The Results-Oriented Food Service Workplace

Food service jobs, whether cooking, serving or bussing, are involved in a lot of detail. When food service people are so engrossed in the details of their jobs, it's easy for them, for anyone actually, to lose sight of the job's major contribution.

A Results-Oriented Food Service Job Description is different from a traditional job description because it focuses an employee on the several job results that answer the question: What results must this food service job accomplish for the organization?

Food Service Job Standards added to job expectations tighten management controls by clarifying how well and when results must be accomplished.

Food Service Job Objectives establish management and employee plans by highlighting important current and future results needed.

Job-specific Food Service Employee Management Forms maintain consistent and legally sound management actions by basing manager-employee interactions on job results.

The Purpose of Food Service Jobs

Stated in a results-oriented, three-line style, food service jobs--

PLEASES PREPARED-FOOD CUSTOMERS by

preparing and adjusting menus; reviewing food preparation, portion control, and waste; monitoring drink preparation and charges; following sanitation standards and procedures; maintaining security systems; tracking customer preferences.

Types of Food Service Jobs

The critical jobs in the food service industry prepare food and beverages. Closely important, however, are the servers-whether at dining tables, buffets, or bars-who deliver the food to customers and make the experience a pleasant one. Such work goes on in restaurants, resorts, cruise ships, clubs, hotels, motels and bread and breakfasts.

Other jobs, such as for a banquet, meet with customers to plan the event and then supervise the delivery of services. Still other jobs prepare drinks at bars and counters. Somebody needs to clean-up and was pots, plates, and utensils. And, of course, somebody has to manage and supervise the food service people and processes.

Food Service Job Management Tools

Here are actual job examples of how food service job actions can be focused on results and kept on track using each of our job management tools:

Results-Oriented Food Service Job Descriptions form the foundation of all job management tools. Our uniquely structured job descriptions focus on the result to be accomplished first and prominently, followed by the duties performed in order to accomplish the result. For example,

RECOMMENDS FOOD SERVICE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Food Service Job Standards sharpen employee attention and management control by defining and communicating how well the food service results must be accomplished and what benchmarks will be used to measure job results. For example, for the job result above, the job standards might be:

• Food Service situations are correctly understood.
• All options are identified and evaluated.
• Food Service recommendations are ready when needed.

Food Service Job Objectives point the direction for employee actions by focusing job efforts on current and future food service issues. Job objectives are written in the three-line, results-oriented structure. For example, for the job result above, a job objective might be:

SPEED-UP DECISION MAKING by

reducing time to deliver food service recommendations by 10% by (date).

Food Service Employee Management Forms tied specifically to each food service job description are more helpful (and legal) than generic forms used for all different kinds of jobs. Job-specific forms are used to state job qualifications, guide job interview questions, orient new employees, plan job training, and appraise job performance.

Food Service Job Qualifications are stated in the same terms used in the job description. They are not translated into generic (typically behavioral) terms. For example:

RECOMMENDS FOOD SERVICE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Food Service Job Interview guide questions are inserted directly below each job result in the job description: For example:

• "What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?"
• "Where did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "When did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?"
• "What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?"
• "In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?"
• "How did you overcome the challenges?"

The Food Service Job Orientation guide reformats the job description sequence so that job explanations, policies, protocols, processes, and procedures are logical and complete and can easily be checked off. For example:

RECOMMENDS FOOD SERVICE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Here's the procedure and format we use to analyze and present food service recommendations."

The Food Service Job Training plan guides a thorough examination of actual job knowledge, skills, and abilities as described in the job description that need improvement or that might be enhanced. For example:

RECOMMENDS FOOD SERVICE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Analytical skills would be improved by enrolling in a statistical analysis class."

The Food Service Job Performance Appraisal guide is a job-specific form. It is not a universal form used for all jobs. The guide adds an appraisal scale below each job result in the job description so that attention can be drawn to each job requirement and expectation. For example:

RECOMMENDS FOOD SERVICE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

__ Great! Just want we wanted.
__ We have a problem.
__ Improvement is needed.
__ Much, much more than we asked for.

Comments: _________________

Food Service Résumé Template

Potential employers want to know what a job applicant has accomplished in his/her food service work career. They don't want to be bored with minor details. Our Résumé Template provides:

• an outline to help assemble personal background information.
• a Results-Oriented Job Description to provide the food service job language-focused on results-needed to write an effective résumé.
• Food Service Job Objectives to orient thinking in terms of accomplishments.
• instructions on how to use a Results-Oriented Food Service Job Description and Food Service Job Objectives to express job accomplishments.

Use the food service job description responsibility statement as a base:

RECOMMENDS FOOD SERVICE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Select the food service job objective that fits your experience:

REDUCE COSTS 10% by

improving food service processes.

Combine the two into a résumé statement:

Reduced costs 10% by analyzing, identifying, and recommending new food service system controls.

Food Service Career Links

National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

Typical food service career ladder and compensation.

Culinary Arts Schools Worldwide

Employment, training, other qualifications, advancement, job outlook, earnings, related occupations, additional information.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Food Service Managers

About the training and education needed for food service manager jobs, earnings, expected job prospects, what food service managers do on the job, and working conditions.

CareerOverview.com, Food Service, Bartending, Waiter/Waitress Careers

Provides aspiring career professionals and students with relevant, reliable and up-to-date career and job information in order to help them make better, more informed career choices.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Chefs, Cooks, and Food Preparation Workers

Training and education needed for chefs, cooks, and food preparation worker jobs, earnings, expected job prospects, what chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers do on the job, and working conditions.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers

About the training and education needed for food and beverage serving and related worker jobs, earnings, expected job prospects, what food and beverage serving and related workers do on the job, and working conditions.

Culinary Careers, Food Service and Restaurant Careers

Information resource for education, training and jobs in culinary arts, hospitality and restaurant industries.