Degree in Food Service: Is this How You Become an FSM?

Food Service Managers are widely known for running the daily operations of restaurants, hotels, corporate dining locations, and much more. However, Food Service Management involves more than just preparing and delivering tasty meals. These professionals also manage employees, keep track of inventory, and measure financial performance.

To become a successful Food Service Manager, you need to blend a variety of skills- including cuisine knowledge, leadership, and hospitality. This is why candidates who have a degree in Food Service Management (FSM) have an edge over non-degree applicants. A degree in FSM equips you with technical and interpersonal skills, both of which should put you in a position to enjoy a successful career.

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Understanding the role of a Food Service Manager

The field of Food Service Management in the United States is currently valued at $660 billion. This means that the role of a Food Service Manager has also expanded over time. It's no longer about just ensuring that all meals are prepared correctly.

Many Food Service Managers wear multiple hats. You may spend morning hours overseeing food preparation, holding employee meetings, and assigning work duties- while the afternoon/evening hours may keep you busy compiling financial reports and inspecting the cleanliness of work areas before closing. Therefore, Food Service Managers need to be competent in financial management, operations, leadership skills, and interpersonal skills to be successful.

Duties and responsibilities

The specific duties you will have as a Food Service Manager may vary widely. Your role and responsibilities will be dependent on the location, type of establishment, and other personnel you may be working with. Managing a high-end restaurant in downtown New York City will be different from managing a hospital dining facility in Norfolk, Virginia.

However, there are several duties that you can expect to carry out within your role as an FSM, regardless of location. Some of these duties and responsibilities include:

  • Overseeing the preparation, serving, and presentation of food
  • Interviewing, hiring, and training employees
  • Inspecting work areas and equipment to ensure that safety standards are being met
  • Assigning duties and working hours to staff
  • Handle customer complaints and providing a quality customer experience
  • Preparing budgets, compiling sales reports, and handling payroll records
  • Setting performance standards for employees and periodically measuring performance outcomes

Obtaining a Degree in Food Service Management

As you can see from the duties and responsibilities listed above, the role of a Food Service Manager is broad. To gain a competitive advantage when applying for various positions, it has become necessary to receive post-secondary training. In fact, many employers prefer candidates who have a degree in Food Service Management (or other related fields). Such training equips graduates with many different skills that can be directly applied to hospitality, culinary arts, and human resource management.

The good news is that a degree in FSM can be completed in a lesser time than other traditional 4-year degrees. Some institutions even prepare specialized year-round curriculums that could have you graduate in as little as 2.5 years. Many top food service companies and restaurant chains also directly recruit graduates from FSM programs.

What does the FSM program involve?

A Bachelor of Science in Food Service Management is a degree that equips students with knowledge in multiple aspects of hospitality. You will get to study the operational dimensions that result in profit for a particular location, in addition to understanding the critical role of proper management and leadership. Graduates of FSM programs are also knowledgeable of the food service industry and how they can position themselves for career growth.

During many FSM programs, you will learn 3 essential skills: financial management, leadership, and operations management. Financial management involves understanding how to read financial statements, preparing budgets and sales forecasts, and planning for revenue management after sales are made.

Leadership skills are also important within FSM. Students are typically taught how to motivate diverse work groups, learn about ethics, and implement various goals/objectives.

Career opportunities

A degree in Food Service Management opens up many career opportunities for graduates. From working in hotels to managing corporate chains of restaurants, you will have an edge over non-degree holders when applying for most food service-related positions.

The FSM degree program equips you with many interdisciplinary skills that you can use to grow your career and access competitive opportunities.

Degree in Food Service: Is this How You Become an FSM?

Are you interested in learning more about Food Service Management? If you want to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Food Service Management, ECPI University's Culinary Institute of Virginia offers this degree program at an accelerated rate. For more information about this exciting opportunity, connect with a knowledgeable admissions professional today.

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