Food Service Worker |
Career OverviewA food service worker is responsible for all aspects of food preparation and servicing. They may also have additional roles to maintain food preparation equipment and keep the food service area clean and sanitary as per regulations and health codes. The food service worker may also be required to operate the various equipment found in the food service area including ovens, stoves, mixers and other industrial food preparation appliances and equipment.
Often food service workers specialize in one area of food preparation. This means that some food service workers may work as short order or special order cooks, some may prepare desserts or other specialty items or others may work as clean-up staff or even cashiers or servers. There are a wide variety of possibilities for food service workers in most of the hospital or healthcare facilities.
A food service worker must have good interpersonal skills and should be able to follow both written and verbal directions. They should enjoy working with people as well as working in a team environment. Usually food service workers have standard shifts with little or no requirements for overtime. Weekend and evening shifts may occur however they are usually either part of the job description upon hiring or are an optional decision by the employee.
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Career RequirementsFood service workers require a high school diploma or equivalency, and ability to speak and understand English and a good comprehension of written directions or instructions.
Most food service workers learn their job skills by working and receiving on the job training as required. Some short order cooks and specialty cooks or staff may have commercial experience working in restaurants, bakeries or other food preparation industries.
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Job OutlookAs more hospitals or healthcare facilities are built the demand for food service worker will increase accordingly. This will provide a steady demand for food service worker that is about equal to the employment average across the United States.
Food service workers are often seen as entry level workers and some vacancies will be created as more experienced workers move into management or supervisory positions with the food service department.
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Career TrackAs mentioned above many food service workers move into management roles within the food service department. They may choose to specialize in hands on running of the facility or they make move more into inventory and equipment management. Some food service workers return to school or attend culinary schools to become chefs or restaurant managers.
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CompensationMost food service workers are paid on an hourly rate that ranges from $7.25 per hour to $9.00 per hour. Those food service workers that work evening and weekend shifts may have a slightly higher per hour income. Generally those food service workers with some supervisory responsibilities also earn a slightly higher per hour salary than those without.
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