A catering manager sells, plans, and oversees off-premise and on-premise events for a restaurant, hotel, or catering company. The role bridges sales, kitchen, and front of house to deliver weddings, corporate lunches, and private parties. Here is what the job looks like across a shift, in the order it happens.
Opening duties
- Review the day's events, inquiries, and deadlines
- Check the catering inbox and phone messages and reply to new leads
- Confirm that kitchen prep matches the events planned for today and tomorrow
- Check staffing, rentals, and delivery vehicle readiness for upcoming events
- Update the event calendar and send reminders to clients for open items
During service
- Meet or call clients to discuss menus, headcounts, and special requests
- Build and send proposals and follow up on pending quotes
- Coordinate between the kitchen and staff on packing and timing
- Supervise loading, delivery, and setup for events in progress
- Address issues on site, from late arrivals to dietary requests
- Communicate with the kitchen about last-minute changes
- Collect payments or confirm final balances on event day
Closing duties
- Confirm that all equipment and rentals have been returned or counted
- Debrief with the event team on what went well and what to fix
- Send thank-you messages and feedback requests to clients
- Reconcile final counts, invoices, and payments
- Update the calendar and notes for upcoming events
Weekly duties
- Review upcoming events, headcounts, and staffing needs for the next two weeks
- Meet with the chef on menus, costs, and capacity
- Follow up on open leads and past clients for repeat business
- Review revenue, food cost, and labor for completed events
Writing a posting? The catering manager job description turns these duties into a ready-to-paste template. For shift planning, try the free restaurant schedule template.