Food Service Jobs at Hotels and Resorts

You've probably noticed there seem to be restaurants on every corner in most cities these days. There are many different kinds of restaurants and new concepts are launching practically every day. While the most common restaurants are fast food places, there are also casual dining restaurants, cafeterias, fine dining, and gourmet restaurants. At each of these restaurants there are employees that take food orders, prepare the food, serve the food, and take care of the bill payment. There need to be supervisors and managers to oversee the restaurant, make sure that the restaurant is meeting its financial and customer service goals, and following all local and federal regulations.

For most of these jobs, you won't need to have a degree; usually a high school diploma or a few years of experience is all that's required. In most food service jobs there may be a lot of interaction with customers. You need to enjoy working with people as well as food. You should also have good people skills, because in addition to dealing with customers, you'll need to be able to work with all restaurant employees as a team to provide the best service.

When it comes to food service there are two primary types of jobs: front of the house positions, those that directly serve or work with customers, and back of the house positions, those that are behind the scenes preparing the food, washing the dishes, and otherwise providing support.

While the hospitality industry is one of the major employers in the United States, the food service industry is the number one employer in the hospitality industry. Because many food service jobs are part time or seasonal, there is usually a big turnover and constant need for new employees in this industry.

Did you know? There are about 1 million restaurant locations, employing approximately 13 million people (according to the National Restaurant Association). According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this number is expected to grow considerably every year.

Here is a listing of jobs and some information about some of the most common jobs in the food service industry.

Front of the House Jobs

Host/Hostess:Not every restaurant has a host or hostess. Fast food restaurants, small diners, or cafeterias usually don't require a host or hostess. It is more often the casual dining and fine dining establishments that utilize a host to make sure they stay in control of seating and table turnover.

Restaurants that seek to turn over table as quickly as possible often use hosts or hostesses. If you are hired in this capacity, you will walk a fine line between seating customers as soon as possible and allowing the wait staff and bus employees enough time to clear and clean the tables and prepare for the next guest. You need to keep track of what tables are available and how fast guests are entering and exiting.

Waiter/Waitress: The most common job in the industry is the waiter or waitress. Most of these employees work for traditional restaurants rather than fast food places or concepts in which customers order at a cash register. Waitstaff members submit food orders to the kitchen and either serve them or make sure they are served as soon as they are ready. They also must make sure guests have everything they need for their meal and answer any questions they may have about the food. At some high end restaurants, waitstaff can make very good money in tips.

Cashier: Again, not every restaurant employs cashiers. Most family style, sit-down restaurants, diners, or traditional concepts do use a cashier. After eating their meal, guests take the check or bill to the cashier who accepts their payments. Cashiers must be accurate, friendly, and ask if guests have been happy with the food and the service.

Busser: The busser actually could be considered part of the front of the house staff or back of the house staff; he or she usually performs work for both teams. For most busy restaurants, clearing and cleaning tables quickly and well is a key to profitability. The faster the restaurant can turnover tables, the more money it makes. For this reason, often bussers work as a team with waiters and waitresses, and share their tips. This is an entry level position that can lead to work as a waiter or as part of the kitchen staff.

Headwaiter/Waitress: Found most often in luxury hotels or high end restaurants, the headwaiter supervises the other waiters and waitresses and trains them according to the policies and specifications of that establishment. He or she often earns the highest salary and receives a higher percentage of tips. He or she might be involved in hiring other waitstaff members, and also in other restaurant operations management.

Back of the House Jobs

Line Cooks: Line cooks are employed at family-style restaurants, diners, and in some casual dining and fast food restaurants. They are usually required to have some experience cooking in a restaurant, but usually don't have to have formal training or education. They do not design menus or create new food items; they are taught how to prepare menu items according to the restaurant's preferences. They also need to know food safety requirements and regulations.

Sous Chefs: New graduates from culinary school most often start out as sous chefs, although depending on the size and quality of the restaurant they may start out in food prep or as a line cook. The sous chef works under the direction of the chef, preparing ingredients for his or her use, or preparing some of the less complicated menu items for customers.

Chefs/Head Chefs/Executive Chef: Once a culinary school-trained chef has a number of years of experience as a sous chef or similar positions in a kitchen, he or she may be able to get a job as a chef, head chef, or executive chef. This person is usually in charge of the other kitchen workers as well as the menu and for ensuring the quality of the food that is produced in the kitchen. He or she must also pay close attention to food safety regulations.

Food Prep: Similar to a line cook, the food prep worker prepares salads, garnishes, and makes sure that bread is sliced for sandwiches, condiment containers are filled and ready for use in the kitchen and that basically once the busy lunch or dinner hours start that the chefs or cooks have everything they need to fill orders quickly and efficiently.

Other Personnel

Supervisors and managers can fall into the "back of the house" or the "front of the house" category, since their responsibilities can float between both. Most supervisors or managers are responsible for the overall quality of food and service the restaurant offers, and so he or she must be fully aware of everything that is going in both places.

Food Service Jobs Summary

• With 960,000 restaurant locations in operation in the United States, there will always be the need for food service workers.
• Most food service jobs don't require previous education or experience, although there are some exceptions, such as chefs and some managers.
• Food service jobs fall into two main categories: back of the house jobs (chefs, cooks, dishwashers, etc. ) and front of the house jobs (waitstaff, hosts, cashiers, etc. ).

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