WHAT DOES A FOOD SERVICE MANAGER DO?
Published: Mar 28, 2025 - The Food Service Manager implements and manages data and analytics tools to measure and enhance healthy choice offerings and consumption across client cafes. This position develops and executes nutrition strategies, manages data analysis, and creates educational content and tools to support wellness initiatives. This role coordinates with partners and teams to deliver impactful wellness programs, including events and publications, aligned with client needs and wellness goals.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Food Service Manager
1. Food Service Manager Duties
- Food Service: Operate food service department according to standards set forth by the camp, YMCA, County, and State.
- Leadership: Hire, train and serve as lead supervisor and head cook for all food service staff, cooks, and dishwashers.
- Customer Service: Demonstrate and deliver great customer experience by putting customer needs first.
- Menu Development: Set and maintain all cooking standards and procedures in addition to developing, organizing, and designing menus.
- Budgeting: Prepare, implement, and manage food service budget.
- Purchasing: Take lead in purchasing, inventory management, and waste control and securing vendor and product suppliers.
- Equipment Maintenance: Purchase, maintain and secure repairs for all kitchen equipment and keep in well-maintained condition.
- Sanitation: Set and maintain all cleaning and sanitation standards ensuring all health department standards for food service are followed.
- Mission Support: Support the YMCA’s mission and center operations.
- Stocking: Stock the various condiments, lids, cups, silverware, napkins, etc., to ensure adequate supply.
- Population Service: Serves a population from pediatric through geriatric.
- Privacy Compliance: Abides by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability privacy and security regulations regarding all aspects of Protected Health Information (PHI).
2. Food Service Manager Details
- Data & Analytics: Implement and manage data and analytics tools that measure healthy choice offerings and consumption.
- Nutrition Strategy: Plan and execute, with supervision, key nutrition strategy initiatives that serve to drive healthy consumption in client’s cafes.
- Data Management: Manage data collection and analysis.
- Content Development: Develop compelling nutrition content and educational tools using appropriate tone and language.
- Content Contribution: Contribute content to various publications including but not limited to internal digital magazine, client presentations, nutritional displays, lunch and learn/webinars seminars, and as needs arise within the Nutrition Strategy Group and per individual client requests.
- Client Relations: Build relationships and maintain partnerships with clients and wellness program designees to understand needs and preferences of the organization and employee demographic to create and deliver impactful café and cultural wellness programming that aligns with clients’ wellness initiatives.
- Reporting: Track and report all wellness events for the client in Quarterly Business Reports.
- Collaboration: Collaborate with customer Site Council’s and ISS Workplace Experience and Culinary teams to develop, plan, and execute nutrition strategy per client location account including choice architecture, marketing, culinary programs and coordination of health promotion events.
- Program Management: Manage the Brick-and-Mortar program across NAM and develop content with the customer marketing team and all site councils to engage the Edge to Office (E2O) community.
- Podcast Coordination: Coordinate Monthly podcasts and an HPE-specific magazine around whole-person health and track participation.
3. Food Service Manager Responsibilities
- Training: Conduct ongoing training with ISS Café Chef/Managers and kitchen staff on Café Wellness programs, relevant health and nutrition topics, allergen awareness, and healthful cooking techniques.
- Community Wellness: Execute integrated community wellness programs with client wellness partners.
- Event Participation: Participate in client health fairs, farmers markets, and other health promotion events.
- Customer Interaction: Interact with customers by providing nutrition and health-related information and respond to any questions.
- Content Creation: Create online community-based content to actively engage HPE Edge workers.
- Nutrition Expertise: Serve as nutrition expert and resource responding to customer, HPE, and Guckenheimer staff questions and comments regarding nutrition and health.
- Culinary Integration: Integrate nutritional framework into HPE’s national culinary programs.
- Menu Design: Maintain nutritional integrity of dining programs by working directly with Unit Chefs, Regional Executive Chefs, and Nutrition Support Specialists on recipe creation and menu design.
- Audit & Feedback: Audit accounts and provide feedback for improvement.
- Recipe Analysis: Analyze and modify recipes to improve nutritional value using the CBORD platform.
4. Food Service Manager Job Summary
- Operations: Fully responsible for the effective operation of Food Services and Queen Street Café.
- Meal Planning: Meal and menu planning in collaboration with the Cafeteria Supervisor and the Assistant Café Manager.
- Leadership: Lead front and back end operations of Food Services and Café including scheduling, hiring, opening, menu planning, food preparation and delivery, closing, and cleaning tasks.
- Sales Performance: Review sales performance regularly, identify targets for improvement, strategies for retaining and increasing customer base, and complete marketing activities.
- Catering: Solicitation and completion of catering events.
- Maintenance: Identify and address all maintenance issues.
- Health & Safety: Promote and adhere to all health and safety standards and guidelines.
- Licenses & Permits: Follow guidelines and maintain all licenses and permits.
- Cash Management: Ensure accuracy of cash on hand, deposits, and daily sales reports.
- Staff Supervision: Oversee job performance of all Food Services and Café employees.
- Policy Adherence: Follow organizational policies for work time tracking, staff supervision, staff evaluation, feedback, and training.
5. Food Service Manager Accountabilities
- Recruitment: Recruit Food Services and Café staff, identify and monitor training needs and take an active role in staff development.
- Inventory Management: Ensure availability of menu items at all times through oversight and implementation of the ordering process.
- Delivery Management: Ensure that deliveries are received correctly and that invoices are properly stored.
- POS Management: Complete entry of stock into the POS system.
- Invoice Processing: Submit invoices to A/P for payment.
- Stock Control: Minimize loss of product through oversight of stock rotation, proper labeling, and storage of stock.
- Vendor Management: Review vendors routinely and solicit pricing for supplies regularly.
- Menu Planning: Review menu and daily specials to ensure demand for items offered as well as correct pricing.
- Customer Service: Maintain a positive attitude and a cheerful environment that encourages return business and sets the example for Café staff members.
- Quality Control: Lead idea board huddles, scorecard planning and tracking for all quality initiatives.
- Workplace Culture: Encourages and supports diverse views and approaches, demonstrates Standards of Respect, and contributes to creating and maintaining an environment of professionalism, respect, tolerance, civility, and acceptance toward all employees, patients, and visitors.