2 | Columbia University in the City of New York | $69,533 | $33.43 |
| 3 | Headway Workforce Solutions | $65,336 | $31.41 |
| 4 | Guest Services | $65,113 | $31.30 |
| 5 | SpaceX | $64,992 | $31.25 |
| 6 | Goodwin Recruiting | $62,952 | $30.27 |
| 7 | The Porter Co. | $58,652 | $28.20 |
| 8 | DoubleTree by Hilton Portland | $56,131 | $26.99 |
| 9 | NANA | $55,627 | $26.74 |
| 10 | Iowa State University | $55,613 | $26.74 |
| 11 | Mitsuwa Marketplace | $55,337 | $26.60 |
| 12 | Cafe Services | $55,102 | $26.49 |
| 13 | Paramount Events | $54,942 | $26.41 |
| 14 | Acadia Healthcare | $53,341 | $25.64 |
| 15 | New Horizons Village | $53,114 | $25.54 |
| 16 | Brock Group | $52,974 | $25.47 |
| 17 | Univ. Of Texas Cancer Ctr. | $52,850 | $25.41 |
| 18 | Sodexo Management, Inc. | $52,494 | $25.24 |
| 19 | Taher, Inc. Professional Food Service Management | $52,334 | $25.16 |
| 20 | Elior North America | $52,026 | $25.01 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Chef Manager salary by industry
The average chef manager salary varies across industries:
- The average chef manager salary in the professional industry is $57,814, the highest of any industry.
- The average chef manager salary in the finance industry is $49,350.
- Chef managers in the retail industry earn an average salary of $42,859, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for chef managers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $57,814 | $27.80 |
| 2 | Hospitality | $49,350 | $23.73 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $48,074 | $23.11 |
| 4 | Retail | $42,859 | $20.61 |
High paying chef manager jobs
Chef manager salary trends
The average chef manager salary has risen by $11,049 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average chef manager earned $42,421 annually, but today, they earn $53,470 a year. That works out to a 24% change in pay for chef managers over the last decade.
Compare chef manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average chef manager salary over time
Compare chef manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Chef manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $53,500 | $25.71 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | $51,600 | $24.82 | +6.0% |
| 2023 | $48,500 | $23.34 | +5.2% |
| 2022 | $46,000 | $22.13 | +6.0% |
| 2021 | $43,300 | $20.79 | +3.9% |
Recently added chef manager salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sodexo | Chef Manager | Fort Myers, FL | 06/28/2025 | $49,100 |
| Brock & Company | Chef Manager II-Private School | Bryn Mawr, PA | 06/27/2025 | $85,567 |
| Compass Group, North America | Chef Manager | Birmingham, AL | 06/27/2025 | $55,000 |
| Compass Group, North America | Chef Manager (Floating)-(Corporate Food Services) | Worcester, MA | 06/27/2025 | $70,000 |
| Compass Group, North America | Chef Manager (Corporate Food Services) | Cincinnati, OH | 06/27/2025 | $70,000 |
| Sodexo | Chef Manager | Windsor, VT | 06/27/2025 | $41,100 |
| Sodexo | General Manager/Chef Manager | Hopkins, MN | 06/27/2025 | $52,000 |
| Compass Group USA Inc. | Chef Manager (Business Dining) | Charlotte, NC | 06/26/2025 | $70,000 |
| Compass Group USA Inc. | Senior Chef Manager-North Yarmouth Academy | Yarmouth, ME | 06/25/2025 | $70,000 |
| Compass Group USA Inc. | SR. Chef Manager-Hill-Murray School | Maplewood, MN | 06/25/2025 | $78,000 |
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