Description
Careers in restaurants and food and beverage services can be very exciting and exceptionally important. An important fact will always reign this field: everybody needs to eat, everybody likes to eat, and everybody especially loves to eat when food is being made for them by someone else.
The career options in this field are never-ending and they depend on the organization the person would like to work for. From restaurants and hotels, passing through fine dining and fast food chains, to catering companies, the options are endless.
The Food Services industry is usually characterized by two types of workers, front-of-house (e.g. Bartenders, Servers, and Hosts) and kitchen staff (e.g. Chefs, Managers, and Cooks). Without Chefs and other kitchen staff, there wouldn’t be any food to serve in the restaurant; however, the front-of-the-house staff is equally important. Customer experience is key in this industry.
Tasks Overview
Professionals in the Food Services field are usually responsible for the following:
- Supervising the activities in the kitchen and the dining room.
- Cooking and preparing different dishes.
- Creating menus and establishing prices.
- Catering to the customers’ needs.
- Solving any issue that may arise.
- Being aware of and following health, food, and safety legislations, policies, and procedures.
All professionals working in the Food Services field usually share the same characteristics, which include, but are not limited to:
- Being patient and dedicated.
- Always willing to provide the best service possible.
- Having excellent communication and customer service skills.
- Being able to work cohesively as a whole.
- Being organized, structured, and detail-oriented.
- Being great at multitasking and establishing priorities.
- Being able to stand and walk for their entire work shift.
If one thing can be said about careers in the Food Services industry is that it possesses plenty of opportunities for personal and professional growth, provided workers put on the necessary effort and dedication it takes to make it to the top.
Although most careers in the Food Services industry don’t require a degree or certification, most job offers require some kind of diploma or certification in the designated field of expertise. However, having some experience in food and beverages is certainly the way into this multi-faceted world.
Something to take into account when entering this field is that you aren’t likely to work a 9-to-5 job. Most careers in the Food Services field involve working late nights, holidays, and weekends.