Description
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization or department that serves food and beverages.
- • Test cooked food by tasting and smelling it to ensure palatability and flavor conformity.
- • Investigate and resolve complaints regarding food quality, service, or accommodations.
- • Schedule and receive food and beverage deliveries, checking delivery contents to verify product quality and quantity.
- • Monitor food preparation methods, portion sizes, and garnishing and presentation of food to ensure that food is prepared and presented in an acceptable manner.
- • Monitor budgets and payroll records, and review financial transactions to ensure that expenditures are authorized and budgeted.
- • Schedule staff hours and assign duties.
- • Monitor compliance with health and fire regulations regarding food preparation and serving, and building maintenance in lodging and dining facilities.
- • Coordinate assignments of cooking personnel to ensure economical use of food and timely preparation.
- • Keep records required by government agencies regarding sanitation or food subsidies.
- • Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service.
- • Estimate food, liquor, wine, and other beverage consumption to anticipate amounts to be purchased or requisitioned.
- • Review work procedures and operational problems to determine ways to improve service, performance, or safety.
- • Perform some food preparation or service tasks, such as cooking, clearing tables, and serving food and drinks when necessary.
- • Maintain food and equipment inventories, and keep inventory records.
- • Organize and direct worker training programs, resolve personnel problems, hire new staff, and evaluate employee performance in dining and lodging facilities.
- • Order and purchase equipment and supplies.
- • Review menus and analyze recipes to determine labor and overhead costs, and assign prices to menu items.
- • Record the number, type, and cost of items sold to determine which items may be unpopular or less profitable.
- • Assess staffing needs and recruit staff, using methods such as newspaper advertisements or attendance at job fairs.
- • Arrange for equipment maintenance and repairs, and coordinate a variety of services, such as waste removal and pest control.
- • Monitor employee and patron activities to ensure liquor regulations are obeyed.
- • Greet guests, escort them to their seats, and present them with menus and wine lists.
- • Establish and enforce nutritional standards for dining establishments, based on accepted industry standards.
- • Plan menus and food utilization, based on anticipated number of guests, nutritional value, palatability, popularity, and costs.
- • Schedule use of facilities or catering services for events such as banquets or receptions, and negotiate details of arrangements with clients.
- • Count money and make bank deposits.
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Related Pathways
Hospitality, Events & Tourism
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Source
Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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Sources & Standards:
This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
