Executive chef vs food and beverage manager

The differences between executive chefs and food and beverage managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an executive chef, becoming a food and beverage manager takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an executive chef has an average salary of $59,416, which is higher than the $53,013 average annual salary of a food and beverage manager.

The top three skills for an executive chef include culinary, food preparation and customer service. The most important skills for a food and beverage manager are customer service, wine, and POS.

Executive chef vs food and beverage manager overview

	Executive Chef	Food And Beverage Manager
Yearly salary	$59,416	$53,013
Hourly rate	$28.57	$25.49
Growth rate	15%	10%
Number of jobs	83,085	159,775
Job satisfaction	5	4
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	42	39
Years of experience	6	4

What does an executive chef do?

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.

What does a food and beverage manager do?

A food and beverage manager is an individual responsible for ensuring that quality food and drinks are being served at a restaurant or hotel. Food and beverage managers are required to be excellent with customers and should have great management skills to meet the organization's labor and financial goals. They create food and drink menus and guarantee customers that they comply with their food and safety regulations. They are also required to negotiate with suppliers to arrange the delivery of food and beverage products.

Executive chef vs food and beverage manager salary

Executive chefs and food and beverage managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Executive Chef	Food And Beverage Manager
Average salary	$59,416	$53,013
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $87,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Hawaii	New York
Best paying company	Bridgewater Associates	Google
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Government

Differences between executive chef and food and beverage manager education

There are a few differences between an executive chef and a food and beverage manager in terms of educational background:

	Executive Chef	Food And Beverage Manager
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	Drexel University	Cornell University

Executive chef vs food and beverage manager demographics

Here are the differences between executive chefs' and food and beverage managers' demographics:

	Executive Chef	Food And Beverage Manager
Average age	42	39
Gender ratio	Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5%	Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 8.4% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	9%	10%

Differences between executive chef and food and beverage manager duties and responsibilities

Executive chef example responsibilities.

Manage a kitchen of military personal and Japanese civilian chefs.
Cater off-premise events, parties, holiday dinners and seasonal BBQ cookouts.
Own and operate a full charge BBQ catering business from a 30 foot mobile kitchen.
Close high percentage of sales opportunities for large builder and designer accounts with strategic VIP events.
Supervise high volume and VIP catering events to include black tie, charity and outdoor events.
Create systems to control BOH operations including: purchasing, receiving, storage, inventory & food cost tracking.

Food and beverage manager example responsibilities.

Schedule, plan, organize and manage events.- Assist with staff scheduling and bartending service.
Manage a small team of people in the caf /gift shop area to improve sales and minimize costs.
Manage daily operations of restaurant, in-room dining, lounge, pool, cater events and all bar venues.
Manage all FOH positions, including scheduling, developing and coaching employees, motivating the team and continuing to drive sales.
Coordinate weekly schedules and manage payroll processing functions including monitoring meal break compliance, labor productivity and attendance.
Manage subordinate managers and supervisors, manage various personnel functions including payroll, hiring, disciplinary actions, grievances and promotions.

Executive chef vs food and beverage manager skills

Common executive chef skills

Culinary, 14%
Food Preparation, 8%
Customer Service, 6%
Kitchen Operations, 6%
Food Safety, 5%
Food Service, 5%

Common food and beverage manager skills

Customer Service, 10%
Wine, 6%
POS, 6%
Guest Satisfaction, 5%
Food Service, 4%
Guest Service, 4%

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Executive Chef vs Food And Beverage Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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