Catering Manager

Creative Dining Services is looking for a full-time Catering Manager at Indiana University Southeast. The Catering Manager is responsible for coordinating and leading catered events that reflect excellent hospitality, attractive food presentation, strong client communication, and Creative Dining Services’ standards for quality, service, safety, and financial responsibility.

Because this role directly supports client relationships, event execution, staff leadership, catering sales, and the overall guest experience, previous catering, events, hospitality, or food service leadership experience is highly important. The successful candidate should be comfortable leading events from planning through execution, communicating with clients, directing staff, solving problems in real time, and maintaining a professional presence in a fast-paced service environment.

This position works closely with dining services leadership, culinary teams, conference services, sales partners, clients, and event staff to plan and execute catering events of varying size and scope. The Catering Manager also plays an important role in building client relationships, supporting catering sales, maintaining organized event records, and ensuring that each event is delivered with professionalism, attention to detail, and a commitment to customer satisfaction.

The Catering Manager serves as a valued member of the dining services management team and assists with other aspects of the operation as needed.

Core Responsibilities of the Catering Manager

• The Catering Manager coordinates and supervises catering activities for the dining services operation, ensuring catered events are planned, staffed, prepared, delivered, and executed according to client expectations and company standards.
• This role works in partnership with production, conference services, sales, and dining services leadership to plan event details, communicate changes, confirm service expectations, and ensure smooth execution before, during, and after each event.
• The Catering Manager maintains excellent public relations with customers, clients, staff, vendors, university partners, and the community. This includes communicating professionally with clients during events, responding promptly to catering inquiries, and helping ensure a high level of customer and client satisfaction.
• This position helps grow catering sales by building strong relationships with current clients, campus partners, community members, and potential catering customers.
• The Catering Manager maintains established food presentation and service standards while also looking for opportunities to enhance catering offerings based on current hospitality and catering trends.
• This role communicates catering menu offerings in an attractive, accurate, and effective manner, including attention to special dietary needs, event preferences, and customer expectations.
• The Catering Manager trains, schedules, directs, and supports catering staff, while participating in hiring, timekeeping, performance feedback, and corrective action processes as appropriate.
• This position prepares billing for catered events and maintains organized, comprehensive records for each event.
• The Catering Manager monitors catering supplies, décor, equipment, and event materials to ensure appropriate inventory levels, seasonal readiness, and professional presentation.
• This role ensures catering equipment is properly maintained, the catering office and work areas remain neat and organized, and catered events are performed in a safe and sanitary manner.
• The Catering Manager conducts post-event follow-up, responds to customer feedback, and makes recommendations to improve catering operations, service quality, efficiency, and overall event success.
• The Catering Manager may also provide leadership support for concessions, retail, or other dining service areas as business needs require.

Schedule Expectations

This is a full-time management position supporting a campus dining and catering operation. The schedule may vary based on business needs, catered events, concessions coverage, and the academic calendar. Evening, weekend, and extended hours may be required at times to support events and ensure successful service.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have

• High school diploma or equivalent required; bachelor’s degree in hospitality, food service management, business, or a related field preferred.
• At least three years of supervisory experience is strongly preferred, with previous catering, event management, hospitality, or food service leadership experience highly desired. This is a hands-on leadership role that requires sound judgment, strong organization, client-facing professionalism, and the ability to coordinate people, food, equipment, timing, and service details under pressure.
• ServSafe certification, or the ability to obtain certification as required.
• Knowledge of proper table service, event setup, catering presentation, and hospitality service standards preferred.
• Strong communication, organization, follow-through, and customer service skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products and the ability to learn event management or catering software.
• A positive, can-do attitude with the ability to remain professional, detail-oriented, and cooperative while working under pressure.
• A willingness to be hands-on and actively engaged in the physical work of a high-quality hospitality service operation.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

This position involves both office work and active work within a dining, catering, concessions, and commercial kitchen environment. Responsibilities may include moving inventory, product, carts, tables, equipment, and event materials. The position may require lifting or moving up to 25 pounds and working in areas that may include hot, humid, cold, or fast-paced conditions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

We Offer Full-Time Employees

• Competitive pay and bonus opportunities
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Access to pay as-needed through Daily Pay
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off
• Complimentary meals
• Professional development opportunities
• And much, much more!

About Creative Dining Services

Creative Dining Services partners with colleges, universities, Fortune 100 companies, full-service senior living communities, conference centers, K-12 schools, and camps to provide a different kind of hospitality and facility management services experience — one that is fresh, innovative, customized, and focused on the communities we serve. Why? Because that’s how it should be.

Creative Dining Services is an Equal Opportunity and Veteran Friendly Employer.