First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers earn a median of $44,080 per year ($21.19/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 5.4% through 2035, with about 171,500 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 35-1012
- Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers in four numbers
- Median pay
- $44,080a year, or $21.19/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $30KTop 10% $66K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +5.4%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+5.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +5.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 171,5001,236,400 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 20251.2M
- Projected 20351.3M
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 1.2M Projected 2035 1.3M - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school27.2%
- High school69.6%
- Certificate1.9%
- Some college1.4%
- Associate's0.1%
Highest education held by first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers Segment Value Less than high school 27.2% High school 69.6% Certificate 1.9% Some college 1.4% Associate's 0.1%
Also advertised as: Cafeteria Manager, Dietary Supervisor, Dining Services Director, Food and Beverage Director, Food and Nutrition Services Supervisor, Food Production Supervisor.
Pay
How much do First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers make?
Every first-line supervisor of food preparation and serving workers in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$44,080
Middle half earn $35,980 to $54,570
- 10th
- $29,940
- 25th
- $35,980
- 75th
- $54,570
- 90th
- $65,570
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $29,940 |
| 25th | $35,980 |
| Median | $44,080 |
| 75th | $54,570 |
| 90th | $65,570 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $44,080
- Median hourly wage
- $21.19/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $46,180
- People employed
- 1,223,240
Versus all US occupations
At $44,080, First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers earn 14% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $6,900 a year.
Versus food preparation and serving related occupations
Inside the Food Preparation and Serving Related group, where the middle occupation pays $35,360, this is 25% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $65,570 or more while the bottom 10% earn $29,940, a gap of 2.2×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 10% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Washington pays the most at $59,400, and still leads at $55,507 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington | $59,400 | $55,507 | 20,700 |
| 2District of Columbia | $57,170 | $52,020 | 2,830 |
| 3Connecticut | $52,940 | $51,095 | 10,770 |
| 4Colorado | $50,550 | $49,053 | 25,510 |
| 5Vermont | $49,820 | $50,859 | 1,970 |
| 6New Hampshire | $49,710 | $47,722 | 3,840 |
| 7Hawaii | $48,880 | $44,456 | 7,330 |
| 8New Jersey | $48,420 | $44,502 | 27,750 |
| 9Rhode Island | $48,400 | $47,321 | 3,320 |
| 10Delaware | $48,120 | $48,213 | 4,030 |
Job outlook
Is First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +5.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | +5.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers to change 5.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 67,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 171,500 openings are projected each year, 13.9% of the 1,236,400 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
Less than 5 years
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)69.6%
- Less than a High School Diploma27.2%
- Post-Secondary Certificate1.9%
- Some College Courses1.4%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree0.1%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 69.6% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 27.2% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 1.9% |
| Some College Courses | 1.4% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 0.1% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers do?
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in preparing and serving food.
Day-to-day tasks
- Control inventories of food, equipment, smallware, and liquor, and report shortages to designated personnel.
- Supervise and participate in kitchen and dining area cleaning activities.
- Inspect supplies, equipment, and work areas to ensure efficient service and conformance to standards.
- Resolve customer complaints regarding food service.
- Train workers in food preparation, and in service, sanitation, and safety procedures.
- Specify food portions and courses, production and time sequences, and workstation and equipment arrangements.
- Perform various financial activities, such as cash handling, deposit preparation, and payroll.
- Present bills and accept payments.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Speaking3.9
- Monitoring3.9
- Active Listening3.8
- Reading Comprehension3.3
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Learning Strategies3.1
- Writing3.0
- Mathematics3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Monitoring | 3.9 |
| Active Listening | 3.8 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 |
| Writing | 3.0 |
| Mathematics | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Management of Personnel Resources4.0
- Coordination3.9
- Instructing3.8
- Service Orientation3.6
- Social Perceptiveness3.1
- Negotiation3.1
- Time Management3.1
- Persuasion3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Management of Personnel Resources | 4.0 |
| Coordination | 3.9 |
| Instructing | 3.8 |
| Service Orientation | 3.6 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 |
| Negotiation | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.1 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Accounting software
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Communications server software
- Computer based training software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Desktop publishing software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 1 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 6 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Enterprising6.4
- Conventional4.7
- Realistic4.6
- Social3.4
- Investigative1.4
- Artistic1.3
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
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More food preparation and serving related careers
Median annual pay, with first-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers highlighted
- Chef$62,470
- First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers$44,080
- Food Preparation Worker$35,320
- Server$35,230
- Bartender$34,340
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper$33,980
- Barista$31,200
- Fast Food and Counter Worker$31,200
- Host and Hostess, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop$31,200
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Chef | $62,470 |
| First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $44,080 |
| Food Preparation Worker | $35,320 |
| Server | $35,230 |
| Bartender | $34,340 |
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendant and Bartender Helper | $33,980 |
| Barista | $31,200 |
| Fast Food and Counter Worker | $31,200 |
| Host and Hostess, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | $31,200 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers appears on
Questions
First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers: frequently asked questions
How much do First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers make?
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers earn a median of $44,080 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 14% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $21.19/hr. The middle half earn between $35,980 and $54,570. The top 10% earn $65,570 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers. Employers typically expect less than 5 years of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 69.6% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.4% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 171,500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers do?
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in preparing and serving food. A core O*NET task: control inventories of food, equipment, smallware, and liquor, and report shortages to designated personnel. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers the most?
The highest state medians for First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers are Washington ($59,400), District of Columbia ($57,170), Connecticut ($52,940) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers?
O*NET scores First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.