Catering manager
Lead a team to make and serve tasty food to people in schools and hospitals or at special events.
Also known as: food service manager, caterer
About the job
What it's like
You would lead a team to make and serve tasty food to people at schools, in hospitals or at events like a conferences or weddings.
You’d work with chefs and catering assistants to plan the menus for meals. You’d motivate the team of kitchen and serving staff so they provide a good service.
You would plan your budget so you can make good food that people want to eat without overspending on ingredients or wages.
If you manage a team in a restaurant or cafe you’d also need to price your food and drinks so people will buy them but you still make a profit.
You would:
Advertise vacancies and recruit staff
Arrange training for staff
Organise shifts and rotas
Control the stock of ingredients so you don’t run out
Meet suppliers
Meet customers who want you to provide a catering service for them
Discuss contract requirements with customers
Check the quality of the service
When the food is being served, you’d supervise the staff to make sure that the food is good and arrives on time.
You’d be responsible for making sure your service meets health and safety, food hygiene and nutritional regulations.
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Related industries
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Tourism and hospitality
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- taking responsibility
- motivating others
- making decisions
- delegating
- managing resources
- developing a plan
- attention to detail
- verbal communication
- cooperating
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
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Health and Food Technology (Home economics)
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Hospitality: Practical Cake Craft (Home economics)
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Hospitality: Practical Cookery (Home economics)
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Skills for Work: Hospitality
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Foundation Apprenticeship: Hospitality
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
A Higher National Certificate (SCQF level 7), Higher National Diploma (SCQF level 8) or a degree (SCQF level 9/10) in Hospitality Management. Or a degree in an unrelated subject and then a postgraduate qualification (SCQF level 11) in Hospitality Management.
You can enter Higher National Certificate (SCQF level 7) or Higher National Diploma courses (SCQF level 8) with National 5 qualifications and one to three Highers or equivalent qualifications.
To enter a degree course in Hospitality Management you will need National 5 qualifications and three to five Highers including Maths and English.
Alternatively you can gain relevant work-based experience and qualifications such as the Institute of Hospitality Certificate or Diplomas or Scottish Vocational Qualification in Hospitality Management Skills (SVQ level 4).
Qualifications and experience that demonstrate an understanding of the industry and customer care skills such as Skills for Work Hospitality (SCQF level 4/5).
It is helpful to have relevant industry qualifications such as a Elementary Food Hygiene Certificate from the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) or Scottish Vocational Qualification in Hospitality (SVQ level 2/3/4) or be willing to work towards qualifications once in a job.
A full driving licence.
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