Cafeteria Manager jobs in Hickory, NC

Definition

This position is responsible for learning how to manage all functions pertaining to the operation of Gaston County School cafeterias. The employee must possess knowledge and understanding of food production, industrial cooking equipment, food and workplace safety programs, and food production software. This position will perform as acting Cafeteria Manager during the absence of a permanent manager. Under limited supervision, performs supervisory and administrative work directing operations of an assigned school cafeteria in compliance with the United States Department of Agriculture and other federal, state, and local rules and regulations in temporary situations as needed. Employees must exercise considerable independent judgment and initiative in planning, developing, coordinating, and overseeing physical and human resources needed to effectively prepare and serve nutritious meals in pleasant eating environments. The employee is responsible for ordering and maintaining appropriate food and supply inventories, recording purchases, food production, program participation, and revenues, and administering the Free and Reduced Priced Meal Program in accordance with applicable regulations when acting as manager of a school cafeteria. The employee is responsible for understanding how to develop and supervise a team of skilled and professional cafeteria staff members, including the performance of all routine personnel administration functions. When in an acting manager position, the employee serves as the primary liaison between School Nutrition Services and individual school communities and promotes school meal programs through participation in various activities and events.  When no acting manager position is available, employees will perform in school cafeterias alongside the permanent manager to develop their managerial skills.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities as Trainee

• Works alongside permanent managers and staff to develop managerial skills outlined in the sections below.

• Rotates among various schools in order to understand variations between different student age groups as well as variations between kitchens, management styles, and operating styles.

• Assists in the preparation of school breakfasts and lunches and monitors their quality and quantity.

• Assists in regulating sanitation and safety in the workplace.

• Assists in ordering and receiving food items.

• Assists in the operation of computerized point of sale.

• Assists in preparing reports and records.

• Assists in the supervision of cafeteria personnel.

• Attends designated meetings and classes.

• Performs managerial duties in their absence.

• Other duties as assigned.

When training, employees will develop the skills necessary to complete the following tasks. When performing as a temporary manager, the employee will execute the following tasks.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities when Performing as a Manager Trainee

• Plans, implements, and supervises the operation of an assigned school cafeteria for the preparation and service of meals and other foods.

• Follows and ensures adherence to established School, local, state, and federal regulations and requirements as well as sanitation, food production, and nutritional guidelines. Establishes and ensures adherence to procedures and standards which are in agreement with these regulations, requirements, and guidelines.

• Ensures administration of federal meal programs in accordance with local, state, and federal rules and regulations. 

• Serves meals on time; provides quick, pleasant service to customers; works with the principal to provide a pleasant eating environment.

• Other duties as assigned.

Facility Responsibilities

• Opens facility for operation.

• Checks all equipment and makes maintenance requests if necessary.

• Checks and records temperatures on all refrigeration.

• At the end of each day, checks all equipment, locks coolers and freezers, secures kitchen.

Supervise and Assume necessary Positions during the Production and Service of the Meal

• Provides on-the-job training in equipment use and care, food preparation, sanitation, and safety.

• Monitors safety and sanitation.

• Prepares daily production schedules to plan for food preparation, line service, and cleanup.

• Monitors the quality, appearance, and quantities of food prepared and served.

Responsible for Proper Ordering, Receiving, Storing, and Inventory Control

• Prepares menu orders, milk, bread, and a la carte orders

• Verifies accuracy of deliveries.

• Establishes and ensures proper storage of all items.

• Inventories items according to schedule.

• Maintains records for purchases and inventories.

Accountability

• Counts monies with the cashier(s) and completes cash reconciliation report.

• Prepares and makes day’s deposit.

• Collects production information.

• Consolidates day’s records in a designated manner.

• Follows established procedures to accept, screen, and submit Free and Reduced information

• Prepares payroll reports.

• Works with the Principal to inform customers of unpaid charges.  Enforces charge policy.

Personnel Responsibilities

• Participates in hiring staff.

• Schedules personnel and use of equipment.

• Provides on-the-job training.

• Evaluates and counsels employees to maintain a productive work environment.

• Assists with annual employee evaluations. (trainee is approved to complete an evaluation)

• Treats all employees in a fair and equitable manner.

• Maintains accurate and timely, written documentation on employee disciplinary matters.

Other Responsibilities

• If needed, call the School Nutrition Office and arrange for a rover/substitutes.  Greets and orients rover/substitute to tasks when he/she arrives.

• Attends required meetings and in-service training.

• Provides information to students, staff, and parents concerning Customer Accounts and menus.

• Determines the amount of food necessary for the preparation of daily meals; determines and maintains proper inventories of necessary food supplies and materials, and prepares requisitions and/or orders; checks deliveries to ensure compliance with orders, and contacts appropriate persons to resolve discrepancies, as necessary.

• Prepares production reports; ensures that staff follows standardized recipes and proper food production procedures; ensures that sufficient quantities of food are available for customers; obtains and records the amount of food items prepared, served, and discarded each day.

• Maintains the cleanliness and organization of food production and storage areas; conducts a monthly physical inventory of food and supplies.

• Completes and submits correct required reports, activity records, documentation, and surveys; submits accurate invoices, inventories, market orders, participation records, and other records on time. 

• Monitors Health and Fire Department inspections of the cafeteria and related facilities, implementing procedures to resolve identified problems or deficiencies, as necessary; may confer with Health or Fire Department officials to clarify the extent of problems, resolution procedures, preventative measures, etc. 

• Oversees the use of kitchen equipment, establishing and overseeing adherence to cleaning schedules, and requesting repair service as appropriate; assists in the development and implementation of kitchen floor plans and layout to improve ease of operations and efficiency.

• Inputs data and generates various daily, weekly, and monthly computer reports, such as cash and other financial reports, purchase orders, inventories, free and reduced rosters, and meal participation; verify cash and checks received; monitors and collects charge balances; prepares and makes bank deposits. 

• Uses a computer, pager, facsimile machine, e-mail, voicemail, and other communication technology.

• Administers federal Free and Reduced Price Meal Program in accordance with local, state, and federal rules and regulations; reviews meal applications compares cafeteria and master rosters of eligible students, and confers with School Nutrition Services, Principal, parents, and teachers to resolve discrepancies. 

• Assigns, directs, and supervises cafeteria staff, ensuring adherence to established policies, procedures, and standards; assists and advises subordinates, as necessary, resolving problems as non-routine situations arise; monitors job performance and provides fair, timely feedback regarding performance strengths and weaknesses.

• Determines staff assignments in accordance with school’s requirements and administers or makes recommendations for routine personnel matters affecting subordinates, including modifying current positions, recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training, assigning, scheduling, granting leave, appraising, and disciplining, etc., submitting such records and reports as required by School Nutrition Management.

• Completes daily work schedules for all cafeteria staff, ensuring that all team members’ work is appropriate for their pay and benefit classification. Obtains temporary personnel as necessary to substitute for absent workers; reviews time sheets and submits required documents for processing of payroll; ensure that subordinates receive orientation and training necessary to perform job functions, including training in the use of automated information systems.

• Assists in the preparation and service of breakfasts, lunches, and other foods, as appropriate.

• Assists in the development of product specifications, tests new products and/or recipes, and recommends the purchase or use, as appropriate.

• Attends seminars, conferences, workshops, classes, lectures, etc., as appropriate, to enhance and maintain knowledge of trends and developments in the fields of food services administration and operations, nutrition, and education; reviews professional journals, attends association and professional meetings, and otherwise maintains contacts with school and foodservice professionals to facilitate the exchange of information. 

• Attends approved food safety and sanitation training. Must pass any test on training to meet standards for health dept. certification credit.

• Attends scheduled meetings, reads memos and other correspondence, and communicates appropriate information to cafeteria staff in a timely manner. Informs staff of changes needed to facilitate training and to improve program effectiveness.

• Other duties as assigned by Director, Assistant Director, or Coordinator.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to physically perform the basic life operational functions of climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, fingering, grasping, feeling, talking, and hearing.

• Must be able to perform medium work exerting in excess of 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or in excess of 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or in excess of 20 pounds of force constantly to lift objects.

• Lifting Requirement—Employees must be able to lift 50 pounds and have no physical disabilities that may prevent them in any way from participating actively in any phase of kitchen work.  Physical well-being means that an individual will be able to participate in activities that frequently require heavy lifting.

Desirable Education and Experience

• Graduation from high school supplemented by training in culinary arts, food service management, home economics, nutrition or a related field, and 3 to 5 years of experience in the preparation of food in quantity lots, including supervisory experience and preferably in an institutional setting; or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong computer skills.

• Considerable knowledge of the principles and practices of food service administration, team building, and customer service.

• Considerable knowledge of the principles of supervision, organization, and administration.

• Considerable knowledge of the methods, tools, techniques, and practices of sanitation, food preparation, and food storage.

• General knowledge of the principles of bookkeeping and accounting of funds.

• General knowledge of current literature, trends, and developments in the field of food service administration.

• Some knowledge of current literature, trends, and developments in the field of food service administration.

• Some knowledge of USDA meal patterns and dietary guidelines and rules and regulations regarding federal meal programs.

• Some knowledge of federal, state, and school system regulations and requirements regarding bookkeeping and accounting of funds collected in school cafeterias.

• Some knowledge of the maintenance needs of large kitchen equipment.

• Some knowledge of the use of a personal computer to process, record, and transmit data.

• Skilled in motivating staff to follow local, state, and federal rules, regulations, policies, and procedures and in ensuring that staff members meet expectations.

• Skilled in leading staff to provide quality meals and friendly service appropriate to a public school environment.

• Skilled in allocating and organizing physical and human resources needed to effectively prepare and serve nutritious meals in a pleasant eating environment.

• Skilled in projecting amounts of food to be prepared based on previous school history and ordering sufficient quantities of necessary ingredients.

• Skilled in maintaining complete and accurate records and in developing simple reports from those records.

• Ability to comprehend written and verbal correspondence and to respond appropriately.

• Ability to plan and implement operational policies, procedures, and standards.

• Ability to set priorities and allocate time so that tasks are completed and deadlines are met in a timely manner.

• Ability to exercise independent judgment and to use initiative when responding to emergencies, resolving problems, and making improvements in the cafeteria operation.

• Ability to build team spirit, inspire cooperativeness in others, and encourage team members to accomplish work assignments even under difficult conditions.

• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

• Ability to evaluate products and services used in school system cafeterias.

• Ability to exercise tact, courtesy, and firmness in frequent contact with co-workers, vendors, customers, and subordinates.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments. 

This Position Reports Directly to:  Director of School Nutrition Services, Assistant Director and/or Coordinator 

Salary:  Grade 56, Step 00 (Entry Level)

Classification:  Non-Exempt

Disclaimer

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees for this job.

If offered a position, the prospective employee must pass a required health exam, criminal records check, and drug test.