Table of Contents

1. Chef
2. Food and Beverage Director
3. Server

The service sector is one of the fastest growing in the world economy and part of that is due to the expanding food service industry. Casinos, restaurants, resorts, cruise ships – the list of career paths is endless and so are the job opportunities.

Here are three sample food service jobs – something for everyone!

Chef

If being creative with how you prepare food, style plates, and even create menus, then being a chef is the right path for you!

A great place to start is applying for a prep or line cook position and learning the ins and outs of a kitchen and food. You can then work your way into a sous chef position, or maybe go the pastry chef route where you only work on baked goods and desserts.

If being an executive chef is your goal, you may also want to consider applying to culinary programs. Many positions will require a culinary degree as well as experience. There may however be companies who will just want you to have enough experience instead of a degree.

You can find chef positions at both restaurants and hotels, depending on which type of location you prefer to work in.

Food and Beverage Director

Depending on the size of the business, these executives usually run the show. They may be in charge of ordering the food, keeping the budget under control, hiring new employees, managing employee disputes, and a million other little problems every day – all to make the guests more comfortable.

You can find this position on cruise ships, themed restaurants, casinos, hotels, and restaurants!

The food and beverage director must have excellent people and planning skills. They must be able to work with everyone from the bus staff to the head chef. These people must be calm, cool, and collected at all times.

To apply for food and beverage director positions, you will either need a college degree, or a specific amount of experience (which can vary for each employer) to replace that degree.

Server

Anybody can drop off a cup of coffee with hash browns at the local diner because diner patrons don’t expect much more than a good cup of coffee and some decent hash browns. On the other hand, if you’re waiting tables in a tux at The Silver Truffle, you’d better know how to serve the sumptuous meal just sent out from the kitchen.

As a server, for the most part, you learn on the job. And believe this: a good server makes a meal great by enhancing the dining experience. An ill-trained or careless server turns a great meal into a nightmare if guests are left waiting at the table.

So, regardless of where you start, there’s plenty of opportunity to move up the career ladder, assuming more responsibilities and earning a bigger paycheck. It’s one of the fastest-growing segments of our economy and you can take advantage of the demand for food service workers whether you graduate from a four-year college or learn your skills on the job.

In food service, your success is limited only by your willingness to work hard and learn the ropes. After that, the sky’s the ONLY limit.