Dietary manager vs kitchen manager

The differences between 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 dietary manager and a kitchen manager. Additionally, a kitchen manager has an average salary of $50,448, which is higher than the $42,856 average annual salary of a dietary manager.

The top three skills for a dietary manager include kitchen equipment, patients and dietary services. The most important skills for a kitchen manager are customer service, kitchen equipment, and cleanliness.

Dietary manager vs kitchen manager overview

	Dietary Manager	Kitchen Manager
Yearly salary	$42,856	$50,448
Hourly rate	$20.60	$24.25
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	95,306	151,781
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Associate Degree, 31%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	4	4

What does a dietary manager do?

A dietary manager oversees the food service operations of a company or institution's kitchen facilities, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. They are primarily in charge of developing dietary programs and meal plans, coordinating with nutritionists, setting daily objectives, establishing food preparation standards and protocols, managing budgets and employee schedules, and monitoring overall operations, solving issues and concerns if any arise. They also supervise the recruitment and training of staff, monitor inventories, purchase supplies, and interact with customers. Moreover, a dietary manager leads employees to reach goals and implements industry standards and company policies.

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.

Dietary manager vs kitchen manager salary

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

	Dietary Manager	Kitchen Manager
Average salary	$42,856	$50,448
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $60,000	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 dietary manager and kitchen manager education

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

	Dietary Manager	Kitchen Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 30%	Associate Degree, 31%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Dietary manager vs kitchen manager demographics

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

	Dietary Manager	Kitchen Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0%	Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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 dietary manager and kitchen manager duties and responsibilities

Dietary manager example responsibilities.

Manage operations and provide support to a team of 245 union employees at various elementary, middle and high school cafeterias.
Review records and assess the nutritional condition of at risk residents, including unplan weight changes, charting and MDS reporting.
Analyze diet requirement of patients and prepare nutritional balance menus accordingly.
Refer patients to appropriate outpatient settings for additional diet education and support.
Communicate effectively in medical charts, and complete MDS assessments for Medicare reimbursement with proficiency.
Increase student participation by overseeing and implementing marketing brands in school cafeterias.

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.

Show more

Dietary manager vs kitchen manager skills

Common dietary manager skills

Kitchen Equipment, 11%
Patients, 9%
Dietary Services, 6%
Infection Control, 5%
Food Preparation, 5%
Federal Regulations, 5%

Common kitchen manager skills

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

Dietary Manager vs. similar jobs

Dietary Manager related careers

Dietary Manager related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z