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The differences between directors of food and beverage and executive chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a director of food and beverage, becoming an executive chef takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a director of food and beverage has an average salary of $88,654, which is higher than the $59,416 average annual salary of an executive chef.
The top three skills for a director of food and beverage include wine, customer service and culinary. The most important skills for an executive chef are culinary, food preparation, and customer service.
| Director Of Food And Beverage | Executive Chef | |
| Yearly salary | $88,654 | $59,416 |
| Hourly rate | $42.62 | $28.57 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 130,685 | 83,085 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A director of food and beverage is responsible for ensuring the quality of foods and services to maintain the guests' overall satisfaction on their dining experience. Food and beverage directors manage menu selections, analyzing current food trends to meet guests' demands. They also handle budget allocation, negotiating with reliable suppliers for high-quality materials and ingredients for minimal costs. A director of food and beverage must have excellent leadership and communication skills, observe strict sanitary standards and hygienic regulations for adherence of all personnel during operations.
Executive chefs are considered the lead chefs in a restaurant. They manage the restaurant's kitchen, including all other chefs employed by the restaurant. Executive chefs are in charge of creating menu items and ensuring that the restaurant's menu is in line with the restaurant's identity. They handle the management of the pantry and ensure that it is well-stocked. They also ensure that all kitchen equipment and fixtures are working well. Executive chefs are responsible for training new chefs on the job to ensure consistent food quality.
Directors of food and beverage and executive chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Director Of Food And Beverage | Executive Chef | |
| Average salary | $88,654 | $59,416 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $124,000 | Between $40,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | MUFG EMEA | Bridgewater Associates |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a director of food and beverage and an executive chef in terms of educational background:
| Director Of Food And Beverage | Executive Chef | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Drexel University |
Here are the differences between directors of food and beverage' and executive chefs' demographics:
| Director Of Food And Beverage | Executive Chef | |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.9% Female, 19.1% | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 8.5% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.8% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 9% |