Kitchen manager vs food service manager

The differences between kitchen managers and food service 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 kitchen manager and a food service manager. Additionally, a kitchen manager has an average salary of $50,448, which is higher than the $43,564 average annual salary of a food service manager.

The top three skills for a kitchen manager include customer service, kitchen equipment and cleanliness. The most important skills for a food service manager are customer service, sanitation standards, and cleanliness.

Kitchen manager vs food service manager overview

	Kitchen Manager	Food Service Manager
Yearly salary	$50,448	$43,564
Hourly rate	$24.25	$20.94
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	151,781	160,740
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	4	4

What does a kitchen manager do?

A kitchen manager is responsible for supervising overall kitchen operations duties, checking food storage, and distributing appropriate kitchen staff tasks. Kitchen managers' jobs also include monitoring food preparation, ensuring that all orders and serving portions are correct, organizing menu prices, researching current market trends of the food industry, and maintaining the highest sanitation procedures. Kitchen managers should also assist guests with their inquiries, manage concerns, and handle complaints. They should have excellent communication and leadership skills to lead the kitchen staff in providing the best customer experience.

What does a food service manager do?

A food service manager's role is to oversee and supervise all operations in a restaurant or a similar setting. They are primarily responsible for ensuring customer satisfaction through optimal foodservice, an efficient workforce, and a safe and healthy environment. A food service manager must also greet customers, escort them to their tables, handle any issues and concerns, manage the employees, train new hires, manage the payroll and budget, and coordinate with all restaurant personnel. Furthermore, a food service manager must delegate tasks among employees and assign their schedules accordingly.

Kitchen manager vs food service manager salary

Kitchen managers and food service managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Kitchen Manager	Food Service Manager
Average salary	$50,448	$43,564
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $67,000	Between $28,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Hillstone Restaurant Group	Kern Community College District
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Government

Differences between kitchen manager and food service manager education

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

	Kitchen Manager	Food Service Manager
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 31%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Kitchen manager vs food service manager demographics

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

	Kitchen Manager	Food Service Manager
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0%	Male, 45.8% Female, 54.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between kitchen manager and food service manager duties and responsibilities

Kitchen manager example responsibilities.

Manage the daily operations of the kitchen, providing professional leadership and direction to all personnel.
Supervise cooks and manage the preparation, portioning, garnishing, and storage of all food items.
Manage kitchen staff and cook, develop new recipes, inventory and ordering, and fill in for bartending.
Manage kitchen staff, delegates responsibilities, place groceries order, prepare menus and prepare food base on recipes.
Prepare bills for orders, manage cash register, help with accounting using adding machine, POS software and programs.
Manage the daily operation of food production for patients, guests and employees as well as all internal and external catering.

Food service manager example responsibilities.

Manage all aspects of the human resources task, including hiring, training, payroll, and the negotiated contract.
Manage operations and provide support to a team of 245 union employees at various elementary, middle and high school cafeterias.
Manage inventory, ordering and delivery of groceries.
Train food & nutrition team in SERVSAFE, HACCP, knife skills and environmental safety.
Maintain all Intel, Aramark and ServSafe safety, sanitation and security guidelines.
Review and complete adequate weekly sales projections, with mastery of using POS system

Kitchen manager vs food service manager skills

Common kitchen manager skills

Customer Service, 15%
Kitchen Equipment, 13%
Cleanliness, 9%
Food Handling, 9%
Fifo, 8%
Food Waste, 6%

Common food service manager skills

Customer Service, 27%
Sanitation Standards, 10%
Cleanliness, 7%
Patients, 6%
Kitchen Equipment, 5%
Food Handling, 4%

Kitchen Manager vs. similar jobs

Kitchen Manager related careers

Kitchen Manager related jobs

Kitchen Manager jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Kitchen Manager
Kitchen Manager vs Food Service Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs