Are you passionate about working with food? There are many great career paths in hospitality that are specific to food service. You can choose to follow a path that will allow more guest interactions, such as a server, or you can work more back of the house, as a chef and interact more with other team members.

Here are some food service careers:

Entry-level

Server: As a server, you will greet each guest and provide a great dining experience. You will gain knowledge of menu items, food safety, and general property information. Guests will place their order with you, and you will deliver drinks and food. There are serving opportunities in restaurants, hotels, and resorts with dining options, banquet servers for events, and lounge servers. 

Cook: You can work as a prep, line, or pastry cook. You will be in charge of one specific item or part of a menu item and will take care to stock your area, keep your area clean, and properly prepare whatever you are assigned to. 

Dishwasher: Although this isn’t specifically food service, you will get to work in the kitchen and get to know the team members which can set you up to move into another role quickly. Dishwashers clean the silverware and dishes but also help keep the kitchen area clean and stock inventory as needed. 

Bartender: You can find bartending opportunities at a hotel bar or lounge, restaurant or stand-alone bar. You will greet guests and take their beverage orders. Bartenders typically need to take a class on how to properly create each beverage, so you may be asked to obtain that certification before or after being hired. 

Mid-level

Kitchen Manager: Kitchen managers oversee the food and beverage department, by managing the budget and monthly inventory, ensuring compliance with health and safety codes, and hiring the team members for foodservice roles. 

Catering Manager: Catering managers plan and manage the events for the hotel, resort, or restaurant. You work with the guests directly to plan out their food options, event space needs, and that the event goes off without a hitch.  

Sous Chef: The sous chef oversees the food preparation and supervises that production is high quality. You will assist the Executive Chef in ordering more inventory and ensuring all equipment functions properly. 

Senior-level

Food and Beverage Director: Food and beverage managers manage the day-to-day operations with the help of the Executive Chef and Kitchen Managers and leads of other departments. You are essential to keeping your team motivated. 

Executive Chef: Executive chefs oversee the menu creation, quality of product, and training of kitchen team members. You will support the team goals and measure effectiveness through profit and performance.  

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