Food service manager vs restaurant manager

The differences between food service managers and restaurant 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 service manager and a restaurant manager. Additionally, a restaurant manager has an average salary of $52,202, which is higher than the $43,564 average annual salary of a food service manager.

The top three skills for a food service manager include customer service, sanitation standards and cleanliness. The most important skills for a restaurant manager are customer service, guest satisfaction, and food handling.

Food service manager vs restaurant manager overview

	Food Service Manager	Restaurant Manager
Yearly salary	$43,564	$52,202
Hourly rate	$20.94	$25.10
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	160,740	225,340
Job satisfaction	-	1
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	4	4

What does a food service manager do?

A food service manager's role is to oversee and supervise all operations in a restaurant or a similar setting. They are primarily responsible for ensuring customer satisfaction through optimal foodservice, an efficient workforce, and a safe and healthy environment. A food service manager must also greet customers, escort them to their tables, handle any issues and concerns, manage the employees, train new hires, manage the payroll and budget, and coordinate with all restaurant personnel. Furthermore, a food service manager must delegate tasks among employees and assign their schedules accordingly.

What does a restaurant manager do?

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. Other duties include creating promotional offers, developing and improving sales strategies, organizing staff duties, maintaining the highest sanitary standards for everyone's strict compliance, and controlling operational expenses. A restaurant manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills and exceptional knowledge of food industry management.

Food service manager vs restaurant manager salary

Food service managers and restaurant managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Service Manager	Restaurant Manager
Average salary	$43,564	$52,202
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $66,000	Between $39,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	New Hampshire
Best paying company	Kern Community College District	Hillstone Restaurant Group
Best paying industry	Government	Hospitality

Differences between food service manager and restaurant manager education

There are a few differences between a food service manager and a restaurant manager in terms of educational background:

	Food Service Manager	Restaurant Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Food service manager vs restaurant manager demographics

Here are the differences between food service managers' and restaurant managers' demographics:

	Food Service Manager	Restaurant Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%	Male, 54.5% Female, 45.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between food service manager and restaurant manager duties and responsibilities

Food service manager example responsibilities.

Manage all aspects of the human resources task, including hiring, training, payroll, and the negotiated contract.
Manage operations and provide support to a team of 245 union employees at various elementary, middle and high school cafeterias.
Manage inventory, ordering and delivery of groceries.
Train food & nutrition team in SERVSAFE, HACCP, knife skills and environmental safety.
Maintain all Intel, Aramark and ServSafe safety, sanitation and security guidelines.
Review and complete adequate weekly sales projections, with mastery of using POS system

Restaurant manager example responsibilities.

Manage staff by teaching them the correct procedures along with making sure they are working up to Marriott standards.
Manage associates while bartending and serving in a family-own restaurant.
Coordinate, communicate and delegate FOH responsibilities to staff to ensure excellent operations are consistently achieve.
Maintain corporate accounts on QuickBooks.
Master QuickBooks to track company expenses and revenue.
Supervise and train dining and in-room dining staff.

Food service manager vs restaurant manager skills

Common food service manager skills

Customer Service, 27%
Sanitation Standards, 10%
Cleanliness, 7%
Patients, 6%
Kitchen Equipment, 5%
Food Handling, 4%

Common restaurant manager skills

Customer Service, 14%
Guest Satisfaction, 7%
Food Handling, 7%
Cleanliness, 6%
Restaurant Management, 5%
Guest Service, 5%

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Food Service Manager
Food Service Manager vs Restaurant Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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