How to Become a Catering Manager

Q: What are top catering manager colleges?

Top catering manager colleges are IHM, Delhi, Pusa , IHM, Mumbai , IHM, Chennai , IHM, Hyderabad , IHM, Thiruvananthapuram , and IHM, Kolkata .

- Salary, Qualification, Skills, Role and Responsibilities

#Food and Beverage Manager

Who is a Catering Manager?

Hospitality is almost impossible to teach. It’s all about hiring the right people ~ Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group

In a career as a catering manager, an individual is the master of the culinary industry who is responsible for planning, organising and developing food and beverages for businesses and organisations. An Individual must pursue a Bachelor of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Master of Hotel Management and Catering Technology to opt for catering manager jobs in India.

A catering manager plans the menu for hotels, restaurants, schools, corporate houses and other places where food is being served to workers, guests, students or a mass number of people. In this article, we will discuss how to Become a Catering Manager in India, skills, roles and responsibilities and Catering Manager eligibility.

Catering Manager in a Nutshell

Do you know who is a catering manager? You must have attended events, parties and other functions where you have been served delicious food. In larger organisations, catering managers have managerial and supervisory roles to administer various catering functions and outlets.

Quick Facts for Catering Manager

Industry
Hospitality
Suitable for
Male, Female, Others

A career as a catering manager could be a good option for you. It is a skill-specific career with no gender-based resistance in progress.
Any special needs
No

A career as a catering manager may not suit individuals with special needs. As it is an administrative career in the culinary industry where he or she is responsible for planning, organising and developing a menu of food and beverages to be served.

Table of Contents for Catering Manager

What is the role of Catering Manager?

What is the workplace/work environment of Catering Manager like?

How to become a Catering Manager?

What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an Catering Manager?

Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming Catering Manager?

What is the job outlook for Catering Manager?

Frequently Asked Questions for Catering Manager

What is the role of Catering Manager?

Catering manager jobs in India come with various responsibilities. He or she works as an administrator who executes the planning, organises the duties of the kitchen staff and decides on a menu. An individual who opts for a career as a catering manager is responsible for meeting customer expectations and food hygiene standards.

The Catering Manager roles and responsibilities often vary depending on the size of the employing organisation. In a career as a catering manager, an individual stays involved in the day-to-day operations and has a hands-on role in smaller organisations. He or she hires and trains new employees, manages the catering budget and plans menus.

Manage

The Catering Manager roles and responsibilities are to manage the provisions of food and beverages for events. He or she plans menus depending on the theme of the event or consults with chefs.

Maintainenace

A catering manager is responsible for recruiting permanent as well as casual staff. He or she organises and leads the catering team. A catering manager plans the shift of staff according to requirements.

Liasing

A catering manager's daily job routine involves liaising with suppliers and clients. He or she is responsible for maintaining stocks and timely ordering new supplies. A catering manager has to ensure compliance with the health and safety regulations, fire, licensing and employment regulations.

Financial Administration

The Catering Manager roles and responsibilities involve determining a budget and establishing financial targets. He or she keeps financial and other administrative records. A catering manager's job involves negotiating contracts with clients in contract catering.

What is the workplace/work environment of Catering Manager like?

A career as a catering manager comes with varying workplaces. Catering manager work environments include hospitals, schools, prisons, factories, hotel chains, cruise ships, universities and visitor attractions. In a career as a catering manager, you may also work for contract catering companies. A catering manager employed in a hotel and restaurant is usually known as a food and beverage manager.

Does Catering Manager require travelling?

Likely

Individuals who opt for a career as a catering manager may often require travelling to ensure the availability of the required stock of ingredients and other items. He or she is also required to travel for contract catering services at various locations.

Employment Shifts

Full Time

Individuals who opt for a career as a catering manager usually work on a full-time basis. Working from home is not a possibility in the food and beverage manager career. There is not a specific shift for a catering manager career.

The shift varies depending on the employment setting and its functioning. Events that usually are hosted at night require the catering manager to work in night shift or evening shift. Similarly, a catering manager may work day shift business hours in restaurant and hotel chains that provide food services during the day.

Employment Nature

Contractual, Permanent

A career as a catering manager comes with both types of employment. Self-employed catering managers may work on a contract basis with clients. Restaurants, hotels and other establishments usually hire catering managers permanently.

Work Place

Restaurants, Hotels, universities, Schools, Hostels, Resorts

A catering manager's workplace varies. He or she can work with various establishments where food and beverages are served to a large number of people. In a career as a catering manager, the individual is in a supervisory role. He or she manages the catering staff, assigns duties and ensures the quality of food meets regularised safety standards.

Presence in Geographical Area

Urban

The hospitality sector is more established in urban areas. Metropolitan cities such as Bengaluru, New Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad and Mumbai provided promising opportunities to catering managers.

Time Pressure

Likely

In a career as a catering manager, individuals work under frequent time pressure to meet deadlines and ensure all the beverages and food items are prepared on time and meet the quality standards.

Overtime Details

A catering manager's work hours often get extended on weekends and holidays. Those who work on a contract basis for special events and parties may often be required to work extended hours and wait till the event is finished.

Weekly Hours of Work

Min 40 Hours

A catering manager's work hours often get extended on several occasions. Work shifts often include long and unsocial hours including weekends and public holidays. Business organisations such as corporate offices, schools and universities have normal office hours for the operation of hospitality services.

How to become a Catering Manager?

Steps to become a Catering Manager

A Catering Manager is responsible for food planning, organising, and supervising. If you are passionate about food and handle catering operations then a Catering Manager career is the best option for you. If you are looking for the details on how to become a Catering Manager in India then we have provided step-by-step guidance below.

Identifying the Skills
Enrol in Formal Training/Course
Build a Strong Resume
Pursue Certification Courses
Explore Internship Opportunities
Find Job and Apply
Begin your Career

01 Step

Identifying the Skills

To become a Catering Manager you must possess some of the skills. In this section, we have provided Catering Manager skills, including soft and hard skills.

Some of the Catering Manager's soft skills are problem-solving skills, teamwork, time management, coordination skills, and excellent communication.

Time Management Skills
Organisational Skills
Problem-Solving skills
Stress Management
Coordination Skills
Teamwork
Communication Skills

Some of the hard skills of the Catering Manager are customer satisfaction, fine dining, event planning, payroll, customer service, food production and beverage service.

Customer Service
Culinary and Booking
Food Service
Safety Regulations
Food Production
Client Satisfaction
Food Preparation
Beverage Service
Inventory Management

02 Step

Enrol in Formal Training/Course

To become a Catering Manager you must complete a 10+2 examination from a recognised board and opt for a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts, culinary management, business and hospitality management hotel and catering management or a related field and a master’s degree in a related field.

Below we have discussed the required Catering Manager qualifications including UG and PG entrance examinations, and bachelor's and master’s degrees.

Entrance Examinations

Bachelor’s Degree Programmes

BA in Culinary Arts
BA in Hotel Management
BBA in Hotel Management
BSc in Culinary Arts
BBA in Hospitality Management
B.H.M. (Bachelor of Hotel Management)

Master’s Degree Programmes

MA in Culinary Arts
M.H.M. (Master of Hotel Management)
MBA in Hotel Management
MSc in Culinary Arts
MBA in Hospitality Management
MHMCT (Master of Hotel Management and Catering Technology)

03 Step

Build a Strong Resume

After completing your formal education, you should create an impressive resume that highlights your specialised certifications, educational background, and other relevant details to grab the attention of potential employers.

04 Step

Pursue Certification Courses

Here are some of the certification courses that you can opt for to obtain additional knowledge and skills. You can pursue this specialised certification course apart from your formal education.

05 Step

Explore Internship Opportunities

When you have pursued your certification, you can apply for internship opportunities in hospitality catering industries or related industries. You can apply on internship offering websites such as Internshala, Naukri, Indeed and others.

06 Step

Find Job and Apply

As a Catering Manager is a higher level position you can apply for entry-level roles such as catering assistant, or supervisor, and gain some years of experience. After that, you can apply for Catering Manager jobs in hotels, event management companies, or catering firms. Apply through job portals, company websites, or industry contacts.

07 Step

Begin your Career

After applying for the Catering Manager jobs, prepare for the interview and attend some of them. After passing the interview, you will have some of the offer letters. You must choose the best offer and begin your career as a Catering Manager.

What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an Catering Manager?

Communication skills
Leadership
Teamwork
Business skills

Here, in this section, we have mentioned the Catering Manager skills which are required to work efficiently in this field.

Communication Skills: A career as a catering manager demands strong communication skills. He or she has to effectively communicate with clients and negotiate contracts. A catering manager has to provide responsibilities to catering staff and supervise them.

Teamwork: Individuals who opt for a career as a catering manager have to maintain the team spirit within the catering staff. He or she is responsible for conveying the duties to each member of the catering team supervising their work and ensuring it complies with the food safety and health standards.

Leadership: A catering manager leads the catering staff. He or she has to administer the staff and appreciate the customer's expectations. A catering manager has to keep the staff motivated and have an organised approach to work.

Business Skills: Business sense is crucial for the role of catering manager. In a career as a catering manager, individuals must possess numeracy and financial skills. He or she has to meet the commercial demand and plan the menu keeping the budget and target in mind.

Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming Catering Manager?

We have mentioned below a list of culinary courses that aspiring individuals may opt to upgrade their skills and knowledge for a career as a catering manager.

Internship Availability

Yes

Individuals can give a start to their career as a catering management trainee. One can find numerous catering management internship opportunities through recruitment portals such as Naukri.in, Monster, Lets Intern, Internshala, LinkedIn and other platforms.

Individuals can also send cold emails to hotels and restaurants. The responsibilities of the catering management intern include providing assistance to the management team and ensuring compliance with health and food safety regulations.

What is the job outlook for Catering Manager?

There are a lot of assistant catering manager duties and responsibilities and challenges in the work environment of a catering manager. He or she may work in an office environment but has to spend plenty of time in the kitchen supervising the staff.

It is a role that demands physical fitness to be frequent on the job and capable of working under time pressure. One has to consistently provide good services. Individuals who opt for a career as a catering manager usually provide preference to individuals with prior work experience and skills such as people management.

Frequently Asked Questions for Catering Manager

Que. What is the average salary of catering manager?

Ans.

The average salary of catering managers is Rs. 493,550 per annum, according to payscale.com.

Que. What are top catering manager colleges?

Ans.

Top catering manager colleges are IHM, Delhi, Pusa, IHM, Mumbai, IHM, Chennai, IHM, Hyderabad, IHM, Thiruvananthapuram, and IHM, Kolkata.

Que. What are top catering manager employers?

Ans.

Top catering manager employers are Hyatt, Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur, ITC Maurya, New Delhi, The Oberoi, New Delhi and Radission Blu.

Que. What are top catering manager recruiters?

Ans.

The top catering manager recruiters are catering companies, hotels, banquet halls, Indian railways, airlines and restaurants.

Que. What does the catering manager do?

Ans.

The catering manager roles and responsibilities include planning, managing, organising or supervising the catering operations. He or she plans menus, orders supplies and hires and organises the staff.