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