Food service supervisor vs dietary manager

The differences between food service supervisors and dietary 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 supervisor and a dietary manager. Additionally, a dietary manager has an average salary of $42,856, which is higher than the $32,763 average annual salary of a food service supervisor.

The top three skills for a food service supervisor include good judgment, safety practices and food production. The most important skills for a dietary manager are kitchen equipment, patients, and dietary services.

Food service supervisor vs dietary manager overview

	Food Service Supervisor	Dietary Manager
Yearly salary	$32,763	$42,856
Hourly rate	$15.75	$20.60
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	139,403	95,306
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	4	4

What does a food service supervisor do?

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.

What does a dietary manager do?

A dietary manager oversees the food service operations of a company or institution's kitchen facilities, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. They are primarily in charge of developing dietary programs and meal plans, coordinating with nutritionists, setting daily objectives, establishing food preparation standards and protocols, managing budgets and employee schedules, and monitoring overall operations, solving issues and concerns if any arise. They also supervise the recruitment and training of staff, monitor inventories, purchase supplies, and interact with customers. Moreover, a dietary manager leads employees to reach goals and implements industry standards and company policies.

Food service supervisor vs dietary manager salary

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

	Food Service Supervisor	Dietary Manager
Average salary	$32,763	$42,856
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $30,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	-
Highest paying state	Minnesota	-
Best paying company	Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between food service supervisor and dietary manager education

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

	Food Service Supervisor	Dietary Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Most common major	Business	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Food service supervisor vs dietary manager demographics

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

	Food Service Supervisor	Dietary Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%	Male, 32.0% Female, 68.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 8.5% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between food service supervisor and dietary manager duties and responsibilities

Food service supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage inventory, ordering and delivery of groceries.
Icomply to all HACCP standards and is ServSafe certify.
Compile staff schedules, prepare money for cash drops, operate register and POS.
Perform culinary decision making as it pertain to food inventory, menus, and production methods.
Facilitate training on production equipment and GMP's travele to multiple sites with employees to complete training.
Monitor and document HACCP sanitation standards.

Dietary manager example responsibilities.

Manage operations and provide support to a team of 245 union employees at various elementary, middle and high school cafeterias.
Review records and assess the nutritional condition of at risk residents, including unplan weight changes, charting and MDS reporting.
Analyze diet requirement of patients and prepare nutritional balance menus accordingly.
Refer patients to appropriate outpatient settings for additional diet education and support.
Communicate effectively in medical charts, and complete MDS assessments for Medicare reimbursement with proficiency.
Increase student participation by overseeing and implementing marketing brands in school cafeterias.

Food service supervisor vs dietary manager skills

Common food service supervisor skills

Good Judgment, 15%
Safety Practices, 11%
Food Production, 10%
Customer Service, 8%
Food Handling, 8%
Patients, 7%

Common dietary manager skills

Kitchen Equipment, 11%
Patients, 9%
Dietary Services, 6%
Infection Control, 5%
Food Preparation, 5%
Federal Regulations, 5%

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Food Service Supervisor
Food Service Supervisor vs Dietary Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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