Director of food and nutrition services vs restaurant manager

The differences between directors of food and nutrition services 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 food and nutrition services and a restaurant manager. Additionally, a director of food and nutrition services has an average salary of $100,887, which is higher than the $52,202 average annual salary of a restaurant manager.

The top three skills for a director of food and nutrition services include healthcare, patients and infection control. The most important skills for a restaurant manager are customer service, guest satisfaction, and food handling.

Director of food and nutrition services vs restaurant manager overview

	Director Of Food And Nutrition Services	Restaurant Manager
Yearly salary	$100,887	$52,202
Hourly rate	$48.50	$25.10
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	142,232	225,340
Job satisfaction	-	1
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	4	4

What does a director of food and nutrition services do?

A Director Of Food And Nutrition Services plans and coordinates the district food service program to guarantee proper nutrition and safeguard the health of students, staff, and visitors. They provide nutrition programs that meet all federal requirements.

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 food and nutrition services vs restaurant manager salary

Directors of food and nutrition services and restaurant managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Food And Nutrition Services	Restaurant Manager
Average salary	$100,887	$52,202
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $178,000	Between $39,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	Novato, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Hampshire
Best paying company	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	Hillstone Restaurant Group
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between director of food and nutrition services and restaurant manager education

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

	Director Of Food And Nutrition Services	Restaurant Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Dietetics	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Director of food and nutrition services vs restaurant manager demographics

Here are the differences between directors of food and nutrition services' and restaurant managers' demographics:

	Director Of Food And Nutrition Services	Restaurant Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8%	Male, 54.5% Female, 45.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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 food and nutrition services and restaurant manager duties and responsibilities

Director of food and nutrition services example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor daily operational duties of full service dining room for patients including creating and maintaining department budget.
Implement HACCP guidelines for all locations, ensuring the safety and quality of food deliver to on-site and community-base satellite operations.
Maintain patient confidentiality under HIPAA.
Utilize WebDenis to verify Medicaid insurance.
Follow confidentiality laws and HIPAA privacy policies.
Streamline billing of claims to infusion contractors and implement NJ Medicaid electronic billing.

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 food and nutrition services vs restaurant manager skills

Common director of food and nutrition services skills

Healthcare, 17%
Patients, 16%
Infection Control, 8%
Nutrition Services, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Culinary, 4%

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 Food And Nutrition Services
Director Of Food And Nutrition Services vs Restaurant Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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