Food supervisor vs catering supervisor

The differences between food supervisors and catering supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a catering supervisor has an average salary of $36,455, which is higher than the $33,414 average annual salary of a food supervisor.

The top three skills for a food supervisor include HACCP, problem resolution and safety training. The most important skills for a catering supervisor are customer service, food service, and HACCP.

Food supervisor vs catering supervisor overview

	Food Supervisor	Catering Supervisor
Yearly salary	$33,414	$36,455
Hourly rate	$16.06	$17.53
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	82,884	8,658
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

What does a food supervisor do?

A food supervisor directs workers who prepare, apportion, and serve food to clients and staff. Their major responsibility is to ensure compliance with the food safety standards set by relevant authorities. They are also tasked with updating the food safety program and training all staff to understand and adhere to the instructions contained therein.

What does a catering supervisor do?

A catering supervisor oversees and spearheads the daily operations of a catering business, ensuring efficiency and client satisfaction. They primarily meet with clients or representatives to identify their catering needs and develop menus according to their budget and preferences. From there, a catering supervisor coordinates with staff, develops plans, sets goals and guidelines, delegates responsibilities among teams, and secures the necessary supplies. They also maintain an open communication line with clients, updating them regularly. Moreover, they lead and encourage employees to reach goals, supervising all procedures to ensure they comply with the industry standards and regulations.

Food supervisor vs catering supervisor salary

Food supervisors and catering supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Supervisor	Catering Supervisor
Average salary	$33,414	$36,455
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $41,000	Between $28,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	San Luis Obispo, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Hospitality

Differences between food supervisor and catering supervisor education

There are a few differences between a food supervisor and a catering supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Food Supervisor	Catering Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Food supervisor vs catering supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between food supervisors' and catering supervisors' demographics:

	Food Supervisor	Catering Supervisor
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 54.3% Female, 45.7%	Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.7% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between food supervisor and catering supervisor duties and responsibilities

Food supervisor example responsibilities.

Lead shifts while personally preparing bakery items and executing requests base on require specifications.
Maintain all food and beverage storerooms in proper condition to ensure cleanliness, freshness, and organization.
Inspect all storage and food services preparation areas daily to ensure proper handling and cleanliness standards are met.
Travel to find better products that utilize the companies finances better while still providing the best culinary experience for the customer.
Examine food and beverage quality and presentation and provide corrective training where necessary, involving the culinary management team when need.
Develop and organize BOH through cleaning, maintenance, equipment care, and ordering and receiving.

Catering supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage servers and dishwashers on a daily basis making sure everything are always maintain accordingly.
Train employees on company policy, POS systems.
Take catering orders over the phone and enter them into POS.
Cater to the guest of event as wait staff also bartending for private gatherings.
Experience includes bar management, bartending, meetings, banquets, dinners, green room and V.I.P.
Perform all inventory and payroll relate functions.

Food supervisor vs catering supervisor skills

Common food supervisor skills

HACCP, 18%
Problem Resolution, 18%
Safety Training, 16%
Safety Regulations, 7%
Customer Service, 7%
FDA, 6%

Common catering supervisor skills

Customer Service, 17%
Food Service, 13%
HACCP, 8%
Cleanliness, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%
Culinary, 6%

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Food Supervisor vs Catering Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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