Food Service Labor Force: Standardized Job Descriptions

In many of the large institutions, including hospitals, unionized hotels, health care facilities, and contract feeding, there are often very carefully worded, standardized job descriptions, explaining tasks, employment hierarchy, career paths, and reporting relationships. There may be different codified positions, such as entry, senior, and/or principal food service worker. The descriptions look something like this:

Food Service Workers: perform duties related to food preparation, service and general maintenance in a kitchen or dining area. Workers perform unskilled or semi-skilled duties without supervisory responsibility. Minimum qualifications: ability to read, write, follow oral and written instructions. Knowledge and ability essential to the performance of the duties assigned.

Senior Food Service Worker: Under supervision, performs semi-skilled food preparation, serving, and general maintenance duties in a kitchen or dining area. Worker may serve in a leadership capacity over a small group of food service workers because of prior experience or training in food preparation. This position requires greater knowledge of the complexities of the area serviced, such as portion control, preparation of special diets under supervision of a dietitian, greater responsibility for maintenance of equipment used. Minimum qualifications: Ability to read, write, perform basic arithmetic calculations, follow oral and written instructions, and six months experience in food preparation and general maintenance in a kitchen or dining area or equivalent combination of education and experience. Knowledge and ability essential to the performance of the duties assigned.

Principal Food Service Worker: Under supervision, serves as work leader for group of up to ten food service workers and performs semi-skilled food preparation, serving, and general maintenance duties as required in a kitchen or dining area. Principal food service worker may supervise food service workers in the performance of routine unskilled food preparation, serving, and general maintenance duties in a kitchen or dining area. Minimum qualifications: Ability to read, write, perform basic arithmetic calculations, and two years’ experience in food preparation and general maintenance in a kitchen or dining area or equivalent combination of education and experience. Knowledge and ability essential to the performance of the duties assigned.