Culinary-development directors ensure that customers are satisfied with food quality.
Culinary-development directors, or food-service directors, work for restaurants, corporate lunch rooms, hospitals and government facilities. They primarily determine which food items to include on the daily menus. They also monitor food workers as they prepare the food, making sure they adhere to safe and sanitary practices. They also ensure that food is served at the correct temperatures. Most of these professionals have bachelor's degrees in culinary arts or hotel management. They typically earn annual salaries.
Average Salary and Benefits
Culinary-development directors earned average annual salaries of $69,000, according to July 2011 information from Indeed. Their salaries are highly contingent upon experience, the geographical areas in which they work and the size and budgets of their restaurants or companies. Like chefs and other cooking professionals, they often belong to unions. Therefore, they receive comprehensive benefits such as major medical, life insurance, sick leave, pensions and other retirement-savings plans. Many enjoy free meals.
Salary by State
Culinary-development directors' salaries can vary significantly by state or region. For example, those in Washington, D.C., earned the highest annual salaries, among states listed, at $78,000, according to Indeed. They also earned high salaries in Connecticut, at $73,000 annually. Those in Texas earned slightly less than average salaries of $66,000 per year. And these professionals earned more than 10 percent less than the industry average in South Carolina and South Dakota at $62,000 and $60,000 per year, respectively. Indeed usually rounds salaries to the nearest $1,000.
Highest-Paying Cities
Culinary-development directors tend to earn higher salaries in cities on the east and west coasts, as well as in Chicago. One reason is that living costs are higher in these areas. Those in New York City earned the highest annual salaries, among cities listed, at $85,000, according to Indeed. They earned nearly as much in San Francisco at $83,000 per year. Those in Boston also earned relatively high salaries of $78,000 per year. And these professionals earned salaries of $72,000 per year in Chicago.
Job Outlook
Jobs for those in the cooking industry, including culinary-development directors, are expected to increase 6 percent between 2008 and 2018, according to December 2009 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job growth will primarily be spurred by population increases, consumers' desire for convenience and growth in the number of food establishments. These professionals will also find additional jobs as other culinary-development directors retire.
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