WHAT DOES A FOOD SERVICE DO?

Published: Jun 12, 2025 - The Food Service Professional delivers high-quality food and beverage services by adhering to strict hygiene protocols and operational standards. This role involves maintaining seamless coordination between kitchen and service staff to ensure timely and accurate order fulfillment. The position also enhances guest satisfaction through consistent attention to detail, professional communication, and a proactive approach to problem-solving.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Food Service

1. Food Service Aide Responsibilities and Key Tasks

  • Food Preparation: Prepare meals for children and parents who attend the Early Head Start program.
  • Temperature Monitoring: Monitor and accurately document the temperature of food, the freezer, and the refrigerator to ensure a high standard of quality control.
  • Checklist Compliance: Adhere to and follow the daily kitchen checklist.
  • Meal Documentation: Document meal service records for each meal served.
  • Menu Compliance: Document and follow the specified daily menu, and appropriately document changes if/when they occur.
  • Meal Transportation: Drive van and transport meals from the Greenspring campus to the Early Head Start program.
  • Courier Services: Perform a variety of miscellaneous duties, including providing courier services, purchasing, and transporting materials to/from storage.
  • Inventory Maintenance: Maintain food supplies and utensils to include cups, plasticware, napkins, bins, and baby food.
  • Food Preparation: Cut, peel, and prepare food into appropriate child-size portions.

2. Food Service Assistant Duties

  • Food service: Prepares/Serves food to cafeteria patrons, serves and picks up meal trays, late trays, and snacks to/from patients.
  • Tray assembly: Assembles trays according to patients' prescribed diet orders.
  • Cash handling: Operates cash register accurately and efficiently.
  • Food display: Displays basic foods and beverages, prepares for serving.
  • Meal preparation: Prepares boxed lunches and stocks nourishments on patient units.
  • Equipment maintenance: Assists with the care and maintenance of department equipment and supplies.
  • Customer service: Practices good human relations and assures that courteous and proper service is provided to those served.
  • Safety and sanitation: Follows established safety, security, and sanitation practices.
  • Cleaning: Takes responsibility for warewashing and general cleaning/sanitation.

3. Food Service Associate Job Summary

  • Food safety: Handles and prepares food following food safety regulations.
  • Tray assembly: Assemble food trays for patient trays according to therapeutic diet orders.
  • Food preparation: Food preparation for the cafe and patients.
  • Phone handling: Answer department phone calls and respond to requests.
  • Cash handling and equipment operation: Operate the cash register and dish machine.
  • Teamwork: Participate in department communication and teamwork.
  • Storeroom and dishroom support: Assist with storeroom freight and dishes in the dish room or pot and pan room.
  • Kitchen stocking: Stock the resident kitchens (FAN 1 only).

4. Food Service Director General Responsibilities

  • Staff management: Manage and train the kitchen staff
  • Customer service: Demonstrate exemplary customer service skills
  • Menu creation: Create menus for daily meal service as well as for the variety of catering events that occur frequently
  • HACCP compliance: Implement and maintain HACCP standards
  • Client relations: Develop client and customer relationships
  • Merchandising and sales: Manage merchandising and retail sales
  • Catering delivery: Deliver fabulous catering results
  • Professional communication: Communicate professionally and effectively
  • Financial management: Deliver budgeted financial results
  • Team building: Create a positive team environment
  • Inventory management: Manage ordering and inventory

5. Food Service Manager Key Accountabilities

  • Meal preparation: Prepare/Portion nutritionally balanced, attractive family-style meals for delivery to classrooms.
  • Menu planning: Plan/Develop menus taking into account state and federal nutritional requirements, meet licensing, USDA requirements, the center budget, and seasonal availability of foods.
  • Inventory management: Keep an accurate inventory of supplies and place orders.
  • Kitchen operations: Manage all aspects of prepping and preparing meals, as well as cleaning and complying with sanitation requirements.
  • Food service collaboration: Partner with the hospital food service department.
  • Food portioning and delivery: Take responsibility for portioning food/ delivering.
  • Team collaboration: Maintain partnerships with classroom/center staff.
  • Workplace cleanliness: Maintain a clean and organized work environment.
  • Food certification compliance: Attain food certifications to ensure they are current.

6. Food Service Supervisor Role Purpose

  • Staff supervision: Supervise, coordinate, and schedule the activities of staff who prepare, portion, and serve food
  • Order preparation: Prepare food order summaries for the chef according to requests from customers
  • Scheduling: Establish work schedules and procedures
  • Record keeping: Maintain records of stock, repairs, sales, and wastage
  • Staff training: Train staff in job duties, sanitation, and safety procedures
  • Quality control: Ensure that food and service meet quality control standards
  • Menu planning: Plan menus and determine related food and labour costs
  • Customer satisfaction: Responsible for high-quality customer satisfaction in all food service operations