Career summary

Details for Food Service Managers


Description

Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization or department that serves food and beverages.

Tasks

  • Test cooked food by tasting and smelling it to ensure palatability and flavor conformity.
  • Investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations.
  • Schedule and receive food and beverage deliveries, checking delivery contents to verify product quality and quantity.
  • Monitor food preparation methods, portion sizes, and garnishing and presentation of food to ensure that food is prepared and presented in an acceptable manner.
  • Monitor budgets and payroll records, and review financial transactions to ensure that expenditures are authorized and budgeted.
  • Schedule staff hours and assign duties.
  • Monitor compliance with health and fire regulations regarding food preparation and serving, and building maintenance in lodging and dining facilities.
  • Coordinate assignments of cooking personnel to ensure economical use of food and timely preparation.
  • Keep records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies.
  • Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service.
  • Estimate food, liquor, wine, and other beverage consumption to anticipate amounts to be purchased or requisitioned.
  • Review work procedures and operational problems to determine ways to improve service, performance, or safety.
  • Perform some food preparation or service tasks, such as cooking, clearing tables, and serving food and drinks when necessary.
  • Maintain food and equipment inventories, and keep inventory records.
  • Organize and direct worker training programs, resolve personnel problems, hire new staff, and evaluate employee performance in dining and lodging facilities.
  • Order and purchase equipment and supplies.
  • Review menus and analyze recipes to determine labor and overhead costs, and assign prices to menu items.
  • Record the number, type, and cost of items sold to determine which items may be unpopular or less profitable.
  • Assess staffing needs and recruit staff, using methods such as newspaper advertisements or attendance at job fairs.
  • Arrange for equipment maintenance and repairs, and coordinate a variety of services, such as waste removal and pest control.
  • Monitor employee and patron activities to ensure liquor regulations are obeyed.
  • Greet guests, escort them to their seats, and present them with menus and wine lists.
  • Establish and enforce nutritional standards for dining establishments, based on accepted industry standards.
  • Plan menus and food utilization, based on anticipated number of guests, nutritional value, palatability, popularity, and costs.
  • Create specialty dishes and develop recipes to be used in dining facilities.
  • Take dining reservations.
  • Schedule use of facilities or catering services for events such as banquets or receptions, and negotiate details of arrangements with clients.
  • Count money and make bank deposits.

Interests

  • Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
  • Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
  • Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
  • Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Education, training, experience

  • Education - These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
  • Training - Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
  • Experience - Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Knowledge

  • Computers and Electronics -Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Public Safety and Security -Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • English Language -Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Mathematics -Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Personnel and Human Resources -Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
  • Sales and Marketing -Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • Food Production -Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
  • Production and Processing -Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • Administration and Management -Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Education and Training -Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Customer and Personal Service -Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills

None found.

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