Chef vs Food & Beverage Manager: Course, Career Scope and Salary

Abhinav Chamoli

Updated On: July 03, 2024 04:49 PM

While a Food & Beverage Manager makes sure that the restaurant's operations and staff are in order, a Chef is in charge of food preparation and the kitchen's flawless functioning. To assist you in choosing the ideal career for you, here is a comparison of the two professions.

Chef vs Food & Beverage Manager

With the changing domain in the hospitality sector, chefs and food & beverage managers are viewed to be the most sought-after careers in the hotel management field. Though choosing one of the careers out of these two categories may be as easy as picking up your favourite genre of movies, it is often difficult for students who slightly have an interest in both these disciplines. The typical contrast making both these different is the direct involvement of a career as a chef in the kitchen and the overseeing of the kitchen operations and other responsibilities as the food & beverage manager career . Check out the complete article ‘Chef vs Food & Beverage Manager’ to know more about each of these career choices!

Also Read : Hotel Management Career Options in India

Chef vs Food & Beverage Manager

A chef is a person who prepares, cooks, and presents dishes for customers. A Chef works in a hotel or restaurant kitchen and is responsible for the efficient operation of the kitchen, including its various departments, inventory, other chefs/cooks, and so on. As a result, in addition to knowledge of food preparation, a Chef must also have managerial responsibilities in the restaurant. Whereas, a Food & Beverage Manager plays an important role in a restaurant or hospitality establishment, ensuring proper service, preparing and executing daily work plans, providing directions to restaurant employees, managing the kitchen and bar operations, and ensuring customer comfort and satisfaction.

The table below distinguishes Chef and Food & Beverage Manager based on Personality Traits:

Chef Personality Traits

Food and Beverages Manager Personality Traits

  • Keen sense of taste and smell
  • Passion for food
  • Instinct/ intuition for mixing flavours
  • Perfectionist
  • Urge to innovate/ experiment
  • Grit, determination
  • Willingness to work long hours
  • Good memory (to remember different recipes)
  • Good organisational skills
  • Innovativeness
  • Leadership skills
  • Good communication skills
  • Flexibility
  • Adaptability
  • Problem-solving nature
  • Pro-activeness
  • Inventory management
  • Conflict resolution
  • Ability to work under pressure
  • Ability to multi-task
  • Good organisational skills

Chef vs Food & Beverage Manager: Educational Requirements

The education requirements for both Chef and Food & Beverage Manager can be checked from the table provided below.

Chef Food & Beverage Manager
  • Degree in hotel management or culinary arts
  • 2-3 years of work experience in the hotel industry or kitchen department
  • Degree in hotel management or degree in food service management
  • Knowledge of various computer software programs such as MS Office, restaurant management software, POS

Chef vs Food & Beverage Manager: Courses

Most of the Hotel Management courses in India have a course curriculum that can enable a person to become a Chef as well as a Food & Beverage Manager. However, there are some courses that are better suited for one of the two careers.

Courses to Become a Chef

Given below are the courses that are good choices for becoming a Chef in India.

Courses

Colleges

Bachelor of Hotel Management & Catering Technology (BHMCT)

BHMCT Colleges in India

Bachelor of Catering Technology & Culinary Arts (BCTCA)

--

BA in Culinary Arts

BA Culinary Arts Colleges in India

BSc in Culinary Arts

BSc in Culinary Arts Colleges in India

Certificate Course in Food and Beverage Production

Food and Beverage Production Certificate Colleges in India

Certificate in Culinary Arts

Certificate in Culinary Arts Colleges in India

Diploma in Food and Beverage Production

Diploma in Food and Beverage Production Colleges in India

Diploma in Culinary Arts

Diploma in Culinary Arts Colleges in India

Craftsmanship Course in Food Production and Patisserie

Institutes of Hotel Management (IHMs)

Also Read: BHM vs BBA (HM) vs BA Tourism

Courses to Become a Food & Beverage Manager

The following table contains the courses that are best suited to become a Food & Beverage Manager in India.

Course

Colleges

Bachelor of Hotel Management (BHM)

BHM Colleges in India

BSc in Hotel Management

BSc in Hotel Management Colleges in India

BBA in Hotel Management

BBA in Hotel Management Colleges in India

BA in Hotel Management

BA in Hotel Management Colleges in India

BVoc in Hotel Management

BVoc Hotel Management Colleges in India

Certificate in Hotel Management

Certificate in Hotel Management Colleges in India

Diploma in Hotel Management

Diploma in Hotel Management Colleges in India

Also Read: Hotel Management vs Culinary Arts

Chef vs Food & Beverage Manager: Skills Required

The table below gives a comparison of the skills required for a Chef vs Food & Beverage Manager. Candidates can check which skill they are good at or most comfortable with and use it to shortlist their choice of career.

Skills Required for Chef Skills Required for Food & Beverage Manager
  • Interest in Cooking
  • Good Sense of Taste and Smell
  • Determination
  • Creativity and Experimentative Nature
  • Knowledge of Food and Ingredients
  • Passion for Perfection
  • Ability to Work in Hectic Environment
  • Organization Skills
  • Communication Skills
  • Leadership
  • Pleasant Personality
  • Problem-Solving
  • Flexibility
  • Customer Relationship Management Skills

Also Read: How to Choose a Hotel Management College After 12th

Chef vs Food & Beverage Manager: Career Scope

The career scope of a chef and food & beverage manager is as diverse as both of these disciplines. With the varying working environments to diverse job roles, we advise you to go through the separate career scopes of both these careers below:

Career Scope of Chef

Chefs have a diversity to work across different work grounds and various job roles. Below are some of the key career scopes of a chef:

Executive Chef

Refer to the responsibilities of a career as an executive chef :

  • These chefs work in hotels, restaurants and multiple other food service establishments.
  • Executive chefs are mostly involved in seeing different elements of the kitchen from kitchen staff management to food preparation to menu planning and more.

Catering Chef

Check out about the responsibilities of catering chefs below:

  • Catering chefs are mostly seen working in corporate events, weddings and parties.
  • They are involved in the preparation and presentation of food for special events.

Sous Chef

Sous chefs' careers are regarded to be a bit indifferent to other chefs, check out more below:

  • Sous chefs also assist executive chefs in the management of the kitchen.
  • These chefs also lead a team of chefs and oversee the food preparation and presentation.

Private Chef

Refer to the responsibilities of private chefs:

  • As the name suggests, private chefs work in a home or yacht.
  • They prepare food or meals for individuals or families in a private setting.

Pastry Chef

Check out about pastry chefs below:

  • Pastry chefs work in various settings including bakeries, hotels and restaurants.
  • Aligning to their job role name, they specialise in preparing baked goods and desserts.

Consultant Chef

Refer to more details about consultant chefs below:

  • Consultant chefs are employed in work settings including restaurants, hotels and various food service establishments.
  • They are responsible for developing menus, improving operations in the kitchen and training staff.

Career Scope of Food & Beverage Manager

From menu planning to budget management, food & beverage managers are directly responsible for managing the operations of restaurants, hotels and other settings. Refer to some of the popular career options taken by food & beverage managers:

Catering Manager

Check out the responsibilities of catering managers below:

  • Catering managers are accountable for managing the operations of catering businesses.
  • They also do the financial management, menu planning, staff supervision and others.

Restaurant Manager

Restaurant managers work in hotel or restaurant settings, refer to more about them below:

  • These managers are directly accountable for the complete restaurant management.
  • They look after the operations of the restaurant which comprises staff management, financial management and menu planning.

Event Coordinator

Refer to the roles of event coordinators below:

  • Event coordinators work in events such as parties, corporate events and weddings.
  • They plan and coordinate the special events.
  • These event coordinators also select the event venue, vendor coordination and menu planning.

Hotel Manager

Check about the hotel manager career below:

  • Hotel managers oversee the operations in the food & beverage department of the hotel.
  • They develop menus, manage staff and secure customer satisfaction.

Cruise Ship Manager

Refer to the responsibilities of cruise ship managers below:

  • These managers are responsible for looking after the operations of the food & beverage department on the cruise ship.
  • They also have to manage the staff members, develop menus as per the demand and maintain customer satisfaction.

Chef vs Food and Beverage Manager: Salary

Well, deciding the career whether as a chef or food & beverage manager is dependent on the interest of the candidate. It is also one of the important factors to be considered by the candidates before finalising their career choice.

There are a few parameters based on which the salary structure of students will depend, including:

  • Experience level of candidates
  • Type of organisation the candidate is working in
  • Size of the organisation
  • Location of the organisation
  • Type of cuisine they are specialised in

Check out the individual salary structures of different roles in both of these careers below:

Salary for Different Job Roles as Chef

Job Role

Average Salary (in INR)

Executive Chef

10,00,000

Sous Chef

6,00,000

Catering Chef

8,00,000

Pastry Chef

3,52,500

Consulting Chef

40,000

Salary for Different Job Roles as Food & Beverage Manager

Job Role

Average Salary (in INR)

Catering Manager

8,00,000

Food and Beverage Manager

6,00,000

Restaurant Manager

4,00,000

Event Manager

3,00,000

Catering Sales Manager

5,00,000


Note : The salary bar is subject to differ, so we advise candidates to research the current salary bar.

One very important thing to note is that we see that while Chef mostly plays a background role in most restaurants i.e. he/she does not directly interact with the customers, a Food & Beverage Manager is a person who can be seen at the forefront of the restaurant operations.

Both of these job roles are very important for a restaurant to run efficiently and successfully. Thus, both the Chef and the Food & Beverage Manager have a good salary scope and can seek good employment opportunities in any part of the world.

Related Articles:

Hotel Management vs Travel & Tourism Management Event Management Courses After Class 12th
How to Crack Hotel Management GD-PI Air Hostess Courses After 12th
Hotel Management Admission in India 2024 List of Best Hotel Management Courses

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FAQs

How to become a food & beverage director?

Any student with an interest in this field can become a food & beverage director. They have to gain a formal education or training in this domain. Students must keep learning new skills to enhance their experience.

Who is the highest manager in a restaurant?

The owner of the restaurant is the highest managerial position in a restaurant. Then followed by a general manager, assistant manager, food & beverage manager, kitchen manager and more roles.

What is the difference between a Chef and a Food & Beverage Manager?

The basic difference between a chef and a food & beverage manager is that the chef looks after the kitchen operations and food preparation while the F&B manager is responsible for the entire restaurant’s operations.

What is the average salary of a chef in India?

The average salary of a chef in India with entry-level experience is INR 2,90,000. However, the salary bar increases with experience level and skill enhancement. Graduates with mid-level experience can expect INR 4,40,000 and an experienced chef can earn INR 6,30,000.

What does a food and beverage manager do?

A food & beverage manager oversees the everyday operations of the restaurant or any other food establishment. They are in charge of developing menus, monitoring cost control, training staff and maintaining customer satisfaction.

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