How to hire a food service director

How to hire a food service director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step food service director 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 service director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new food service director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a food service director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The food service director hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   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 service director 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 service director that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of food service directors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Food Service Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Food Service Director	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.	$16-39
   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
   Banquet Manager	A banquet manager oversees the daily operations of banquet-hosting establishments, from planning to execution, ensuring events run smoothly and efficiently according to client requirements and preferences. They coordinate with the banquet director and head chef, working together to establish goals, guidelines, budgets, schedules, and strategies to meet the events' needs... Show more	$18-34

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Culinary
   • ServSafe
   • Food Preparation
   • Good Judgment
   • Cost Control
   • Cleanliness
   • Sanitation Standards
   • Food Handling
   • Patients
   • Menu Planning
   • Financial Reports
   • Meal Service
   • Food Safety

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Train and manage countless dishwashers, cooks, servers, and other managers to achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
   • Manage both front of the house (FOH) and back of the house (BOH) operations.
   • Manage a team of 12 managers and 160 FTE.
   • Achieve highest level of compliance with CMS and Steritech audits.
   • Manage departmental budget and payroll for 111 FTE's, service and production of ~ 1200 meals/day.
   • Manage food services at 142 bed sub-acute rehabilitation and skil nursing facility with a staff of 43 FTE's.

   More food service director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your food service director job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A food service director salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a food service director in Nebraska may be lower than in California, and an entry-level food service director usually earns less than a senior-level food service director. Additionally, a food service director with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average food service director salary

   $53,939yearly

   $25.93 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level food service director salary

   $35,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average food service director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$76,493	$37
   2	Massachusetts	$68,198	$33
   3	Washington	$67,870	$33
   4	Pennsylvania	$64,669	$31
   5	Nevada	$64,316	$31
   6	Oregon	$63,746	$31
   7	New York	$61,751	$30
   8	District of Columbia	$61,457	$30
   9	North Carolina	$55,196	$27
   10	Indiana	$51,489	$25
   11	Virginia	$50,505	$24
   12	Colorado	$49,648	$24
   13	Florida	$48,373	$23
   14	Missouri	$47,304	$23
   15	Tennessee	$46,987	$23
   16	Texas	$46,976	$23
   17	Wisconsin	$44,465	$21
   18	Illinois	$42,163	$20
   19	Nebraska	$41,296	$20
   20	Minnesota	$40,897	$20

   Average food service director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Baptist Health Care	$101,422	$48.76
   2	Kisco Senior Living	$88,678	$42.63	1
   3	East India Securities	$85,280	$41.00
   4	University of California-Berkeley	$82,645	$39.73
   5	Yale University	$77,888	$37.45	1
   6	Liberty Medical Center	$75,232	$36.17
   7	Counterpart International	$72,925	$35.06
   8	UC Merced	$72,323	$34.77
   9	Era Living	$71,643	$34.44
   10	ProMedica Toledo Hospital	$70,889	$34.08
   11	Life Care Centers of America	$69,855	$33.58	5
   12	NHC	$69,808	$33.56	14
   13	Baptist Health Home Care	$67,602	$32.50	5
   14	Advanced Recovery Systems	$67,178	$32.30
   15	Senior Resource Group	$66,763	$32.10
   16	Sunny Vista	$66,451	$31.95
   17	The Culinary Institute of America	$66,280	$31.87	4
   18	Maravilla Foundation	$66,145	$31.80
   19	Erickson Senior Living	$66,110	$31.78
   20	Guest Services	$65,850	$31.66	17

4. Writing a food service director job description

   A job description for a food service director role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a food service director job description:

   Food service director job description example

   Qualifications:
   - Two (2) years supervisory and management experience including hiring staff, coaching, performance management daily operations supervision, discipline and counseling
   - Three (3) years experience in high volume food service, working with catering and banquets, preferably in assisted living, full service and/or hospitality industries
   - Maintains current Food Services Sanitation certificate
   - High School diploma / GED accepted
   - To be successful you will need to have the ability to handle multiple priorities, possess written and verbal skills for effective communication, be competent in organizational, time management skills and demonstrate good judgment, problem solving and decision making skills
   - Computer skills in Microsoft Office and the ability to learn new applications are also required
   - The ability to work weekends and a flexible work schedule

   Sunrise considers the health and safety of its residents, family members, and team members as its highest priorities. All offers of employment with Sunrise are conditioned on completing and passing a background and drug test, participating in mandatory vaccine programs (e.g., Covid-19), participating in testing requirements (e.g. Covid-19, TB) and using designated PPE when required.

   Sunrise Senior Living offers a comprehensive benefits plan to eligible team members including health, dental, vision, retirement benefits, short-term disability, long-term disability, and paid time off. Team members may also be eligible to receive a bonus based on their position. Some leadership roles are eligible to receive annual bonuses. All team members have the potential to receive spot bonuses and other incentive awards.

   
   Qualifications
   

   Sunrise Senior Living has championed quality of life in senior care for more than 30 years. We believe team members are our greatest resource and are looking for people who share our commitment to provide quality care for seniors and their families. It's no surprise that many of the world's leading experts in Senior Living entrust their career to Sunrise.

   At Sunrise, you will…
   
   Make a Difference Every Day
   We are passionate about our mission — to champion quality of life for all seniors. We deliver high-quality care with a personal touch and encourage our residents to enjoy life to the fullest.

   Be Part of a Uniquely Supportive Community
   The care-focused environment we create for residents extends to our team members. We offer programs, rewards, and benefits to help you live your best.

   Ignite Your Potential
   We believe potential has no limits. We offer best-in-class leadership development programs designed to grow our leaders. We are committed to helping our team members achieve their career goals.

   Sunrise Senior Living was again named as one of the Best Workplaces in Aging Services™ by Fortune and certified as a Great Place to Work® by Activated Insights. This is the 5th time Sunrise has received this top culture and workplace designation, highlighting the special place Sunrise is to be a part of.

   Apply today to learn why Sunrise Senior Living is a certified Great Place to Work ®

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find food service directors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any food service directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level food service directors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit food service directors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   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 service director

   Once you've found the food service director 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 also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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How much does it cost to hire a food service director?