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Nutrition director vs food service director

The differences between nutrition directors and food service directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a nutrition director, becoming a food service director takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a nutrition director has an average salary of $80,617, which is higher than the $53,939 average annual salary of a food service director.

The top three skills for a nutrition director include patients, nutrition services and menu planning. The most important skills for a food service director are customer service, culinary, and servsafe.

Nutrition director vs food service director overview

Nutrition DirectorFood Service Director
Yearly salary$80,617$53,939
Hourly rate$38.76$25.93
Growth rate28%10%
Number of jobs32,743136,337
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age4739
Years of experience64

What does a nutrition director do?

A Nutrition Director directs and supervises all aspects of an organization's nutrition guidelines and initiatives. They also ensure the provision of safe, nutritious food services to members of organizations.

What does a food service director do?

A food service director is responsible for managing the foodservice operations, achieving the customers' highest satisfaction by supervising the kitchen personnel, monitoring the food distribution, and responding to the guests' inquiries and concerns. Foodservice directors manage the food inventories, ensuring the adequacy of all the ingredients and materials, and keeping the storage safe and clean all the time by enforcing strict sanitary and hygienic procedures. A food service director must be updated with the current food industry trends to update the menu regularly and meet the guests' demands.

Nutrition director vs food service director salary

Nutrition directors and food service directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Nutrition DirectorFood Service Director
Average salary$80,617$53,939
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $165,000Between $35,000 And $82,000
Highest paying CityTewksbury, MASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateMassachusettsCalifornia
Best paying companyEagle Pack Pet FoodBaptist Health Care
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between nutrition director and food service director education

There are a few differences between a nutrition director and a food service director in terms of educational background:

Nutrition DirectorFood Service Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common majorDieteticsCulinary Arts
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillCornell University

Nutrition director vs food service director demographics

Here are the differences between nutrition directors' and food service directors' demographics:

Nutrition DirectorFood Service Director
Average age4739
Gender ratioMale, 24.8% Female, 75.2%Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 8.0% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.3% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage12%10%

Differences between nutrition director and food service director duties and responsibilities

Nutrition director example responsibilities.

  • Manage the WIC budget and execute budget amendments for the fiscal year.
  • Manage food allergies and special diets by providing nutritious alternatives and creating student-specific menus.
  • Ensure all menus meet USDA requirements.
  • Enter all MDS forms need for facility.
  • Cater to even the most severe allergies and intolerances.
  • Develop and revise processes and forms for screening, assessment, MDS reviews and other nutrition interventions.
    • Show more

Food service director example responsibilities.

  • Train and manage countless dishwashers, cooks, servers, and other managers to achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
  • Manage both front of the house (FOH) and back of the house (BOH) operations.
  • Manage a team of 12 managers and 160 FTE.
  • Achieve highest level of compliance with CMS and Steritech audits.
  • Manage departmental budget and payroll for 111 FTE's, service and production of ~ 1200 meals/day.
  • Manage food services at 142 bed sub-acute rehabilitation and skil nursing facility with a staff of 43 FTE's.
    • Show more

Nutrition director vs food service director skills

Common nutrition director skills
  • Patients, 22%
  • Nutrition Services, 8%
  • Menu Planning, 6%
  • Food Safety, 5%
  • Nutrition Education, 5%
  • Patient Satisfaction, 4%
Common food service director skills
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Culinary, 9%
  • ServSafe, 8%
  • Food Preparation, 6%
  • Good Judgment, 5%
  • Cost Control, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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