Catering Manager

Catering Manager is described by 22 tasks that reveal what counts as part of the role and when to escalate. The practical steps are written for quick learning and practice. Each one shows where we found it, and comes with an AI prompt you can copy and use straight away.

22evidenced tasks
22ready prompts
8tools of the trade
11-9051.00O*NET-SOC code
238,430hold this job (US, BLS 2025)
$69,390median pay/yr (US)
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What it pays

Government survey numbers — not estimates, not ads.

Half of all Food Service Managers in the U.S. earn more than $69,390 a year — the middle 80% land between $45,960 and $107,640. About 238,430 people in the U.S. do this work. Figures are for the U.S. occupation group “Food Service Managers”. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, published 2025.) In India, Managers earn about ₹50,473 a month on average — around ₹6.1 lakh a year (government PLFS survey via ILOSTAT, occupation-family figure).
$69,390typical pay / year
238,430people in this work
$107,640+top 10% earn
₹6.1 lakha year in India (family avg)
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The work, task by task

These are the real jobs-to-be-done, not a wish list. Each task shows where we found it, and the prompt underneath is written for that exact task.

Sending & sharing1
zz

Order supplies

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Order the week's dry goods, dairy, and disposables to replenish low-stock items, prioritise the salmon and…
Order the week's dry goods, dairy, and disposables to replenish low-stock items, prioritise the salmon and chafing fuel for Saturday's banquet, confirm delivery on Thursday morning, and check vendor invoices against the current stock sheet before approving payment.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Exceljob descriptionsO*NET
Care2

Train staff

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Run a two-hour front-of-house and food-safety training for the evening team Tuesday at 2pm, use the service…
Run a two-hour front-of-house and food-safety training for the evening team Tuesday at 2pm, use the service checklist and plate presentation photos as examples, record attendance and the three improvement actions for each trainee.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft PowerPointAestiva Employee Time Clockjob descriptionsO*NET

Hire employees

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Post a job for two part-time servers and one prep cook for weekend shifts, screen applicants for availability…
Post a job for two part-time servers and one prep cook for weekend shifts, screen applicants for availability and food-safety certification, shortlist three each, schedule interviews next Wednesday, and send applicants the job description and pay range.
The tools that do the workFacebookjob descriptionsO*NET
Make1

Prepare food

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Produce the three-course banquet for 120 guests on Saturday: finalise prep sheets, assign stations to Sam and…
Produce the three-course banquet for 120 guests on Saturday: finalise prep sheets, assign stations to Sam and Lila, confirm allergen labels, and stage plated service for tasting at 16:00 with head chef Ramon.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OfficeMicrosoft ExcelESCOjob descriptionsO*NET
Keeping the record1

Manage budget and payroll

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Run the monthly payroll and budget check for June, confirm hours against the rota, flag overtime above 8…
Run the monthly payroll and budget check for June, confirm hours against the rota, flag overtime above 8 hours to HR, and send the final figures to accountant Peter by Tuesday noon.
The tools that do the workIntuit QuickBooksESCOjob descriptionsO*NET
Analysing1

Resolve customer complaints

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Handle the evening complaint from table 12 about undercooked fish: apologise, remove the dish, offer a…
Handle the evening complaint from table 12 about undercooked fish: apologise, remove the dish, offer a replacement or full refund, log the incident with customer details, and brief head chef Lila before close.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptionsO*NET
The daily work16

Record the number, type, and cost of items sold to determine which items may be unpopular or less profitable.

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Record today's sales by item: count portions sold, note portion size and variant, enter actual cost per…
Record today's sales by item: count portions sold, note portion size and variant, enter actual cost per portion and sale price, then produce a short list of items with low sales or thin margins for the weekly stock meeting on Monday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET

Review menus and analyze recipes to determine labor and overhead costs, and assign prices to menu items.

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For next month's menu update, open each recipe, list ingredient quantities and prep minutes, calculate labor…
For next month's menu update, open each recipe, list ingredient quantities and prep minutes, calculate labor and overhead per portion, then propose adjusted selling prices that meet our target food and labor percentage for the monthly review.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET

Take dining reservations.

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Take reservations for Friday dinner: record guest name and phone, party size, seating preference, allergies…
Take reservations for Friday dinner: record guest name and phone, party size, seating preference, allergies or special requests, and assign a booking to the appropriate shift with confirmation text sent now.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookO*NET

Discipline employees

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Prepare a written disciplinary note for Miguel: list dates and incidents, references to prior coaching,…
Prepare a written disciplinary note for Miguel: list dates and incidents, references to prior coaching, expected behavior change and a two-week improvement plan, then schedule a meeting with him and HR this Thursday at 10 a.m.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions

Fire employees

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Document grounds for termination for Jenna: collect dated performance examples, prior warnings, staffing…
Document grounds for termination for Jenna: collect dated performance examples, prior warnings, staffing impact, and a final pay and return-of-property checklist, then arrange a meeting with HR and security on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions

Expedite service during busy periods

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During tonight's rush, assign one server to expediting, stagger ticket release to the line, mark three…
During tonight's rush, assign one server to expediting, stagger ticket release to the line, mark three priority tables for faster plating, and track ticket times to identify bottlenecks for the debrief at close.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft Outlookjob descriptions

Count money and make bank deposits.

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Count the cash and card batches from yesterday’s events, reconcile tills against the cash-up sheets, prepare…
Count the cash and card batches from yesterday’s events, reconcile tills against the cash-up sheets, prepare the bank deposit slip for the branch on Main Street, and schedule the armored pickup for Monday morning after I double-check the totals.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET

Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service.

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Write clear performance and service standards for front-of-house and kitchen staff, include target greeting…
Write clear performance and service standards for front-of-house and kitchen staff, include target greeting times, plate-check steps, and escalation for complaints, then circulate the standards to supervisors and schedule a training review next Friday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordMicrosoft OutlookO*NET

Maintain food and equipment inventories, and keep inventory records.

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Count on-hand food and equipment today, update the inventory record with quantities, mark items below par…
Count on-hand food and equipment today, update the inventory record with quantities, mark items below par levels for reorder, and print the weekly inventory sheet for tomorrow’s purchasing meeting.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET

Estimate food, liquor, wine, and other beverage consumption to anticipate amounts to be purchased or requisitioned.

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Project food and beverage needs for the three events next weekend by estimating consumption per guest,…
Project food and beverage needs for the three events next weekend by estimating consumption per guest, calculate required purchase quantities including 10 percent buffer, and save the shopping requisition for Tuesday’s supplier call.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelO*NET

Test cooked food by tasting and smelling it to ensure palatability and flavor conformity.

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Taste and smell the plated signature dishes from tonight’s service, note any off flavors or temperature…
Taste and smell the plated signature dishes from tonight’s service, note any off flavors or temperature issues, record pass/fail for each cook, and brief the kitchen team on adjustments before the next service.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordO*NET

Monitor employee and patron activities to ensure liquor regulations are obeyed.

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Monitor the bar area during tonight’s service, log any incidents of over-service or ID refusals, remind staff…
Monitor the bar area during tonight’s service, log any incidents of over-service or ID refusals, remind staff of cut-off rules, and compile a short incident report for the liquor license file by close of business.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordO*NET

Manage daily operations

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Run today’s service plan: confirm kitchen and front-of-house rosters, check morning deliveries against stock…
Run today’s service plan: confirm kitchen and front-of-house rosters, check morning deliveries against stock rotation, brief staff on service standards at 09:00, update any menu price changes, and send a short issues note to the general manager by 15:00.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft Exceljob descriptions

Maintain health and safety standards

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Audit the kitchen and storage now: check temperature logs, confirm FIFO stock rotation, run a quick safety…
Audit the kitchen and storage now: check temperature logs, confirm FIFO stock rotation, run a quick safety briefing with the morning shift, record any corrective actions, and upload the signed checklist to the compliance folder before leaving.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft WordAestiva Employee Time Clockjob descriptions

Develop menus

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Draft next month’s three-week menu cycle that balances current stock levels, seasonal suppliers, and target…
Draft next month’s three-week menu cycle that balances current stock levels, seasonal suppliers, and target food cost of 30 percent, include two vegetarian mains per week, and circulate the draft to the head chef and procurement by Friday for pricing checks.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Wordjob descriptions

Coordinate all actions involving customers such as ordering

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Confirm the large corporate booking: check the customer’s order list against current stock, schedule prep and…
Confirm the large corporate booking: check the customer’s order list against current stock, schedule prep and shifts across all services, confirm delivery times with the client, and send the final order and staffing plan to accounts and operations by Wednesday.
The tools that do the workMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft ExcelESCO

Says who?

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The logs, files & records this job keeps

Shared with other careers — the same record means something different in each.

Related careers

Same family of work — each with its own tasks and prompts.

The LLOS Work Atlas is the world's largest evidenced task library — a map of human work, with a ready prompt behind every task. 1,774 careers · every task named by the sources that witnessed it — O*NET, ESCO, real job descriptions, Wikipedia — and the deepest tasks by several at once. And it is honest about limits: where AI cannot help, the map says so.

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Built on public evidence: O*NET®, ESCO, Wikipedia, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ILOSTAT. All sources & licenses