How to hire a director of catering

How to hire a director of catering, step by step

Here's a step-by-step director of catering hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a director of catering job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new director of catering
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a director of catering do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The director of catering hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a director of catering to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a director of catering that fits the bill.

   This list presents director of catering salaries for various positions.

   Type of Director Of Catering	Description	Hourly rate
   Director Of Catering	Food service managers are responsible for the daily operation of restaurants and other establishments that prepare and serve food and beverages. They direct staff to ensure that customers are satisfied with their dining experience, and they manage the business to ensure that it is profitable.	$20-47
   Swing Manager	A swing manager is a person who supervises people and manages restaurants during designated times. Swing managers oversee personnel and the equipment and products to achieve high-quality standards... Show more	$12-25
   Food Service Supervisor	A Food Service Supervisor oversees employees engaged in serving food. They establish quality standards for foods and keep facilities clean in accordance with state and local regulations.	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Booking
   • Customer Service
   • Culinary
   • Event Planning
   • Food Preparation
   • Menu Planning
   • Client Relations
   • Wine
   • Food Service
   • Service Techniques
   • Menu Development
   • Guest Rooms
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Catering Management

   Check all skills

   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.

   More director of catering duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your director of catering job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A director of catering salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, directors of catering' average salary in kansas is 45% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level directors of catering earn 56% less than senior-level directors of catering.
   • Certifications. A director of catering with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a director of catering's salary.

   Average director of catering salary

   $65,732yearly

   $31.60 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level director of catering salary

   $43,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average director of catering salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$92,289	$44
   2	New Jersey	$81,724	$39
   3	Oregon	$79,398	$38
   4	Washington	$78,861	$38
   5	New York	$78,063	$38
   6	District of Columbia	$77,817	$37
   7	Arizona	$71,924	$35
   8	Massachusetts	$70,074	$34
   9	Virginia	$69,591	$33
   10	Illinois	$68,214	$33
   11	Pennsylvania	$67,196	$32
   12	Indiana	$65,137	$31
   13	North Carolina	$64,482	$31
   14	Ohio	$60,222	$29
   15	Georgia	$59,468	$29
   16	Texas	$58,172	$28
   17	Colorado	$56,726	$27
   18	Florida	$50,817	$24
   19	Tennessee	$49,151	$24

   Average director of catering salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	J.F. Shea Co	$79,859	$38.39	8
   2	Goodwin Recruiting	$72,478	$34.85	2
   3	Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants	$71,918	$34.58	35
   4	Mandarin Oriental	$71,820	$34.53	3
   5	Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts	$71,595	$34.42	18
   6	HEI Hotels & Resorts	$71,131	$34.20	65
   7	Nemacolin	$70,561	$33.92	2
   8	Hyatt Hotels	$69,779	$33.55	73
   9	ezCater	$68,706	$33.03
   10	HOME BUILDERS ASSN.	$68,211	$32.79
   11	Lines	$68,203	$32.79	5
   12	Thompson Hospitality	$66,955	$32.19	9
   13	Sodexo Management, Inc.	$66,825	$32.13	172
   14	Las Vegas Sands	$65,884	$31.68
   15	Aimbridge Hospitality	$65,847	$31.66
   16	Marriott International	$63,673	$30.61	434
   17	Highgate Hotels	$62,763	$30.17	57
   18	Bashas'	$62,100	$29.86
   19	Lightspeed	$61,125	$29.39
   20	Elior North America	$60,576	$29.12	20

4. Writing a director of catering job description

   A good director of catering job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a director of catering job description:

   Director of catering job description example

   Come be a part of something bigger!
   
   Benchmark | Pyramid is a strong believer in offering our employees Work-Life Effectiveness through, practices, policies, and programs to help our employees achieve success at both work and home. Here are just some of the great benefits we offer:
   Full Time employees have access to Medical and Dental insurance to fit your needs Benchmark University (You can grow both personally and professionally through on-line webinars and self-study courses) 401K match (Let us help you build your financial future) Companywide Hotel Room Discounts (Who doesn't love to get away) Paid Time OffEmployee Assistance Program (We are here to support you) Employee family events (bring the kids!) Partnerships and discounts with major retailers such as AT&T, Verizon and Dish to name a few Many more, please inquire for more details
   
   As the Director of Catering, you will work in a beloved Four-Diamond resort with an amazing oceanfront location, set amidst the beauty of the Atlantic seascape. You will fill this vital role as an experienced planning professional. You will possess excellent sales and managerial skills. The Director must also possess an eye for every detail and superior creative abilities to set standards in the special events field. The Director must display the ability to invent unique theme concept designs, breaking new ground to ensure maximum client satisfaction.
   
   What you will have an opportunity to do:
   We are looking for a highly motivated and analytical individual with experience in leading luxury catering events to join our leadership team as Director of Catering. The Director of Catering is a key position that will be responsible for selling, planning and maximizing revenues for catering events. This position supervises the sales and event order communications, scheduling and training of service staff, planning, delivery, set up, clean up, and proper invoicing for all daily events. The successful candidate will be creative, a problem solver, has a proven record of being a team player, is open to learning and leading by example, responds in a professional and courteous manner to guests and team, as well as being there to support the team both personally and professionally.
   Your Role:
   Coordinates and oversees internal and external catering events Develops and maintains the catering marketing plan including a comprehensive event planning service to clients and detailed menu development Hires, trains, and schedules catering staff, and will be actively involved in the development of existing catering staff in service techniques, menu presentation, policies, and procedures Ensures successful operations of catering functions including labor cost control, foods cost control and preparation, transportation, setup, operation, and cleanup of all events Establish hotel catering pricing levels Monitor competitor strategies and data; maintain understanding of the dynamics of the local market and demand generators and present appropriate action plans to management.Assist with the annual hotel budget development and ongoing results analysis.
   
   What are we looking for?
   Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.3 years+ experience as a Director or Manager in a high end Catering environment Ability to effectively communicate verbally and in written form with the public as well as other team members.ServSafe Certification a plus Essential statistical and analytical skills required to identify revenue opportunities and shortfalls.Ability to work both independently and cross-functionally to achieve goals.Ability to thrive in a multi-tasked and fast-paced environment.Someone with the availability to work when the events are happening, i.e. weekends, nights and holidays
   
   Benchmark Hospitality is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
   
   Actual compensation packages are based on a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, years & depth of experience, certifications and specific office location. This may differ in other locations due to cost of labor considerations.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find directors of catering for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your director of catering job on Zippia to find and recruit director of catering candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting directors of catering requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new director of catering

   Once you've found the director of catering candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new director of catering. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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