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What does a Food Manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a Food Manager do

A food manager oversees the operations at various dining establishments, ensuring efficient food services and client satisfaction. Their responsibilities typically include managing the staff, setting schedules and guidelines, establishing objectives and budgets, liaising with vendors and suppliers, delegating tasks, and developing strategies to optimize overall operations. There are also instances where they may assist customers, arrange reservations, process payments, prepare and organize documents, hire and train new members of the workforce, and resolve issues and concerns. Moreover, as a food manager, they must lead and encourage the staff to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

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Food manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real food manager resumes:

  • 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.
  • Comply with HACCP regulations by testing and recording temperatures.
  • Prepare food to company and FDA standards and regulations.
  • Complete tip reporting, payroll and scheduling of all staff.
  • Collect cash via POS system /kept account of revenue receive per WOR.
  • Can instruct entire kitchen staff to become ServSafe certify as well as proctor their exams.
  • Operate the POS cash register system and credit card machine during lunches and major events.
  • Monitor budgets and payroll records, and review financial transactions to ensure that expenditures are authorize and budget.
  • Assist companies in the development of product specifications and aid in the support of HACCP and GMP plans.
  • Supervise food and beverage operation for the restaurant and bars in the club house as well as private functions.

Food manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 13% of Food Managers are proficient in Food Handling, Cleanliness, and Cash Control. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.

We break down the percentage of Food Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Food Handling, 13%

    Maintained corporate standards for extraordinary customer service, facility maintenance, and food handling.

  • Cleanliness, 11%

    Monitored inventory levels and cleanliness of the warehouse.

  • Cash Control, 10%

    Managed payroll, sales/revenue and cash controls for dietary department for a 150+ bed hospital; 30-40 staff members.

  • Customer Satisfaction, 8%

    Developed and implemented strategic plans for assigned categories within time frame, customer satisfaction and productivity performance measures of the company.

  • Non, 6%

    Inventory management Weekly ordered and implemented new items into grocery stock Organized purchasing of non foods merchandise

  • Math, 6%

    Calculated daily and weekly inventory count exhibiting proper math skills.

"food handling," "cleanliness," and "cash control" are among the most common skills that food managers use at work. You can find even more food manager responsibilities below, including:

Business skills. One of the key soft skills for a food manager to have is business skills. You can see how this relates to what food managers do because "food service managers must understand all aspects of the restaurant business, including how to budget for supplies, comply with regulations, and manage workers." Additionally, a food manager resume shows how food managers use business skills: "elevated into the corporate management ranks during a period of business transformation. "

Communication skills. Many food manager duties rely on communication skills. "food service managers must give clear orders to staff and be able to convey information effectively to employees and customers.," so a food manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways food manager responsibilities rely on communication skills: "inspired outstanding service to consumers, and facilitated proper communication between management and associates. "

Customer-service skills. food managers are also known for customer-service skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to food manager responsibilities, because "food service managers must be courteous and attentive when dealing with patrons." A food manager resume example shows how customer-service skills is used in the workplace: "demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills with associates, management, and customers. "

Leadership skills. Another crucial skill for a food manager to carry out their responsibilities is "leadership skills." A big part of what food managers relies on this skill, since "managers must establish good relationships with staff to maintain a productive work environment." How this skill relates to food manager duties can be seen in an example from a food manager resume snippet: "promoted to manager by demonstrating leadership and problem solving to upper management. "

Organizational skills. Another skill commonly found on food manager job descriptions is "organizational skills." It can come up quite often in food manager duties, since "managers have many different responsibilities, including scheduling and overseeing staff, budgeting, and maintaining financial records." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day food manager responsibilities: "worked hand in hand with upper management to represent company values and goals both financially and organizationally. "

See the full list of food manager skills

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Compare different food managers

Food manager vs. Assistant manager/shift manager

An assistant manager/shift manager assists managers in maintaining an establishment's smooth workflow. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their company or industry of employment, it usually includes participating in setting goals and guidelines, establishing budgets and schedules, delegating tasks among staff, and monitoring operations, solving issues should there be any. They also perform administrative support tasks such as coordinating with internal and external parties, preparing and processing documents, handling calls and correspondence, organizing files, and implementing policies and regulations. In the absence of the manager, an assistant manager assumes their responsibilities to maintain efficient operations.

We looked at the average food manager salary and compared it with the wages of an assistant manager/shift manager. Generally speaking, assistant manager/shift managers are paid $118 higher than food managers per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between food managers and assistant manager/shift managers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like cleanliness, cash control, and customer satisfaction.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a food manager are more likely to require skills like "food handling," "non," "math," and "servsafe." On the other hand, a job as an assistant manager/shift manager requires skills like "employee engagement," "guest service," "food service," and "excellent guest." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

The education levels that assistant manager/shift managers earn slightly differ from food managers. In particular, assistant manager/shift managers are 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a food manager. Additionally, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Food manager vs. Assistant restaurant manager

An assistant restaurant manager's role is to perform managerial support tasks and oversee restaurant operations, ensuring efficiency in workflow and customer satisfaction. Their responsibilities revolve around maintaining records of all invoices and contracts, delegating tasks, monitoring the inventory of supplies, liaising with suppliers and vendors, and addressing issues and concerns. There are also instances when one must attend to customers' needs, prepare schedules, perform regular workforce inspection, and report to the manager. Furthermore, it is essential to implement all the company's health regulations and policies, all to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone.

Assistant restaurant manager positions earn higher pay than food manager roles. They earn a $7,966 higher salary than food managers per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both food managers and assistant restaurant managers have skills such as "food handling," "cleanliness," and "cash control. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real food manager resumes. While food manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "non," "sales floor," "servsafe," and "cash management," assistant restaurant managers use skills like "food service," "restaurant operations," "guest service," and "quality guest."

Assistant restaurant managers earn a higher average salary than food managers. But assistant restaurant managers earn the highest pay in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $43,632. Additionally, food managers earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $38,631 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Assistant restaurant managers tend to reach similar levels of education than food managers. In fact, they're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Food manager vs. 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.

On average scale, food service supervisors bring in lower salaries than food managers. In fact, they earn a $4,891 lower salary per year.food managers and food service supervisors both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "food handling," "cleanliness," and "cash control," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, food managers are more likely to have skills like "customer satisfaction," "non," "sales floor," and "work ethic." But a food service supervisor is more likely to have skills like "good judgment," "safety practices," "patients," and "culinary."

Food service supervisors earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $32,395. Comparatively, food managers have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $38,631.food service supervisors typically earn similar educational levels compared to food managers. Specifically, they're 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Food manager vs. Restaurant/bar manager

Restaurant/bar managers average a higher salary than the annual salary of food managers. The difference is about $14,066 per year.While their salaries may vary, food managers and restaurant/bar managers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "food handling," "cleanliness," and "cash control. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A food manager uses "non," "math," "sales floor," and "servsafe." Restaurant/bar managers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "wine," "guest satisfaction," "restaurant operations," and "guest service. "restaurant/bar managers enjoy the best pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $52,593. For comparison, food managers earn the highest salary in the manufacturing industry.restaurant/bar managers reach similar levels of education compared to food managers, in general. The difference is that they're 0.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of food manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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