Food and beverage manager vs catering manager

The differences between food and beverage managers and catering 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 food and beverage manager and a catering manager. Additionally, a food and beverage manager has an average salary of $53,013, which is higher than the $51,962 average annual salary of a catering manager.

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

Food and beverage manager vs catering manager overview

	Food And Beverage Manager	Catering Manager
Yearly salary	$53,013	$51,962
Hourly rate	$25.49	$24.98
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	159,775	88,658
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	4	4

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.

What does a catering manager do?

Catering managers are responsible for managing the daily catering operations and services in hotels, restaurants, and resorts. They monitor the quality of food and service provided by their outlets as well as make sure they are presented well. Their goals include achieving high customer satisfaction, producing excellent quality food, and maintaining that sanitary protocols are strictly followed. A degree is not a standard requirement for this job; however, employers do value those who have relevant qualifications with food, home, hotel, and hospitality management.

Food and beverage manager vs catering manager salary

Food and beverage managers and catering managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food And Beverage Manager	Catering Manager
Average salary	$53,013	$51,962
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $72,000	Between $37,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state	New York	Nevada
Best paying company	Google	Brigham and Women's Hospital
Best paying industry	Government	Hospitality

Differences between food and beverage manager and catering manager education

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

	Food And Beverage Manager	Catering Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Food and beverage manager vs catering manager demographics

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

	Food And Beverage Manager	Catering Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2%	Male, 36.7% Female, 63.3%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 8.4% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between food and beverage manager and catering manager duties and responsibilities

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.

Catering manager example responsibilities.

Prepare and manage BEOs to client specifications including auto-visual requirements.
Assist patients by test tasting food for allergies and accuracy.
Design and consult members on d cor, menu and wine selection for private events.
Ensure that those with food allergies or restrict diets have appropriate safe dishes to consume at meal times.
Work closely with culinary, stewarding and banquet department on specialty menus and customize events.
Full responsibility for all operations of several bars during service time including reporting and finance management.

Food and beverage manager vs catering manager skills

Common food and beverage manager skills

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

Common catering manager skills

Customer Service, 25%
Culinary, 10%
Food Service, 10%
Excellent Client, 6%
Booking, 4%
Customer Satisfaction, 4%

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Food And Beverage Manager
Food And Beverage Manager vs Catering Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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