Food Service Managers
Also called: Banquet Director, Banquet Manager, Cafe Operator, Cafeteria Director, Cafeteria Manager, Cafeteria Operator, Catering Coordinator, Catering Director
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization or department that serves food and beverages.
What food service managers do
Typical tasks
- Count money and make bank deposits.
- Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service.
- Keep records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies.
- Schedule staff hours and assign duties.
- Investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations.
- Maintain food and equipment inventories, and keep inventory records.
- Perform some food preparation or service tasks, such as cooking, clearing tables, and serving food and drinks when necessary.
- Monitor budgets and payroll records, and review financial transactions to ensure that expenditures are authorized and budgeted.
- 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.
- Assess staffing needs and recruit staff, using methods such as newspaper advertisements or attendance at job fairs.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Food Service Managers salary
The median annual wage for food service managers is $69,390 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $45,960 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $107,640. The mean annual wage is $74,880.
The mean hourly wage of $36.00 is 5.0× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Food Service Managers (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $69,390 → in 3 years $76,300 → in 5 years $81,200 → in 10 years $95,100 (10-year range $81,800–$110,400). The model assumes pay growth of +3.2% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Food Service Managers
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Food Service Managers? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Food Service Managers
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Food Service Managers United States | ハンバーガーショップ店長 Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $69,390 | ¥3.71M ≈ $23,592 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $95,100 | ¥5.05M |
| Outlook score | 69 | 48 |
| AI replacement risk | 35% Low | 43% Moderate |
| Workers | 238K | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Food Service Managers
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become food service managers
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as food service managers
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.