Food Operations Manager Job Description

Salary Range

$56,870 - $86,800

Experience

5+ years in food service management

Work Environment

Institutional and commercial food service facilities

What Does a Food Operations Manager Do?

Food operations managers run the business side of a kitchen and dining operation, often in hospitals, schools, corporate cafeterias, stadiums or multi-unit restaurant groups. They set staff schedules, order and receive food, track food and labor costs against budget, keep the operation ready for health inspections, and step onto the line or register when a shift is short. Where a restaurant manager runs one dining room, this role tends to cover several outlets or a high-volume contract account, with reporting to a client or district manager.

Other Job Titles for This Work

Workers in this occupation report titles such as Banquet Manager, Catering Manager, CDM (Certified Dietary Manager), Dining Service Director, F and B Manager (Food and Beverage Manager), Food Service Director, Food Service Manager, Food Service Supervisor.

Food Operations Manager Duties and Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of a food operations manager include:

• Build weekly schedules for cooks, servers, dishwashers and cashiers to match forecast volume and the labor budget.
• Place food and supply orders with vendors, and check deliveries for temperature, quantity, quality and invoice accuracy.
• Count inventory, track food cost and waste, and adjust ordering or portion sizes when costs run high.
• Keep the temperature logs, cleaning schedules and other records that health inspectors and contract clients ask for.
• Train staff on food safety, allergen handling, station setup and service standards.
• Hire, coach and evaluate employees, and deal with attendance and performance problems.
• Investigate complaints about food quality or service, talk with the guest, and fix the cause in the kitchen.
• Review payroll, sales reports and expenses in Microsoft Excel or QuickBooks, and explain budget variances to upper management.
• Count cash, prepare bank deposits and reconcile register reports.
• Work the line, serving counter or dish station during peak periods or call-outs.

Required Skills and Qualifications

To succeed as a food operations manager, you will need the following skills and qualifications:

• A certified food protection manager credential such as ServSafe Manager, which health codes in most states require for at least one person on site
• Food and labor cost control, including inventory counts, waste tracking and menu costing
• Spreadsheet skills in Microsoft Excel and bookkeeping in Intuit QuickBooks
• Scheduling and staffing across multiple shifts or outlets
• Hands-on kitchen and service skills, enough to cover any station during a rush
• Working knowledge of health code requirements for holding temperatures, labeling and sanitation
• Fair, direct handling of staff conflicts and performance issues
• Composure with clients or administrators who escalate a complaint about a single meal

Education and Training

There is no single required degree. About 30 percent of food service managers report a high school diploma or GED, about 21 percent a post-secondary certificate and about 19 percent an associate's degree. Many work their way up from cook, server or shift supervisor, while others enter with a degree in hospitality or culinary management, which is more common for institutional and contract roles. Almost every employer requires a certified food protection manager credential, which you earn by passing an accredited exam after a short course. Expect to build several years of supervisory experience before managing multiple outlets.

Salary and Job Outlook

BLS projects employment of food service managers to grow about 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 38,800 openings a year. Food operations managers are employed by hospitals, universities, corporate cafeterias, and hospitality companies. Career advancement includes director of dining services, regional food service manager, or hospitality executive positions.

Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Food service managers.

Food Operations Manager Pay Range

Highest-Paying States for Food Operations Managers

The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Washington ($95,190), Massachusetts ($92,240), Hawaii ($87,800), New York ($84,200), Rhode Island ($82,850). Pay is lowest in Mississippi ($59,540), Arkansas ($55,120), West Virginia ($54,800).

What the Work Is Like

O*NET surveys people who work as food service managers about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:

• 99% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
• 91% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
• 82% spend more than half the workday on their feet
• 80% are on the phone every day
• 78% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
• 75% spend more than half the day walking or moving around
• 66% deal with rude or angry people at least once a week

Education Workers Say the Job Needs

Tools and Software Food Operations Managers Use

Tools and equipment

• Computerized cash registers
• Laser printers
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Personal digital assistants PDA

Software

• Microsoft Office software
• Facebook
• Google Docs
• Intuit QuickBooks
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Project
• Microsoft Word
• Aestiva Employee Time Clock
• Apache Groovy
• Army Food Management Information System

Is This Job a Good Fit for You?

People who do well in this job tend to enjoy leading, persuading and making business decisions as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.

Skills O*NET rates most important: Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring, Coordination, Management of Personnel Resources, Reading Comprehension.

Knowledge areas used most: Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Food Production, English Language, Personnel and Human Resources.

Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 2 of 5, which means some preparation.

Related Careers

These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:

• Assistant Catering Manager job description
• Restaurant Manager job description
• Assistant Restaurant Manager job description
• Beverage Manager job description
• Cafeteria Manager job description
• Catering Manager job description
• Chef job description
• Sous Chef job description

Applying for a Food Operations Manager Job

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