Sous chef vs banquet chef

The differences between sous chefs and banquet chefs can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a sous chef and a banquet chef. Additionally, a sous chef has an average salary of $48,716, which is higher than the $48,026 average annual salary of a banquet chef.

The top three skills for a sous chef include culinary, food handling and food preparation. The most important skills for a banquet chef are culinary, food preparation, and quality standards.

Sous chef vs banquet chef overview

	Sous Chef	Banquet Chef
Yearly salary	$48,716	$48,026
Hourly rate	$23.42	$23.09
Growth rate	15%	15%
Number of jobs	22,393	23,474
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 51%	Associate Degree, 59%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does a sous chef do?

A sous chef is responsible for directing food preparation and general kitchen tasks with the supervision of an executive chef. A sous chef duties also include customizing healthy menus, maintaining quality check for foods, adhering to the highest sanitation procedures and standards, monitoring food and equipment supplies, suggesting new specialties, assisting customer's inquiries, and managing client's complaints. A sous chef must have excellent communication and decision-making skills, as well as updated with the current food trends to provide the best services for the customers.

What does a banquet chef do?

Banquet Chefs are responsible for preparation, planning, and kitchen management as a culinary expert. They work in hotels, resorts, clubs, and other facilities.

Sous chef vs banquet chef salary

Sous chefs and banquet chefs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sous Chef	Banquet Chef
Average salary	$48,716	$48,026
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $70,000	Between $28,000 And $80,000
Highest paying City	Atlantic City, NJ	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Hawaii	New Jersey
Best paying company	RH	J.F. Shea Co
Best paying industry	Government	Hospitality

Differences between sous chef and banquet chef education

There are a few differences between a sous chef and a banquet chef in terms of educational background:

	Sous Chef	Banquet Chef
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 51%	Associate Degree, 59%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Culinary Arts
Most common college	Drexel University	Cornell University

Sous chef vs banquet chef demographics

Here are the differences between sous chefs' and banquet chefs' demographics:

	Sous Chef	Banquet Chef
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%	Male, 84.9% Female, 15.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.3% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 11.2% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between sous chef and banquet chef duties and responsibilities

Sous chef example responsibilities.

Manage FOH duties, along with customer relations.
Train, mentore, manage and discipline lead chefs, associate chefs, prep cooks, pastry assistants and dishwashers.
Manage a staff of 45 union personnel in preparation of meals for hospital patients and cafeteria patrons for three meals daily.
Control food and payroll costs to achieve maximum profitability.
Manage people and oversee production of high-volume establishment for this upscale restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine.
Train and manage all culinary personnel, supervise and coordinate all culinary activities, estimate food consumption and manage food cost.

Banquet chef example responsibilities.

Manage cold kitchen production for a luxury hotel with a Michelin star restaurant
Design and execute stunning, delicious, but simplistic breakfast and lunch buffets in meeting rooms.
Design and prepare decorated foods and arrangements for buffets.
Maintain an excellent level of professionalism and cleanliness to meet state and company regulations.
Contribute vision and creativity developing and directing culinary operations supporting a wide range of art shows and gallery events.
Direct a high-performing team of culinary associates in ensuring the seamless delivery of all production activities for upcoming functions.

Sous chef vs banquet chef skills

Common sous chef skills

Culinary, 15%
Food Handling, 8%
Food Preparation, 7%
Customer Service, 5%
Fine Dining, 5%
Food Service, 5%

Common banquet chef skills

Culinary, 14%
Food Preparation, 8%
Quality Standards, 7%
Banquet Kitchen, 6%
Food Quality, 4%
Cleanliness, 4%

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Sous Chef vs Banquet Chef

Updated January 8, 2025

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