Director of catering vs bar manager

The differences between directors of catering and bar 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 director of catering and a bar manager. Additionally, a director of catering has an average salary of $65,732, which is higher than the $46,828 average annual salary of a bar manager.

The top three skills for a director of catering include booking, customer service and culinary. The most important skills for a bar manager are customer service, wine, and beverage orders.

Director of catering vs bar manager overview

	Director Of Catering	Bar Manager
Yearly salary	$65,732	$46,828
Hourly rate	$31.60	$22.51
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	54,263	165,633
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	4	4

What does a director of catering do?

A director of catering spearheads and oversees catering services and programs, from planning to execution. They usually lead the hiring and training procedures, establishing goals and timelines, managing budgets and controlling costs, setting protocols and guidelines, coordinating managers and teams, and negotiating with suppliers, building positive relationships in the process. They may also participate in developing marketing plans, meeting with clients to identify their needs and preferences, monitoring inventories, solving issues and concerns, and supervising catering services to ensure operations run smoothly and efficiently.

What does a bar manager do?

Bar managers are also called bar owners or supervisors of bar establishments. The managers are in charge of managing customer complaints, ensuring stocks in the bar, and in scheduling the jobs of employees. They oversee the overall operations of the bar, manage its staff, and ensure that the standards of products and services are met. They maintain the licensure of liquor and make sure that their staff follows the local regulations. Also, they see to it that customers are served promptly.

Director of catering vs bar manager salary

Directors of catering and bar managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Catering	Bar Manager
Average salary	$65,732	$46,828
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $98,000	Between $33,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Greenwich, CT
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	J.F. Shea Co	Greenwich Country Club
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Government

Differences between director of catering and bar manager education

There are a few differences between a director of catering and a bar manager in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Catering	Bar Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 68%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Director of catering vs bar manager demographics

Here are the differences between directors of catering' and bar managers' demographics:

	Director Of Catering	Bar Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%	Male, 56.0% Female, 44.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 8.4% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 7.9% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between director of catering and bar manager duties and responsibilities

Director of catering example responsibilities.

Manage and execute every aspect of the planning process, creating BEOs and managing banquet staff.
Prepare and manage BEOs to client specifications including auto-visual requirements.
Revamp BEO writing process with training.
Direct the catering, conference service and banquet departments for two five star, five diamond resorts and two country clubs.
Monitor daily activities to ensure quality food and cleanliness standards.
Foster a positive work/customer atmosphere by ensuring facility cleanliness and compliance with health department regulations.

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Bar manager example responsibilities.

Manage liquor and wine inventory and develop cocktail menus taking advantage of fresh ingredients.
Inventory and order bar stock and manage FOH staff, as well as ensured food quality and timeliness of service.
Manage front-of-house operations for upscale wine bar and restaurant, including assisting in monitoring and management of inventory and finances.
Perform typical bartending duties including all aspects of customer service.
Direct all bartending operations as well as ordering and inventory management.
Help with shift movement according seniority while abiding by the bartender and culinary CBA.

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Director of catering vs bar manager skills

Common director of catering skills

Booking, 10%
Customer Service, 10%
Culinary, 10%
Event Planning, 8%
Food Preparation, 6%
Menu Planning, 5%

Common bar manager skills

Customer Service, 21%
Wine, 17%
Beverage Orders, 7%
Bartending, 5%
Payroll, 5%
POS, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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