Food service specialist vs food service coordinator

The differences between food service specialists and food service coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food service coordinator has an average salary of $32,085, 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 a food service coordinator are food preparation, customer service, and food handling.

Food service specialist vs food service coordinator overview

	Food Service Specialist	Food Service Coordinator
Yearly salary	$29,286	$32,085
Hourly rate	$14.08	$15.43
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	95,112	79,537
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

What does a food service specialist do?

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.

What does a food service coordinator do?

Food service coordinators are responsible for organizing the food preparation for a considerable section of a huge operation such as the bakery, catering, and pantry section. They arrange, prepare, and synchronize the preparation of main entrees. Also, they coordinate and prepare all snacks and meals at a distinct facility as well as supervise the performance of food service specialists and student assistants in preparing food. Qualifications for the job include agility and physical strength to lift and reach kitchen materials and supplies as well as working in a hot environment while standing for a long period.

Food service specialist vs food service coordinator salary

Food service specialists and food service coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Service Specialist	Food Service Coordinator
Average salary	$29,286	$32,085
Salary range	Between $19,000 And $43,000	Between $23,000 And $43,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	New York	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Brookhaven National Laboratory	Ashland MA Police
Best paying industry	Government	Media

Differences between food service specialist and food service coordinator education

There are a few differences between a food service specialist and a food service coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Food Service Specialist	Food Service Coordinator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food service specialist vs food service coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between food service specialists' and food service coordinators' demographics:

	Food Service Specialist	Food Service Coordinator
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9%	Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%
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, 11.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 7.5% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	10%	6%

Differences between food service specialist and food service coordinator duties and responsibilities

Food service specialist example responsibilities.

Regulate temperatures of ovens, broilers, and grills.
Apply a vast number or USDA and USDC Standards/Specifications to determine compliance with contractual requirements.
Maintain a safe work environment for the preparation of food through sanitation and HACCP procedures.
Inspect prepared foods place on the serving line to ensure temperature and quality follow ServSafe protocols.
Utilize the techniques of roasting, broiling, frying, grilling, steaming, and baking.
Ensure that food purchase and procure for multiple units is in accordance with DOD and USDA standards and contractual documents.

Food service coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage and coordinate the workload of the release team members and are responsible for organizing and hosting all production release windows.
Enhance and enrich HACCP knowledge and practices.
Record each meal recieve into the POS system.
Work with staff to provide culinary and nutritional teaching to club members.
Perform food samples and laboratory testing, and prepare corresponding reports following HACCP guidelines.
Monitor patients diets and patient satisfaction.

Food service specialist vs food service coordinator skills

Common food service specialist skills

Kitchen Equipment, 33%
Preventive Maintenance, 24%
MOS, 9%
Customer Service, 7%
Cleanliness, 4%
Patients, 4%

Common food service coordinator skills

Food Preparation, 9%
Customer Service, 8%
Food Handling, 7%
Meal Preparation, 6%
Food Safety, 5%
Kitchen Equipment, 5%

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Food Service Specialist vs Food Service Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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