Food Services Manager

OFO No:

What is a Food Services Manager?

A Food Services Manager is a person who is responsible for managing and co-ordinating the supply of food to a large number of people.

They usually work in places like hotels, hospitals and in large restaurants and catering companies, airports, etc.

What does a Food Services Manager do?

• compiles and plans menus
• sticks to and work within budgets
• arranges catering for functions
• makes sure food looks attractive
• ensures quality control
• keeps control of stock and storage
• adheres to safety standards
• ensures excellent hygiene
• recruits, trains and manages staff
• works with dieticians, eg. in hospitals
• keeps records

Are you … ?

• interested in the food and hospitality industry?
• self-disciplined?
• a person with good leadership qualities?
• a good communicator?
• organised?
• able to deal with stress and pressure?
• a quick thinker?
• professional?
• able to deal with difficult guests/customers?

How do I become a Food Services Manager?

For example:

These 2 universities of technology offer a 3 year National Diploma in Hospitality: Food & Beverage as well as a BTech if you want to continue your studies:

• CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY: (CPUT)

• VAAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

There are many colleges (public and private) as well as specialised hotel schools that offer courses in Food & Beverage Management.

TRAINING:

• CLICK HERE to check for a training institution near you to see what they offer.
• Make sure you understand their entry requirements for each course.
• To avoid scams, make sure your institution is registered with the Department of Higher Education. 
• CLICK HERE to check accredited Private Higher Education Institutions. 

Obviously, a Food Services Manager holds a very senior position the hospitality industry. This usually comes with loads of work experience in  as well as having a varied skill set. A lot of Food Services Managers will have some form of hospitality qualification. They might even have more than one.

Example:

A person might start out as a qualified Chef and after working in a hotel for a few years, move on up to Food Services Manager and then onto becoming a Hotel Manager. During this time, the person may be doing online business management or other relevant courses to improve their skills. It will depend on how ambitious you are on how hard you push yourself.

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER: Food and Beverage Manager … or … Restaurant Manager

Is becoming a Food Services Manager the right career choice for me?