General manager vs general service manager

The differences between general managers and general service managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a general manager and a general service manager. Additionally, a general service manager has an average salary of $85,187, which is higher than the $71,581 average annual salary of a general manager.

The top three skills for a general manager include customer service, cleanliness and food safety. The most important skills for a general service manager are customer service, customer satisfaction, and business plan.

General manager vs general service manager overview

	General Manager	General Service Manager
Yearly salary	$71,581	$85,187
Hourly rate	$34.41	$40.96
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	442,690	435,376
Job satisfaction	4.25	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

What does a general manager do?

A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.

What does a general service manager do?

General service managers are professionals who manage the administrative activities of a company to ensure that a proper environment for its operations is achieved. These managers are required to supervise the maintenance activities and upgrades of equipment and systems so that they can minimize disruptions of business activities. Under the direction of the finance manager, general service managers must coordinate with service providers on matters related to finance and tax. They must also manage teams to ensure that they comply with local and occupational health laws.

General manager vs general service manager salary

General managers and general service managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	General Manager	General Service Manager
Average salary	$71,581	$85,187
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $126,000	Between $52,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Mountain View, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	California
Best paying company	NVIDIA	Stanford University
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Finance

Differences between general manager and general service manager education

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

	General Manager	General Service Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

General manager vs general service manager demographics

Here are the differences between general managers' and general service managers' demographics:

	General Manager	General Service Manager
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%	Male, 78.3% Female, 21.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between general manager and general service manager duties and responsibilities

General manager example responsibilities.

Generate positive EBITDA and improve cash flow by managing costs and inventory.
Manage all recruiting and training efforts, and develop systems to track ROI comparison results.
Work as a FOH AGM and train to manage all staff functions including training, hiring, food and labor controls.
Develop yearly budget for multiple hotels that include revenue, labor, fix and variable costs to achieve overall EBITDA goal.
Task primarily with building logistics infrastructure, managing operational expenses, and supporting start up strategies.
Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.

General service manager example responsibilities.

Lead team through ISO certification which increase quality and processes.
Lead RFP process for CRM software to include extensive evaluation and contract negotiation.
Stabilize logistics organization, recruit and train 2 key positions, achieve zero staff turnover for two years.
Coordinate and participate with the installation teams to help troubleshoot problems and resolve customer concerns while managing service and commissioning engineers.
Maximize repair/assembly departments' workflow, parts inventory, and logistics.
Improve quality systems across all plants and obtain QS or ISO certification at all sites.

General manager vs general service manager skills

Common general manager skills

Customer Service, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Food Safety, 7%
Guest Service, 4%
Payroll, 4%
Math, 4%

Common general service manager skills

Customer Service, 20%
Customer Satisfaction, 7%
Business Plan, 6%
Employee Development, 5%
Oversight, 5%
Financial Statements, 5%

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General Manager vs General Service Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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