How much do food and beverage directors make in 2026?
Food and beverage directors are counted in the BLS food service managers series: OEWS May 2025 gives SOC 11-9051 a national median of $69,390 a year ($33.36 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $45,960 and the top 10% at $107,640. Because the series is dominated by single-unit restaurant and institutional managers, food and beverage directors sit at the top of it and, at large hotels and resorts, above the published P90 once bonus is included. The role is a step above unit management: the director owns every food and beverage operation in a property — restaurants, bars, room service, banquets and catering — including their combined profit and loss, the culinary relationship with the executive chef, menu and pricing strategy, purchasing and the department's substantial labour budget. In many hotels food and beverage is the largest and most complex department after rooms, and it is the second recognised route to general management. Position within the band follows the scale and mix of outlets: a hotel with one restaurant is a different job from a resort with six outlets and a large banquet business. Employment is projected to grow 6.4% through 2034 with roughly 42,000 openings a year. → Full food and beverage director career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $69,390 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Food and Beverage Directors earn a national median $69,390/yr ($33.36/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-9051); the P10 to P90 range is $45,960 to $107,640.
- The BLS series is dominated by single-unit restaurant and institutional managers, so food and beverage directors sit at the top of it and often above the published P90 with bonus.
- The role owns every outlet in the property — restaurants, bars, room service, banquets and catering — plus their combined profit and loss, purchasing and labour budget.
- It is the second recognised route to hotel general management alongside rooms division, which is a substantial part of its career value.
US Food and Beverage Director Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do food and beverage directors earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 11-9051; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-9051, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a food and beverage director earn at each career stage?
Food and beverage leadership pay follows the number and complexity of outlets you own. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 11-9051.
By State
Which states pay food and beverage directors the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national food service manager median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations, and the series is dominated by unit-level restaurant management. Food and beverage director pay follows property class and outlet mix rather than state wage levels.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($79,800), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay food and beverage directors the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. Gateway and resort markets hold the large full-service properties where these roles exist.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a food and beverage director’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does food and beverage director pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Food and Beverage Directors sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify food and beverage director wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a food and beverage director actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Food and Beverage Director Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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