Career
Food service managers
Run a restaurant or kitchen where every shift is a performance—and every detail has to work.
$69,390
Median pay
+5.8%
Job growth, 2025–35
38,800
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Count money and make bank deposits.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking, Coordination.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $69,390 a year and 38,800 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Hospitality ManagementSee the degree →
- Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/ManagerCIP 12.0504
- Culinary Science/CulinologyCIP 12.0509
- Wine Steward/SommelierCIP 12.0510
- Foodservice Systems Administration/ManagementCIP 19.0505
- Hospitality Administration/Management, GeneralCIP 52.0901
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Chefs and Head Cooks$62,470 · +6.6%
- First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$44,080 · +5.4%
- Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria$37,450 · +2.8%
- Cooks, Restaurant$37,390 · +12.1%
- Cooks, Private Household$47,940 · +5.1%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.