Food Service Managers

Hospitality and TourismO*NET 11-9051.00United States

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization or department that serves food and beverages.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $60,931
Projected change: +9.4%
Typical education: High school diploma or less
Employment: 327.93K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What food service managers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service.
Count money and make bank deposits.
Schedule staff hours and assign duties.
Keep records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies.
Investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations.
Maintain food and equipment inventories, and keep inventory records.
Monitor budgets and payroll records, and review financial transactions to ensure that expenditures are authorized and budgeted.
Perform some food preparation or service tasks, such as cooking, clearing tables, and serving food and drinks when necessary.
Schedule and receive food and beverage deliveries, checking delivery contents to verify product quality and quantity.
Coordinate assignments of cooking personnel to ensure economical use of food and timely preparation.
Organize and direct worker training programs, resolve personnel problems, hire new staff, and evaluate employee performance in dining and lodging facilities.
Monitor food preparation methods, portion sizes, and garnishing and presentation of food to ensure that food is prepared and presented in an acceptable manner.
Estimate food, liquor, wine, and other beverage consumption to anticipate amounts to be purchased or requisitioned.
Assess staffing needs and recruit staff, using methods such as newspaper advertisements or attendance at job fairs.
Monitor compliance with health and fire regulations regarding food preparation and serving, and building maintenance in lodging and dining facilities.
Test cooked food by tasting and smelling it to ensure palatability and flavor conformity.
Order and purchase equipment and supplies.
Review work procedures and operational problems to determine ways to improve service, performance, or safety.
Arrange for equipment maintenance and repairs, and coordinate a variety of services, such as waste removal and pest control.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $35,545
25th percentile: $46,940
50th percentile: $60,931
75th percentile: $82,157
90th percentile: $118,179

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $60,931 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+9.4%faster than average

2025327,933 jobs

2035 projected358,721 jobs

30,788 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less: 45.8%
Certificate: 21.3%
Associate degree: 18.6%
Bachelor's degree: 9.7%
Some college: 4.6%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Restaurant Operation
Food Safety And Sanitation
Restaurant Management
Food Services
Inventory Management
Sanitation
Profit And Loss (P&L) Management
Marketing
Lifting Ability
Cash Handling
Food Quality Assurance And Control
Cost Control
Customer Complaint Resolution
Food Preparation
Performance Review
Inventory Control
Operational Excellence
Cash Control
Operations Management
Service Standards

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Management of Financial Resources: Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01General Managers46,800 postings
02Assistant General Managers24,234 postings
03Assistant Managers22,107 postings
04Shift Managers20,430 postings
05Restaurant Managers17,488 postings
06Restaurant General Managers16,964 postings
07Managers7,128 postings
08Kitchen Managers6,430 postings
09Assistant Restaurant Managers5,537 postings
10Food and Beverage Managers4,115 postings
11Front of House Managers2,755 postings
12Food Service Managers2,670 postings
13Managers-in-Training2,023 postings
14Bakery Managers1,926 postings
15General Managers In Training1,861 postings
16Restaurant Operations Managers1,832 postings
17General Managers/Restaurant Managers/Restaurant Assistant Managers1,567 postings
18Bar Managers1,526 postings
19Restaurant Shift Managers1,510 postings
20Deli Managers1,454 postings

Top employers

01Taco Bell19,040 postings
02Domino's Pizza15,265 postings
03Wendy's9,581 postings
04Pizza Hut9,048 postings
05Arby's4,672 postings
06Burger King4,024 postings
07Kentucky Fried Chicken3,301 postings
08Dunkin' Donuts3,111 postings
09McDonald's2,636 postings
10Subway2,438 postings
11Panera Bread2,381 postings
12Goodwin Recruiting1,898 postings
13Compass Group1,845 postings
14Aramark1,717 postings
15Bob Evans Restaurants1,651 postings
16Sonic Drive-In1,615 postings
17Love's1,613 postings
18Sodexo1,494 postings
19Papa John's1,404 postings
20Marriott International1,397 postings

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