Kitchen supervisor vs catering supervisor

The differences between kitchen supervisors and catering supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a kitchen supervisor has an average salary of $40,520, which is higher than the $36,455 average annual salary of a catering supervisor.

The top three skills for a kitchen supervisor include culinary, cleanliness and food service. The most important skills for a catering supervisor are customer service, food service, and HACCP.

Kitchen supervisor vs catering supervisor overview

	Kitchen Supervisor	Catering Supervisor
Yearly salary	$40,520	$36,455
Hourly rate	$19.48	$17.53
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	66,303	8,658
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

What does a kitchen supervisor do?

A kitchen supervisor is responsible for managing the overall kitchen operations, ensuring that the kitchen employees follow sanitary procedures while doing their high-quality and maximum productivity tasks. Kitchen supervisors manage inventories, checking the adequacy of food supplies and kitchen equipment, and negotiating contracts with suppliers and third-party vendors. They also help develop marketing strategies, research the latest food trends, update menus, and create financial reports and expense forecasting. A kitchen supervisor must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially with responding to customers' inquiries and concerns and resolving complaints.

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.

Kitchen supervisor vs catering supervisor salary

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

	Kitchen Supervisor	Catering Supervisor
Average salary	$40,520	$36,455
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $58,000	Between $28,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	San Luis Obispo, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	GoodCents	Massachusetts General Hospital
Best paying industry	Start-up	Hospitality

Differences between kitchen supervisor and catering supervisor education

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

	Kitchen Supervisor	Catering Supervisor
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Business
Most common college	-	-

Kitchen supervisor vs catering supervisor demographics

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

	Kitchen Supervisor	Catering Supervisor
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 65.0% Female, 35.0%	Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 6.8% White, 60.1% 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 kitchen supervisor and catering supervisor duties and responsibilities

Kitchen supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage grill area and demonstrate leadership.
Manage people and oversee production of high-volume establishment for this upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine.
Train and supervise all culinary employees including community service volunteers in kitchen operations and delegate daily work assignments.
Maintain kitchen and dining area under Servsafe guidelines.
Used a POS system and show advanced money management skills.
Exercise leadership skills by coordinating kitchen staff during busy times.

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.

Kitchen supervisor vs catering supervisor skills

Common kitchen supervisor skills

Culinary, 16%
Cleanliness, 11%
Food Service, 10%
Food Handling, 8%
Kitchen Equipment, 7%
Customer Service, 6%

Common catering supervisor skills

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

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Kitchen Supervisor vs Catering Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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