INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Food Service Manager positions are at a 15% growth rate, which is faster than average. With that said, there are currently 309,800 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 46,200 to 356,000 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Food Service Manager jobs was $56,590 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $33,880, and the highest 10% more than $94,770.
Our conclusion? The Food Service Manager job market is wide open for candidates.
Top food service manager sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
Writing a memorable experience section: food service manager resume edition
Checklist: ways to make your experience section stand out
- Find balance: use 4-6 bullet points per position;
- Include positions that are relevant to the job you’re applying for;
- Use action verbs when describing your responsibilities and results;
- Highlight your achievements by adding numbers to them (e.g. instead of saying “achieved a steady increase in…”, say “achieved an X% increase in…”);
- Prove that you’re willing to work hard, both individually and in a team.
We’ve gathered the most impressive Food Service Manager experience sections from real Enhancv resumes. Check them out for some additional inspiration!
- Increased clients retention by 10% via updating customer service procedures
- Worked with 2 teams to increase food sales by 23%
- Guaranteed food quality and 100% customer satisfaction by auditing menu items and food service performance
- Managed and grew a $2m branded food portfolio by 7%
- Collaborated with 4 team members daily to deliver food orders based on customers’ choice
- Accumulated $725,000 in food & beverage sales for 2019
- Implemented food production and waste reduction strategies.
- Increased Quality Assurance Audit score by almost 50%.
- Reduced location labor cost by 4.8% by adjusting staffing based on forecasted customers and employee strengths to ensure optimal and efficient production.
- Increased campus employee recognition by 10%.Ensured that the dining facility account status maintained a 10% under spent status while rejuvenating menu selection that exceeded all Army Food Service standards.
- Supervised and trained 25 to 35 personnel who received commendations from the Executive Staff for high quality operations.
- Increased sales by 30% by implementing new food menu items and marketing strategies.
- Reduced waste by 20% by implementing a new inventory management system.
- Implemented a training program that increased employee satisfaction by 25% and decreased turnover rate by 15%.
- Maintained a 100% compliance rate with health and food safety regulations.
- Managed a team of 20+ employees, including scheduling and performance evaluations.
- Created and managed a budget of $500,000+ annually.
- Resolved customer complaints resulting in a 90% satisfaction rate.
- Developed and implemented a new customer loyalty program resulting in a 15% increase in repeat business.
- Maintained a clean and organized kitchen environment, resulting in a perfect score on health inspections.
- Reduced food waste by 25% through implementation of standardized portion sizes and staff training
- Increased patient satisfaction scores by 15% by implementing a new menu with more diverse options
- Streamlined inventory management system, resulting in a 20% reduction in food costs
- Developed and implemented a staff training program on food safety, resulting in 100% compliance with health department regulations
- Created and managed budget of $2 million for food service department
- Managed a team of 20 staff members, providing coaching and performance feedback
- Collaborated with clinical staff to ensure patients' nutritional needs were met
- Implemented new menu with focus on nutritional value and variety, resulting in a 20% increase in resident satisfaction
- Managed budget of $500,000 for dietary department, optimizing expenses and reducing costs by 10%
- Developed and implemented staff training program on proper food handling and safety, resulting in 100% compliance with state health department regulations
- Collaborated with nursing staff to ensure residents' dietary needs were met and addressed concerns in a timely manner
- Managed a team of 10 staff members, providing coaching and performance feedback
- Implemented system for tracking and addressing resident feedback, resulting in a 25% increase in positive feedback
- Maintained inventory and ordering of food and supplies, ensuring proper levels and minimizing waste
PRO TIP
The person reading your Food Service Manager resume will be busy, make sure you never waste their time with fluff.
Action verbs for your food service manager resume
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Food service manager resume: Crafting a strong skills section
Do this if you want to make your skills section stand out.
- Check the job advert for keywords and add them to your skills section to pass ATS;
- List only skills that are relevant to the position to keep the hiring manager focused;
- Balance between hard, soft, and technical skills;
- Elaborate on some of your strongest skills in other sections of your Food Service Manager resume, e.g. the experience section or your resume’s summary.
Top skills for your food service manager resume
Basic Finance
Physical Stregth and Coordination
Knowledge of Food Safety
Hygene
Speed and Agility
Basic Medical Care
Patience
Multitasking
Listening
Attention to details
Communication
Memorization
PRO TIP
When describing your experience, don’t go too far from its terminology. Recruiters use ATS systems to filter resumes based on them having certain keywords, so make sure you use at least a few keywords mentioned in the job description.
Food service manager resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your food service manager resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have policies about identifying information like photos on your Food Service Manager resume. Be sure to check all the relevant rules before submitting yours. If you’re in doubt, you can always try contacting the company’s HR department to ask for their policy.
How to write an inspiring food service manager resume summary
Checklist: Writing a resume summary that makes you stand out
- Keep it short and use well-structured sentences;
- Mention your total years of experience in the field and your #1 achievement;
- Highlight your strengths and relevant skills;
- Add keywords from the company’s website or the job description.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
When writing a resume summary or objective, avoid first-person narrative.
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Making the education section of your food service manager resume stand out
Education section checklist for your food service manager resume:
- List your highest education degree: including your major, year of graduation, and the institution you attended;
- Highlight the extracurricular activities that have helped you gain additional expertise;
- Share more about the certifications you’ve got, especially if they are relevant to the job position;
- Entry-level applicants: Mention relevant courses and projects.
Top certifications for your food service manager resume

Food Safety for Managers and Supervisors
The Highfield Food Safety Level 3 syllabus presented in two hours of video tutorials. Boost your food safety knowledge.

Introduction to Service Management with ITIL 4
Learn about service management, four dimensions, guiding principles, service value system, and ITSM best practices

ISO 22000. Food Safety Management System.
Learn about hazard identification and assessment, PRPs, Critical Control Points, and the requirements in ISO 22000:2018.

Food Delivery Business: How to start a food delivery service
Learn the ins and outs of successful food delivery business that will bring you profit

Fun food safety and sanitation course
The food safety course will help prepare you for safely working in a kitchen and food handler tests like Servesafe.
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PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Food service manager resume: formatting tips & tricks
Which came first: the hen or the egg? This question reminds us of the thing our resume experts hear most often in their job – which comes first: the content or the format? Well, we advise you to pick the format first and then go on with drafting your resume’s content.
And how do you choose a resume format? Well, based on your applicant profile. In general, there are three basic resume formats for you to choose from:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Let’s look at each one of them in more detail:
The reverse-chronological resume format is quite straightforward. Here, you describe all your previous jobs in a reverse-chronological form, meaning your latest job comes first. This resume format is great for people with lots of experience and skills who don’t have any career gaps.
If you are a recent graduate or don’t really have much experience in the industry you’re applying for, go for the functional skills-based resume format. This format focuses on skills and character traits, rather than experience. It makes the hiring manager realize you’re the perfect fit for the role without putting too much emphasis on your work history.
And if you’re looking for something a bit more intriguing and exciting, check out the hybrid resume format. It’s a combination of the reverse-chronological and functional skills-based formats, which makes it great for all types of job-seekers. The hybrid resume allows you to showcase both your professional experience and your skills, education, and additional qualifications. If you’re feeling creative, add a separate section about your typical day or life philosophy.
Our top style and layout resume format tips:
- Go for a standard 12p resume font;
- Choose 1-inch resume margins for a professional and easy-to-read feel;
- ry your best to fit your resume in a one-page template. If you’re a professional with over 10 years of relevant experience, having a two-page resume is also fine;
- Make sure to save your resume as PDF – this will help you avoid unwanted editing and formatting issues.
Read this: How to make your resume stand out
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
If you feel that you don’t have high chances in a particular company, due to lack of relevant experience, then you can still consider using a creative layout. That might help you get noticed and invited for an interview, as most of the other applicants will have boring resume designs.
Other sections that’ll look good on your Food Service Manager resume
Do you want to move beyond the traditional skills, education, and experience section? Easy-peasy!
Just choose one or two additional sections to help recruiters get a fuller picture of who you are, both as a person and as a professional:
Adding a splash of creativity to your food service manager resume
Boring resumes are no longer an option if you’re looking to impress recruiters.
And no matter whether you’re looking to give your old resume a new life or want to start building a new one from scratch, being at least moderately creative is always a good idea. Do this by adding a ‘favorite books’ section or even a pie chart of what your typical day looks like.
What makes a great food service manager resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.