Catering Manager Job Description and Template

Clients trust catering companies to help create well-organized and beautifully-executed events. These companies rely on each of their staff members, who all have vital roles and responsibilities that keep the catering business running smoothly. With each member of the work team operating together like parts of a well-oiled machine, they support their fellow staff in achieving the goals of each event. Therefore, it is important to hire qualified and capable workers to fill each position, including the catering manager.

Catering managers maintain the vital role of planning the staff operations and leading the other staff members. These are the individuals who organize the main activities involved in event catering, like menu composition, shift scheduling and serving preparation. While choosing a qualified individual to act in this role could set you up for success, failing to hire the right worker for the position could cause your catering company to fall short of meeting client expectations. 

There are many methods that employers hiring catering staff can take to locate strong candidates to fill their catering manager positions. While some may choose to access workers through a catering temp agency, others take a more hands-on approach by advertising their openings on job boards. Whatever your method may be, developing a well-written catering manager job description will help you communicate your role’s details appropriately to potential job candidates. If you want to find the best catering manager resume for your open position, read on to learn about why creating a job description is the best hiring practice.

What is a Catering Manager?

So, what is a catering service manager, anyway? A catering manager leads the other members of the catering service team by providing them with direction and answering their questions. They must be well-suited for the role, as their performance in this position can affect the performance of the other catering staff members that they are responsible for managing. A well-qualified catering manager candidate should be experienced as a leader and should be able to organize a well-executed catering plan for a client’s event. This may involve planning menus, overseeing food preparation, and carrying out other related actions that will ensure the event’s success.

What You Should Include in the Catering Manager Job Description

So what should an employer include within a catering manager job description to attract the best candidates for their open position? The following sections will discuss the vital aspects of a job description that should always be included when hiring a catering manager. 

1. Job Summary

An effective catering manager job description should include a general overview that briefly summarizes the ins and outs of the job. Providing this information about your opening will help prospective employees to figure out straight away whether the position that is advertised in the job description is right for them.

2. Responsibilities

The responsibilities section of your catering manager job description should include every duty your employee will need to perform if they are hired for the position. This section should be used to provide a more in-depth view of the catering manager responsibilities. It is important that the information included within this section is a truthful representation of the catering manager’s role. This will enable your reader to fully consider whether they are willing to perform the actions expected for this position.

3. Skills and Qualifications

This part of your catering manager job description should list the skills and qualifications you would like in an ideal candidate. The contents of this section may also be divided into separate lists of “required” and “desired” skills and qualifications, depending on whether they are considered essential or not for the catering manager role. This will make it easy for readers to determine whether the job will be right for them based on whether the skills and qualifications listed on their catering manager’s resume match the required and desired qualities of an ideal job candidate.

4. Salary and Benefits

The salary and benefits portion of the catering manager job description should entice your reader and make them more interested in applying to fill your opening. Therefore, you should always include all of the information regarding the salary and benefits provided for the position when creating your job description for a catering manager role. Doing so will give the potential candidate more incentive to express interest in your position, which could set your job description apart from other catering job listings.

5. Company Overview

The company overview section should contain a brief description of the hiring organization. Providing relevant information about the company can be very useful to include in the job description, as the potential employee should understand how they fit into the business and the organization’s overall vision.

Catering Manager Job Description – Template

The following section of this resource includes a purpose-built template for a catering manager job description that should help you appropriately represent your open position and find the right candidate. By referencing this template to help you design your job description, you should be able to develop a helpful tool that will attract the right workers to apply for your open catering manager position. Feel free to modify any of the information included within this template to align with your organization’s needs!

Catering Manager Job Summary

Our company is now hiring a catering manager to help support our catering department and execute top-of-the-line events for our clients. The catering manager will lead the catering department in all actions, including coordinating catering activities, planning event set-ups, overseeing food preparation, training new hires, organizing food and beverage menus, directing staff members in their assigned positions, and other tasks as assigned. In addition, the chosen candidate will work together with all other members of the team to prepare for and oversee the execution of catering orders and to serve our clients and event guests.

Catering Manager Responsibilities

• Arranges and conducts any internal and/or external Pre-Event meetings as necessary, establishes and maintains strong and friendly client relationships; negotiates with clients as appropriate to develop a contract that meets their needs, plans all event catering operations, and keeps in close contact with clients and on-duty staff members during the event; conducts client follow-ups after events, carries out billing and financial closure duties.
• Identifies potential new business opportunities for the catering company and works with marketing staff members to develop a sales strategy. Work with accounting personnel to maintain pricing integrity and propose upscale menus and enhancements for clients.
• Keeps all relevant catering staff members updated and informed of all challenges or matters requiring their attention. Is proactive in responding to client concerns and working toward resolving issues in a timely manner and providing service recovery as needed. Works with staff to handle concerns as they arise.
• Uses feedback from catering event customer evaluations to improve catering service and quality performance. Strives to meet and exceed all revenue goals.
• Prepares catering event orders, coordinates with outside vendors (decor, entertainment, security, etc.), finalizes event billing, and completes post-event communication.
• Maintain a comprehensive working knowledge of all operational departments within the hiring establishment, including catering, culinary, banquets, guest services, reservations, purchasing, engineering, and accounting departments.
• Contribute to planning client’s catered events by efficiently delegating space and providing specific information regarding room setups that will adequately support the catering operations.
• Help develop event catering menus with other catering staff members and communicate with accounting personnel to create a budget and ensure a cost-efficient and successful event.
• Sets up and maintains files and records for all relevant operations, including staff timesheets, food and beverage menu budgets, and catering purchases. Prepares all reports for submission in a timely manner and distributes schedules and event lists to all serving employees.
• Greets company clients and event guests and maintains communications and rapport with them to ensure guest satisfaction and promote a warm and welcoming event environment. Represents the catering company positively and encourages other members of the catering staff to do the same.

Catering Manager Required Skills

1. Must possess strong people leadership skills and the ability to communicate verbally and in writing effectively, with a strong grasp of the English language (ability to speak Spanish is preferred but not required). Must be able to establish and maintain a positive and professional working relationship with all other members of the catering company staff.
2. A qualified catering manager must be able to effectively communicate with customers in a friendly manner to positively represent the catering company and, in order to solicit business, upsell products, meet client demands, resolve complaints, and provide service recovery as needed.
3. Must possess strong organization, time management, planning, budgeting, decision-making, and interpersonal skills, and feel comfortable working in a fast-paced, multi-tasking, hands-on work environment.
4. Catering managers should have prior knowledge of food and catering trends, focusing on food and beverage quality, meal production, kitchen sanitation, and food cost controls.
5. Must feel comfortable supervising over eighty (80) subordinate staff members both directly and indirectly and providing them with direction on event execution, planning, and coordinating.

Catering Manager Qualifications

• Catering managers are required to possess at least four (4) years of progressive experience in an event venue, hotel, corporate dining, or related field, including one year at the management level; or must have a two (2) year college degree and at least three (3) years of related professional experience with sufficient experience at the management level; or must have earned a four (4) year college degree and gained two (2) or more years of related work experience with experience performing managerial job duties.
• Candidates must be physically mobile with reasonable accommodations, including the ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs. and the ability to push, pull, reach, bend, grasp, balance, and stack.
• Qualified candidates must possess a valid driver’s license and reliable mode of transportation and be able to travel to area businesses and events to solicit new business as needed or as opportunities arise.
• Must have professional experience in financial, budgetary, accounting, and computational planning. Ideal candidates should have proficient computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft Office software products, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Must be at Least 21 Years of Age

Catering Manager Benefits

• Retirement Plans
• Health and Wellness Programs
• Discounts on products provided by the catering company, including dining and lots of other employee perks and discounts
• Identity Theft Protection
• Pet Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits, including Critical Illness Insurance, Accident Insurance, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Legal Services, and Choice Auto and Home Program
• Dental and Vision Health Insurance plans
• Supplemental Life Insurance and AD plan options
• Disability Insurance Plans
• Commuter Benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• $500 Sign On Bonus plus an additional $500 after six months of employment
• Competitive pay, with paychecks provided every week
• Tips provided per work in a high-volume setting
• Education assistance
• Anniversary pay
• Matching 401(k) saving plan after one year of employment (21 and over)
• Referral Bonus (of up to $300)
• Weekend availability
• Flexible work schedules – 8-hour shift and 10-hour shift opportunities
• Full-time hours with competitive wages.
• Overtime hourly work available.
• Paid sick leave and paid personal time off/vacation leave.
• Paid family and medical leave are available after one year of service.
• One free employee meal per event shift worked (from a limited menu), and employee discounts for products (from our full menu) 

Looking to Hire Catering Managers? Try Adia!

Creating a well-written job description is an effective way to communicate your opening to potential clients and attract qualified workers to your open role. By developing an informative catering manager job description, you can easily find suitable professionals for your position, but if you would like to skip the effort, try hiring through Adia. The Adia on-demand staffing platform is a fast and straightforward way for employers to connect with qualified, pre-vetted workers. Whether you are looking for event staff, a staffing agency in Chicago or a staffing agency in Dallas, Adia can connect you with eligible staff members available for hire near you. For more information about the Adia on-demand staffing solution, visit https://adia.works/.