What are the Different Food Service Worker Jobs?

Commissaries provide food service worker jobs that usually involve repetitive tasks. Servers and back-waitresses are often found working together in dine-in restaurants. Buffet attendants are usually found in dine-in restaurants that are self-serve.

There is a wide range of food service worker jobs. These tend to vary because the types of jobs are affected by the type of facility and the food that is served. Commissaries, for example, are large facilities that prepare food for sale elsewhere. A theme park may have such a facility, which offers a lot of food service worker jobs. Employees in these facilities are often given single, repetitive tasks such as chopping fruit, slicing deli meats, or scooping dough onto cookie sheets.

There are many food service worker jobs that directly involve preparation of food items in restaurants. Many of these also involve repetitive, uncreative tasks. Fryers, for example, are individuals who generally deep fry packaged foods such as french fries, chicken, and breaded seafood. Salad preparers often have a pre-mixed base salad and will add a variety of toppings to form the item ordered. Saute cooking is generally a position that requires a bit more skill since expensive foods often have to be prepared to specification.

Serving and back-waitressing are two food service worker jobs found in restaurants that do not involve preparation. These individuals often form a sort of team in finer dine-in facilities. The server's role is to do the majority of interacting with the guests. She will take their orders, answer questions about the menu, and make suggestions, for example.

The back-waitress generally has the responsibility of making sure the dining experience passes smoothly. There are certain tasks she may perform without request from the server, such as refilling beverages, double-checking orders before they are served, and filling requests for items such as additional napkins or sauces. The back-waitress is often paid less than the server.

Many kitchens have food service workers known as expediters. The primary responsibility of these individuals is to put orders together. They often stand opposite of the cooking staff and help assemble plates by adding items such as side orders and garnishes. They may help ensure that special requests are fulfilled by the cooking staff. The expediter also usually places all of the necessary plates on each ticket together so they may be picked up by the individuals serving them.

Buffet attendants are food service worker jobs that are found at self-serve all-you-can-eat restaurants. Their main duty is to replenish items on the buffet before they run out. They may also have to attend to drink and ice cream stations, refilling ingredients the machines need to produce these items.