Career
First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
Lead the crew in a restaurant or cafeteria.
$44,080
Median pay
+5.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
171,500
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Resolve customer complaints regarding food service.
- Train workers in food preparation, and in service, sanitation, and safety procedures.
- Assign duties, responsibilities, and work stations to employees in accordance with work requirements.
- Present bills and accept payments.
- Perform various financial activities, such as cash handling, deposit preparation, and payroll.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Resolve customer complaints regarding food service.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Management of Personnel Resources, Speaking, Coordination, Monitoring.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $44,080 a year and 171,500 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Cooking and Related Culinary Arts, GeneralCIP 12.0500
- Culinary Arts/Chef TrainingCIP 12.0503
- Restaurant, Culinary, and Catering Management/ManagerCIP 12.0504
- Food Service, Waiter/Waitress, and Dining Room Management/ManagerCIP 12.0507
- Foodservice Systems Administration/ManagementCIP 19.0505
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services$48,560 · +5.3%
- First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers$49,100 · +3.2%
- First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers$59,320 · +3.8%
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers$87,520 · +0.5%
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$74,450 · +1.8%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.