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The differences between head chefs and general 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 head chef and a general manager. Additionally, a general manager has an average salary of $71,581, which is higher than the $45,470 average annual salary of a head chef.
The top three skills for a head chef include kitchen operations, culinary and dinner service. The most important skills for a general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.
| Head Chef | General Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $45,470 | $71,581 |
| Hourly rate | $21.86 | $34.41 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 27,331 | 442,690 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.25 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A head chef is responsible for the overall culinary satisfaction and dining experience of the guests. Head chefs manage the food production, starting from the preparation to the final presentation. They regularly research the current food trends to adapt to their innovative expertise, creating different cuisines to meet the guests' preferences. They also manage the kitchen staff, delegate tasks, and ensure the adequacy of food ingredients and supplies. A head chef must have excellent communication and organizational skills, adhering to the highest sanitation procedures, and responding to the guests' inquiries and concerns.
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.
Head chefs and general managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Head Chef | General Manager | |
| Average salary | $45,470 | $71,581 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $71,000 | Between $40,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | Wellesley, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a head chef and a general manager in terms of educational background:
| Head Chef | General Manager | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Culinary Arts | Business |
| Most common college | Drexel University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between head chefs' and general managers' demographics:
| Head Chef | General Manager | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.8% Female, 20.2% | Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 11.2% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 10% |