| Employment growth in the food service | | | | courses, waiters and waitresses provide more |
| industry will be spurred by increases in | | | | formal service emphasizing personal, |
| population, household income, and leisure | | | | attentive treatment and a more leisurely |
| time that will allow people to more often | | | | pace. |
| dine out and take vacations. In addition, the | | | | |
| large number of two-income households will | | | | Bartenders fill drink orders either taken |
| lead more families to opt for the convenience | | | | directly from patrons at the bar or through |
| of dining out. | | | | waiters and waitresses who place drink orders |
| | | | for dining room customers. They prepare mixed |
| Chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers | | | | drinks, serve bottled or draught beer, and |
| prepare, season, and cook a wide range of | | | | pour wine or other beverages. Bartenders must |
| foods - from soups, snacks, and salads to | | | | know a wide range of drink recipes and be |
| entrees, side dishes, and desserts - in a | | | | able to mix drinks accurately, quickly, and |
| variety of restaurants and other food | | | | without waste. Bartenders should be friendly |
| services establishments. Chefs and cooks | | | | and enjoy talking with customers. |
| create recipes and prepare meals, while food | | | | |
| preparation workers peel and cut vegetables, | | | | Hosts and hostesses welcome guests and |
| trim meat, prepare poultry, and perform other | | | | maintain reservation or waiting lists. They |
| duties such as keeping work areas clean and | | | | may direct patrons to coatrooms, restrooms, |
| monitoring temperatures of ovens and | | | | or to a place to wait until their table is |
| stovetops. | | | | ready. |
| | | | |
| Chefs and head cooks also are responsible for | | | | Dining room and cafeteria attendants and |
| directing the work of other kitchen workers, | | | | bartender helpers assist waiters, waitresses, |
| estimating food requirements, and ordering | | | | and bartenders by cleaning tables, removing |
| food supplies. | | | | dirty dishes, and keeping serving areas |
| | | | stocked with supplies. |
| Executive chefs and head cooks coordinate the | | | | |
| work of the kitchen staff and direct the | | | | Counter attendants take orders and serve food |
| preparation of meals. Chefs tend to be more | | | | in cafeterias, coffee shops, and carryout |
| highly skilled and better trained than cooks. | | | | eateries. |
| | | | |
| The specific responsibilities of most cooks | | | | Food processing occupations include many |
| are determined by a number of factors, | | | | different types of workers who process raw |
| including the type of restaurant in which | | | | food products into the finished goods sold by |
| they work. | | | | grocers or wholesalers, restaurants, or |
| | | | institutional food services. |
| Most fast-food or short-order cooks and food | | | | |
| preparation workers require little education | | | | Butchers as well as meat, poultry, and fish |
| or training; most skills are learned on the | | | | cutters and trimmers are employed at |
| job. Training generally starts with basic | | | | different stages in the process by which |
| sanitation and workplace safety subjects and | | | | animal carcasses are converted into |
| continues with instruction on food handling, | | | | manageable pieces of meat, known as boxed |
| preparation, and cooking procedures. | | | | meat, that are suitable for sale to |
| | | | wholesalers and retailers. |
| Large corporations in the food services and | | | | |
| hospitality industries also offer paid | | | | In animal slaughtering and processing plants, |
| internships and summer jobs to those just | | | | slaughterers and meatpackers slaughter |
| starting out in the field. Internships | | | | cattle, hogs, goats, and sheep and cut the |
| provide valuable experience and can lead to | | | | carcasses into large wholesale cuts, such as |
| placement in more formal chef training | | | | rounds, loins, ribs, and chucks, to |
| programs. | | | | facilitate the handling, distribution, and |
| | | | marketing of meat. |
| Some chefs and cooks may start their training | | | | |
| in high school or post-high school vocational | | | | Bakers mix and bake ingredients in accordance |
| programs. Others may receive formal training | | | | with recipes to produce varying quantities of |
| through independent cooking schools, | | | | breads, pastries, and other baked goods. |
| professional culinary institutes, or 2 or 4 | | | | |
| year college degree programs in hospitality | | | | Other food processing workers - such as food |
| or culinary arts. In addition, some large | | | | batchmakers; food and tobacco roasting, |
| hotels and restaurants operate their own | | | | baking, and drying machine operators and |
| training and job-placement programs for chefs | | | | tenders; and food cooking machine operators |
| and cooks. People who have had courses in | | | | and tenders - typically work in production |
| commercial food preparation may start in a | | | | areas that are specially designed for food |
| cook or chef job without spending a lot of | | | | preservation or processing. |
| time in lower-skilled kitchen jobs. | | | | |
| | | | With the extent of growth in the industry of |
| Important characteristics for chefs, cooks, | | | | food service, managers are going to be in |
| and food preparation workers include working | | | | high demand. Management positions in the food |
| well as part of a team, having a keen sense | | | | service industry are diverse. Succeeding in |
| of taste and smell, and working efficiently | | | | the industry takes drive, ambition, and the |
| to turn out meals rapidly. Personal | | | | desire to please people as the food service |
| cleanliness is essential because most States | | | | industry is about customer service. It also |
| require health certificates indicating that | | | | requires a lot of energy, an outgoing |
| workers are free from communicable diseases. | | | | personality, and the ability to be |
| Knowledge of a foreign language can be an | | | | comfortable working with a variety of people |
| asset because it may improve communication | | | | from a variety of backgrounds. You also need |
| with other restaurant staff, vendors, and the | | | | to be a risk taker and have the ability to |
| restaurant's clientele. | | | | solve problems quickly. |
| | | | |
| Workers who perform tasks similar to those of | | | | The college degree gives the foundation on |
| chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers | | | | which to build the management career. And, if |
| include food processing occupations, such as | | | | your course work included financial and |
| butchers and meat cutters, and bakers. Others | | | | management classes it's even better. Your |
| who work closely with these workers include | | | | degree will enable you to start as an |
| food service managers and food and beverage | | | | assistant manager instead of an hourly |
| serving and related workers. | | | | employee. |
| | | | |
| Waiters and waitresses, the largest group of | | | | Employers will be looking for evidence that |
| these workers, take customers' orders, serve | | | | you are interested in the field and |
| food and beverages, prepare itemized checks, | | | | understand its demands; experience is your |
| and sometimes accept payment. In coffee shops | | | | evidence. Ideally, you've served an |
| serving routine, straightforward fare, such | | | | internship or apprenticeship for a food |
| as salads, soups, and sandwiches, servers are | | | | service employer, but summer and part-time |
| expected to provide fast, efficient, and | | | | jobs as a waiter, hostess, or cafeteria |
| courteous service. In fine dining | | | | worker will also show employers that you |
| restaurants, where more complicated meals are | | | | understand the industry. |
| prepared and often served over several | | | | |