How to hire a Food Manager

How to hire a food manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step food manager hiring guide:

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

What does a Food Manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the food manager you need to hire. Certain food manager roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   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 food manager 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 food manager that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of food manager salaries for various roles:

   Type Of Food Manager	Description	Hourly Rate
   Food Manager	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.	$11-27
   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
   Restaurant Manager	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... Show More	$18-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Food Handling
   • Cleanliness
   • Cash Control
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Non
   • Math
   • Customer Service
   • Sales Floor
   • ServSafe
   • Work Ethic
   • Customer Relations
   • Cash Management
   • Labor Costs
   • Payroll

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead quarterly training sessions on fire safety mandate by OSHA.
   • Manage all food regulatory documentation ensuring accuracy and compliancy with FDA, CFIA and EFSA agencies.
   • Prepare, analyze reports, staff training and development, prioritization, delegation and manage all aspects of the USDA program.
   • Manage inventory, ordering and delivery of groceries.
   • Prepare and distribute payroll information for management and staff.
   • Conduct math skills during transactions.

   More Food Manager duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, food managers' average salary in tennessee is 43% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level food managers earn 58% less than senior-level food managers.
   • Certifications. A food manager 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 food manager's salary.

   Average food manager salary

   $37,654yearly

   $18.10 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level food manager salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated March 15, 2025

   Average food manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	New Jersey	$50,502	$24
   2	Massachusetts	$44,484	$21
   3	California	$44,023	$21
   4	Illinois	$41,905	$20
   5	Nevada	$41,830	$20
   6	Hawaii	$41,358	$20
   7	Wisconsin	$40,921	$20
   8	Indiana	$39,611	$19
   9	Pennsylvania	$38,257	$18
   10	Alabama	$38,027	$18
   11	Michigan	$37,586	$18
   12	Virginia	$37,291	$18
   13	Colorado	$36,695	$18
   14	Texas	$34,482	$17
   15	Oklahoma	$33,120	$16
   16	Missouri	$32,831	$16
   17	Florida	$32,379	$16
   18	Arkansas	$31,123	$15
   19	South Carolina	$30,707	$15
   20	Tennessee	$29,146	$14

   Average food manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Southern Healthcare	$55,351	$26.61
   2	Hawaii Pacific Health	$54,004	$25.96
   3	Univar	$48,777	$23.45
   4	Illinois Institute of Technology	$38,855	$18.68	2
   5	Goodwin Recruiting	$38,581	$18.55	1
   6	CKE Restaurants Holdings	$38,183	$18.36	102
   7	Kellogg	$37,940	$18.24
   8	EHS Recruiting	$37,879	$18.21	2
   9	Children's Health Corporation	$37,879	$18.21	6
   10	Proper Hospitality	$37,543	$18.05	34
   11	Marriott International	$37,357	$17.96	871
   12	IKEA North America Services, LLC	$37,353	$17.96
   13	ALDI USA	$37,312	$17.94	1
   14	Yesway	$37,272	$17.92	82
   15	Patrice and Associates Franchising	$37,255	$17.91	2
   16	Compass Group USA	$37,162	$17.87	7,156
   17	Kwik Trip	$37,135	$17.85	190
   18	Village Super Market Inc.	$37,113	$17.84	1
   19	Sodexo Management, Inc.	$37,009	$17.79	707
   20	Army and Air Force Exchange Service	$36,862	$17.72

4. Writing a Food Manager Job Description

   A good food manager 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 food manager job description:

   Food Manager job description example

   What you'll need to have
   
   * 5 years of experience leading a multi-unit high-volume retail business with advanced knowledge of sales steering, merchandising and customer service.
   * Ability to manage a food service operation including operational and staff costs
   * Ability to work creatively within strong frameworks.
   
   What you'll be doing day to day
   
   Supports sales and converts visitors in the Restaurant, Bistro, & Swedish Food Market by acting as a commercial business partner within the IKEA business in the retail store.
   
   * Secures a commercial and operational IKEA Food strategy that meets quality, food safety, environmental requirements & other relevant legislation.
   * Supports the implementation of the IKEA Food Concept and develops action plans for IKEA Food to support commercial goals: including sales, productivity, performance analysis and problem resolution, food and operational cost control, merchandising and maintenance of the IKEA Food Sales Areas.
   * Manages the IKEA Food Commercial team, ensuring the implementation of the IKEA Food Concept and execution of the administration rules and guidelines including goods flow, inventory management, commercial and customer experience routines.
   * Initiates and maximizes everyday commercial opportunities to drive conversion rate and average check.
   * Plans and maintains sales forecasts for the Swedish Food Market to enable proper supply planning, ordering, efficient goods handling and inventory management.
   * Builds competence in IKEA Food Commercial team to secure ongoing development within IKEA Food and the IKEA Retail Store.
   * Contributes to an environment where the IKEA culture is a strong and living reality that embraces the diversity of co-workers and customers.
   
   Together as a Team
   
   Thanks to us, customers, co-workers and people at home can have a better everyday life through food that's good for both people and planet. Together we serve more than 660 million customers yearly at the IKEA restaurants worldwide, underlining our Scandinavian heritage by offering a modern taste of Sweden. We also offer a variety of foods in our bistros and in the "Swedish Food market". We are a diverse group of people who all live by the motto: Laughter is brightest in the place where the food is!
   
   Apply now!
   
   JOB TYPE - Permanent, Full-time, In Location
   
   HOURS - Salaried, Retail Management
   
   SHIFTS - Fully open work schedule availability including evenings and weekends required; Work schedules are published one month in advance
   
   PAY - The starting rates/salary for this position range from $63,464 to $92,336 and will be based on relevant work experience
   
   BENEFITS ELIGIBLE? - Yes - Whether you're part time or full time, we offer competitive benefits and perks, such as medical and Rx*, dental, vison, 401k, meal deal, store discount, autism coverage, parental leave, pet insurance, education assistance and more

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right food manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with food managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit food managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting food managers 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 food manager

   Once you've found the food manager 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new food manager first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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