Hiring a food service manager in Worcester, MA
Employers in the Worcester, MA area pay food service managers a median of $83,570, with the middle half of the market between $65,170 and $96,150. Worcester residents working in management occupations report a median of $77,664, which is 7% below what the metro pays for this role.
What does a food service manager earn here?
Place of work
What employers pay
| 25th percentile | $65,170 |
| Median | $83,570 |
| 75th percentile | $96,150 |
Half of food service managers in this area earn between $65,170 and $96,150. A band set below $65,170 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.
Place of residence
What Worcester residents earn
$77,664
Median earnings of Worcester residents working in management occupations, 9,924 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.
The 7% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.
The two sit close together, so pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.
What does the role actually involve?
Core tasks
- Keep records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies.
- Investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations.
- Maintain food and equipment inventories, and keep inventory records.
- Monitor food preparation methods, portion sizes, and garnishing and presentation of food to ensure that food is prepared and presented in an acceptable manner.
- Schedule and receive food and beverage deliveries, checking delivery contents to verify product quality and quantity.
O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 11-9051.
Tools and technologies in demand
Microsoft Office software, Facebook, Google Docs, Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint.
O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.
Is the talent actually in Worcester?
This is a job zone two: some preparation needed occupation. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 34.1% of Worcester adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.
The average Worcester commute runs 25.1 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 10.7% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.
How often do these jobs turn over?
In Worcester County, management of companies and enterprises employs 4,001 and turns over 7.0% a quarter, with 413 hires against 436 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $9,490 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 55.
That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about food service managers. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.
What does the search cost?
The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $16,714 to $25,071 on the first year salary alone.
One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.
Price this search
Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.
Hiring a food service manager somewhere else?
Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.
- New York, NY
- Los Angeles, CA
- Chicago, IL
- Houston, TX
- Phoenix, AZ
- Philadelphia, PA
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- Dallas, TX
- Fort Worth, TX
- Jacksonville, FL
- Austin, TX
Other management roles in Worcester
- Administrative Services Managers
- Architectural and Engineering Managers
- Compensation and Benefits Managers
- Computer and Information Systems Managers
- Construction Managers
- Education Administrators, All Other
- Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
- Education Administrators, Postsecondary
- Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare
- Emergency Management Directors
Related
- Hiring Food Service Managers: the role, the pay, the process
- Recruiting services in Worcester
- Every Massachusetts city we cover
Worcester is the 2th largest of 2 Massachusetts cities in this dataset.