First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

Career Description: Supervise workers engaged in preparing and serving food.

Industry: Food Preparation and Serving Related

Other Job Titles for First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Food Preparation and Serving Workers:

• 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.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• 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.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Compile and balance cash receipts at the end of the day or shift.
• Resolve customer complaints regarding food service.
• Train workers in food preparation, and in service, sanitation, and safety procedures.
• Inspect supplies, equipment, and work areas to ensure efficient service and conformance to standards.
• Control inventories of food, equipment, smallware, and liquor, and report shortages to designated personnel.
• Observe and evaluate workers and work procedures in order to ensure quality standards and service.
• Assign duties, responsibilities, and work stations to employees in accordance with work requirements.
• Estimate ingredients and supplies required to prepare a recipe.
• Perform personnel actions such as hiring and firing staff, consulting with other managers as necessary.
• Analyze operational problems, such as theft and wastage, and establish procedures to alleviate these problems.
• Specify food portions and courses, production and time sequences, and workstation and equipment arrangements.
• Recommend measures for improving work procedures and worker performance to increase service quality and enhance job safety.
• Greet and seat guests, and present menus and wine lists.
• Present bills and accept payments.
• Forecast staff, equipment, and supply requirements based on a master menu.
• Perform serving duties such as carving meat, preparing flambe dishes, or serving wine and liquor.
• Record production and operational data on specified forms.
• Purchase or requisition supplies and equipment needed to ensure quality and timely delivery of services.
• Collaborate with other personnel in order to plan menus, serving arrangements, and related details.
• Supervise and check the assembly of regular and special diet trays and the delivery of food trolleys to hospital patients.
• Schedule parties and take reservations.
• Develop departmental objectives, budgets, policies, procedures, and strategies.
• Develop equipment maintenance schedules and arrange for repairs.
• Evaluate new products for usefulness and suitability.

Emerging Tasks

• Assess nutritional needs of patients, plan special menus, supervise the assembly of regular and special diet trays, and oversee the delivery of food trolleys to hospital patients.
• Conduct meetings and collaborate with other personnel to plan menus, serving arrangements, and related details.
• Observe and evaluate workers and work procedures to ensure quality standards and service, and complete disciplinary write-ups.
• Perform food preparation and serving duties, such as carving meat, preparing flambe dishes, or serving wine and liquor.
• Perform personnel actins, such as hiring and firing staff, providing employee orientation and training, and conducting supervisory activities such as creating work schedules and organizing employee time sheets.
• Perform various financial activities, such as cash handling, deposit preparation, and payroll.
• Record production, operational, and personnel data on specified forms.
• Supervise and participate in kitchen and dining area cleaning activities.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• analyze organizational operating practices or procedures
• assign work to staff or employees
• conduct training for personnel
• coordinate banquets, meetings or related events
• determine food portions
• direct and coordinate activities of workers or staff
• direct and coordinate food or beverage preparation
• greet customers, guests, visitors, or passengers
• hire, discharge, transfer, or promote workers
• identify cut or grade of meat
• inspect facilities or equipment for regulatory compliance
• inventory stock to ensure adequate supplies
• investigate customer complaints
• maintain production or work records
• manage finances for institutional food service
• modify work procedures or processes to meet deadlines
• monitor worker performance
• oversee work progress to verify safety or conformance to standards
• plan menus
• provide customer service
• purchase food or beverages
• purchase housekeeping or cleaning supplies or equipment
• recognize customer intoxication
• recommend improvements to work methods or procedures
• requisition stock, materials, supplies or equipment
• resolve customer or public complaints
• resolve or assist workers to resolve work problems
• schedule employee work hours
• schedule restaurant reservations
• use oral or written communication techniques
• plan meal presentations
• plan menus
• prepare appetizers, salads, or cold dishes
• prepare beverages
• prepare specialty foods
• price items on menu
• provide customer service
• purchase food or beverages
• read work order, instructions, formulas, or processing charts
• requisition stock, materials, supplies or equipment
• serve food or beverages
• test food to determine that it is cooked
• understand government health, hotel or food service regulations
• use knives
• use knowledge of food handling rules
• use specialized bakery equipment

Overall Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a teller might benefit from experience working directly with the public, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be a teller with little difficulty.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees.

Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.

Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include sheet metal workers, forest fire fighters, customer service representatives, pharmacy technicians, salespersons (retail), and tellers.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$13.48
• Average annual wage (2007) - $28,040.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 11.30%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 92,350
• Employment (2006): 817,108

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