# Food Service Managers

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

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-service-managers
- SOC code: 11-9051.00
- Career family: Management
- Median annual pay: $69,390 (10th percentile $45,960, 90th percentile $107,640)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +5.8%
- Openings a year: 38,800
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ECR)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 53 |
| Investigative (I) | 16 |
| Artistic (A) | 10 |
| Social (S) | 42 |
| Enterprising (E) | 83 |
| Conventional (C) | 68 |

## What you'd do

- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 84/100)
- Getting Information (importance 82/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 81/100)
- Coaching and Developing Others (importance 79/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 79/100)
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others (importance 76/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 76/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 75/100)
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 75/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 74/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Coordination, Management of Personnel Resources, Monitoring, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Service Orientation, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Time Management

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Food Production, English Language, Personnel and Human Resources, Sales and Marketing, Mathematics, Administrative, Production and Processing, Education and Training

## Also called

Banquet Director, Banquet Manager, Cafe Operator, Cafeteria Director, Cafeteria Manager, Cafeteria Operator, Catering Coordinator, Catering Director, Catering Manager, CDM (Certified Dietary Manager)

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Hospitality Administration/Management](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5209) (CIP 5209, 641 colleges)
- [Culinary Arts and Related Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1205) (CIP 1205, 510 colleges)
- [Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1905) (CIP 1905, 276 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Cornell University-New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/cornell-university-new-york-710) | Hospitality Administration/Management | $92,126 | $112,289 | $10,883 |
| [New York University NYU](https://www.collegesref.com/college/new-york-university-nyu-1866) | Hospitality Administration/Management | $73,456 | $84,375 | not reported |
| [Boston University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/boston-university-286) | Hospitality Administration/Management | $59,073 | $82,302 | $19,500 |
| [University of Denver](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-denver-2906) | Hospitality Administration/Management | $54,472 | $75,118 | $19,204 |
| [Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/virginia-polytechnic-institute-and-state-university-3134) | Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | $30,289 | $74,005 | $20,500 |
| [DePaul University-Illinois](https://www.collegesref.com/college/depaul-university-illinois-795) | Hospitality Administration/Management | $51,160 | $71,556 | not reported |
| [Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/fairleigh-dickinson-university-metropolitan-campus-936) | Hospitality Administration/Management | $47,506 | $71,188 | $19,500 |
| [Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/fairleigh-dickinson-university-florham-campus-935) | Hospitality Administration/Management | $47,506 | $71,188 | $19,500 |

## Related careers

- [Chefs and Head Cooks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/chefs-and-head-cooks): $62,470 median pay
- [First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-food-preparation-and-serving-workers): $44,080 median pay
- [Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-institution-and-cafeteria): $37,450 median pay
- [Cooks, Restaurant](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-restaurant): $37,390 median pay
- [Cooks, Private Household](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cooks-private-household): $47,940 median pay
- [Food Servers, Nonrestaurant](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/food-servers-nonrestaurant): $35,360 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.