What does a deli manager do?
A deli manager is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of the restaurant, delegating tasks to staff, supervising the food orders and services, maintaining adequate stock inventory, and finding ways to minimize production costs without compromising quality service. Deli managers strategize on techniques in maximizing the productivity of the operations staff to boost revenues and increase the business' profitability. They also attend to the guests' needs, respond to their inquiries, and resolve complaints immediately. A deli manager analyzes current food trends to update the restaurant's menu and meet the guests' demands.
Deli manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real deli manager resumes:
- Manage deli; stock; order groceries, inventory, make salads, sandwiches, cookies, and doughnuts.
- Frequent use basic measurements as well as math.
- Wait on customers, utilize math, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
- Operate meat and cheese slicers, oven, fryer, cutting tools, scale and other deli equipment.
- Provide direct service to customers including operating slicers.
- Maintain cleanliness in accordance with safety and health regulations for a healthy and sanitation environment.
- Maintain quality and cleanliness standards of department base on federal, state and organizational regulations.
- Provide information to patients and their family members to facilitate behavioral health admissions or other clinically appropriate disposition.
- Operate bakery equipment and sanitize it on a regular basis according to company guidelines.
- Greet clients and assist in identification and recommendation of bakery products base on state needs.
- Plan and conduct training sessions in seafood product management and merchandising for seafood department managers and line personnel.
- Drive the achievement of financial goals by managing customer inventory flow process and SWAS planning.
Deli manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Deli Managers are proficient in Cleanliness, Basic Math, and Food Safety. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Listening skills, and Business skills.
We break down the percentage of Deli Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Cleanliness, 13%
Managed cleanliness, counter appearance and professionally maintained displays.
- Basic Math, 10%
Performed basic mathematical calculations and daily sales data entry.
- Food Safety, 10%
Developed food storage systems, inventory controls and food safety awareness information.
- Pallets, 8%
Maintain Inventory stock, restock, move bulk product from pallets to storage areas, and face shelves on sales floor.
- Food Handling, 8%
Recognized for enforcing standards regarding food handling practices, safety and sanitation.
- Math, 7%
Responsibilities-Managed cash drawers-Receive and distribute shipment-Manage daily numbers-Greet/help customers Skills Used-Great customer service skills-Quick and efficient problem solving-Basic math skills
"cleanliness," "basic math," and "food safety" are among the most common skills that deli managers use at work. You can find even more deli manager responsibilities below, including:
Business skills. This is an important skill for deli managers to perform their duties. For an example of how deli manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "food service managers must understand all aspects of the restaurant business, including how to budget for supplies, comply with regulations, and manage workers." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a deli manager: "build customer relationships to ensure return business and customer satisfaction. ".
Customer-service skills. For certain deli manager responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "customer-service skills." The day-to-day duties of a deli manager rely on this skill, as "food service managers must be courteous and attentive when dealing with patrons." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what deli managers do: "managed 8 employees in dept/customer service/inventory and purchasing/pricing product/preparing cold and hot foods/cashier/orders and maintains supplies. "
Leadership skills. Another common skill required for deli manager responsibilities is "leadership skills." This skill comes up in the duties of deli managers all the time, as "managers must establish good relationships with staff to maintain a productive work environment." An excerpt from a real deli manager resume shows how this skill is central to what a deli manager does: "promoted to manager due to strong leadership and dedication *trained and supervised employees *recognized for effective customer relations and sales ability"
Organizational skills. While "organizational skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to deli manager responsibilities. Much of what a deli manager does relies on this skill, seeing as "managers have many different responsibilities, including scheduling and overseeing staff, budgeting, and maintaining financial records." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of deli managers: "maintained quality and cleanliness standards of department based on federal, state and organizational regulations. "
The three companies that hire the most deli managers are:
- Jetro Cash & Carry Enterprises Inc.142 deli managers jobs
- GPM Investments57 deli managers jobs
- Kroger51 deli managers jobs
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Compare different deli managers
Deli manager vs. Food service specialist
The food service specialists monitor food preparation, ensuring that the guests get their correct orders, providing them the best dining experience and satisfaction. A food service specialist takes the guests' orders, processes their payments, and serves their orders timely and efficiently. They also monitor the stock inventories, coordinate with suppliers and third-party vendors for stock requests, and assist with kitchen duties as needed, especially on high volume days. A food service specialist must have a broad knowledge of the food services industry, analyzing the current food trends to make suggestions for menus, and responding to the guests' concerns.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, deli manager responsibilities require skills like "food safety," "pallets," "food service," and "quality customer service." Meanwhile a typical food service specialist has skills in areas such as "kitchen equipment," "preventive maintenance," "mos," and "customer service." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Food service specialists tend to make the most money working in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $39,427. In contrast, deli managers make the biggest average salary, $36,922, in the retail industry.The education levels that food service specialists earn slightly differ from deli managers. In particular, food service specialists are 1.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a deli manager. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Deli manager vs. Banquet captain
Banquet captains are responsible for directing each banquet staff in the entire meal service and assign tasks to them as required. Their duties include teaching new staff members how to execute their designated tasks in the banquet. Also, they organize meetings to give updates on service or policy changes as well as administering any staff issues and resolving them in a timely manner. Additionally, they guide the setup of the banquet, preserve stock room supply, and ensure all sanitary regulations and company policies on appropriate and safe food handling are followed by every staff member.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real deli manager resumes. While deli manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "basic math," "food safety," "pallets," and "food handling," banquet captains use skills like "customer service," "beverage service," "banquet functions," and "wine."
On average, banquet captains earn a lower salary than deli managers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, banquet captains earn the most pay in the hospitality industry with an average salary of $34,190. Whereas deli managers have higher pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $36,922.In general, banquet captains achieve similar levels of education than deli managers. They're 1.5% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Deli manager vs. Cook supervisor
Cook supervisors are responsible for coordinating the kitchen members and ensure that all orders are prepared on time and according to customer specifications. They must be skilled in the culinary department, knowledgeable of the food safety regulations, and lead a team of cooks, washers, and helpers to achieve an organized kitchen. Monitoring the kitchen inventory, scheduling work shifts for the team, and working with the restaurant manager about the week's menu are also the responsibilities of cook supervisors.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a deli manager is likely to be skilled in "basic math," "food safety," "pallets," and "math," while a typical cook supervisor is skilled in "portion control," "kitchen equipment," "haccp," and "meal preparation."
Cook supervisors earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $40,304. Deli managers earn the highest pay from the retail industry, with an average salary of $36,922.cook supervisors typically earn similar educational levels compared to deli managers. Specifically, they're 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Deli manager vs. Crew leader assistant
Types of deli manager
Updated January 8, 2025
