Director of catering vs restaurant manager

The differences between directors of catering and restaurant 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 restaurant manager. Additionally, a director of catering has an average salary of $65,732, which is higher than the $52,202 average annual salary of a restaurant manager.

The top three skills for a director of catering include booking, customer service and culinary. The most important skills for a restaurant manager are customer service, guest satisfaction, and food handling.

Director of catering vs restaurant manager overview

	Director Of Catering	Restaurant Manager
Yearly salary	$65,732	$52,202
Hourly rate	$31.60	$25.10
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	54,263	225,340
Job satisfaction	-	1
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 restaurant manager do?

A restaurant manager is responsible for handling the overall restaurant operations. These include monitoring revenues and daily restaurant sales, checking inventories and supplies, negotiating with third-party vendors, and managing customers' inquiries and complaints. Other duties include creating promotional offers, developing and improving sales strategies, organizing staff duties, maintaining the highest sanitary standards for everyone's strict compliance, and controlling operational expenses. A restaurant manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills and exceptional knowledge of food industry management.

Director of catering vs restaurant manager salary

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

	Director Of Catering	Restaurant Manager
Average salary	$65,732	$52,202
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $98,000	Between $39,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	New Hampshire
Best paying company	J.F. Shea Co	Hillstone Restaurant Group
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between director of catering and restaurant manager education

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

	Director Of Catering	Restaurant 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 restaurant manager demographics

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

	Director Of Catering	Restaurant Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 35.3% Female, 64.7%	Male, 54.5% Female, 45.5%
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, 10.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between director of catering and restaurant 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.

Restaurant manager example responsibilities.

Manage staff by teaching them the correct procedures along with making sure they are working up to Marriott standards.
Manage associates while bartending and serving in a family-own restaurant.
Coordinate, communicate and delegate FOH responsibilities to staff to ensure excellent operations are consistently achieve.
Maintain corporate accounts on QuickBooks.
Master QuickBooks to track company expenses and revenue.
Supervise and train dining and in-room dining staff.

Director of catering vs restaurant manager skills

Common director of catering skills

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

Common restaurant manager skills

Customer Service, 14%
Guest Satisfaction, 7%
Food Handling, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%
Restaurant Management, 5%
Guest Service, 5%

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Director Of Catering
Director Of Catering vs Restaurant Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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