How to hire food service managers
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Count money and make bank deposits. • Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service. • Investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations. • Keep records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies. • Maintain food and equipment inventories, and keep inventory records. • Monitor budgets and payroll records, and review financial transactions to ensure that expenditures are authorized and budgeted. • Perform some food preparation or service tasks, such as cooking, clearing tables, and serving food and drinks when necessary. • Schedule staff hours and assign duties. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong active listening, monitoring, speaking, reading comprehension, critical thinking and active learning skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, administration and management, food production and English Language • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $33.36 an hour ($69,390 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for food service managers
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to count money and make bank deposits. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to establish standards for personnel performance and customer service. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to keep records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What food service managers do
- Count money and make bank deposits.
- Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service.
- Investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations.
- Keep records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies.
- Maintain food and equipment inventories, and keep inventory records.
- Monitor budgets and payroll records, and review financial transactions to ensure that expenditures are authorized and budgeted.
- Perform some food preparation or service tasks, such as cooking, clearing tables, and serving food and drinks when necessary.
- Schedule staff hours and assign duties.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for food service managers
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Experience usually needed to start: Less than 5 years (BLS)
- Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: +5.8% over ten years, faster than average · about 38,800 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay food service managers
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Washington | $95,190 |
| Massachusetts | $92,240 |
| Hawaii | $87,800 |
| New York | $84,200 |
| Rhode Island | $82,850 |
| Mississippi | $59,540 |
| Arkansas | $55,120 |
| West Virginia | $54,800 |
See food service managers pay in every state
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Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: 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; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.