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The differences between food service specialists and executive chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an executive chef has an average salary of $59,416, which is higher than the $29,286 average annual salary of a food service specialist.
The top three skills for a food service specialist include kitchen equipment, preventive maintenance and MOS. The most important skills for an executive chef are culinary, food preparation, and customer service.
| Food Service Specialist | Executive Chef | |
| Yearly salary | $29,286 | $59,416 |
| Hourly rate | $14.08 | $28.57 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 15% |
| Number of jobs | 95,112 | 83,085 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
The food service specialists monitor food preparation, ensuring that the guests get their correct orders, providing them the best dining experience and satisfaction. A food service specialist takes the guests' orders, processes their payments, and serves their orders timely and efficiently. They also monitor the stock inventories, coordinate with suppliers and third-party vendors for stock requests, and assist with kitchen duties as needed, especially on high volume days. A food service specialist must have a broad knowledge of the food services industry, analyzing the current food trends to make suggestions for menus, and responding to the guests' concerns.
Executive chefs are considered the lead chefs in a restaurant. They manage the restaurant's kitchen, including all other chefs employed by the restaurant. Executive chefs are in charge of creating menu items and ensuring that the restaurant's menu is in line with the restaurant's identity. They handle the management of the pantry and ensure that it is well-stocked. They also ensure that all kitchen equipment and fixtures are working well. Executive chefs are responsible for training new chefs on the job to ensure consistent food quality.
Food service specialists and executive chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Food Service Specialist | Executive Chef | |
| Average salary | $29,286 | $59,416 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $43,000 | Between $40,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Brookhaven National Laboratory | Bridgewater Associates |
| Best paying industry | Government | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a food service specialist and an executive chef in terms of educational background:
| Food Service Specialist | Executive Chef | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Culinary Arts |
| Most common college | - | Drexel University |
Here are the differences between food service specialists' and executive chefs' demographics:
| Food Service Specialist | Executive Chef | |
| Average age | 37 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9% | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.7% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 10.8% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 9% |