Training and Advancement
The skills and experience required by workers in food services and drinking places differ by occupation and type of establishment. Many entry-level positions, such as waiters and waitresses or food preparation workers, require little or no formal education or previous training. Similarly, work in limited-service eating places generally requires less experience than work in full-service restaurants.
Many fast-food worker or server jobs are held by young or part-time workers. For many youths, this is their first job; for others, part-time schedules allow more flexible working arrangements. On-the-job training, typically under the close supervision of an experienced employee or manager, often lasts a few weeks or less. Some large chain operations require formal training sessions, many using on-line or video training programs, for new employees.
Formal training and prior food-service experience for managers, however, is more common. Training may take the form of industry-sponsored seminars; short-term, subject-specific certificate programs; or associate or bachelor's degree programs in culinary arts or hospitality, hotel, or restaurant management. Seminars often address a variety of complex issues faced by food service managers and suggest ways to resolve problems as they occur and to improve the firm's profitability, worker morale, and customer service. Some training topics cover proper food handling and safety issues, or methods for recruiting and motivating quality employees. As more restaurants use computers to keep track of sales and inventory, computer training is becoming increasingly integrated into management training programs.
Larger establishments or regional offices of nationwide chain or franchise operations increasingly use video and satellite TV training programs or on-line employee-development software to educate newly hired staff. This type of corporate training generally covers the restaurant's history, menu, organizational philosophy, and daily operational standards. Nationwide chains often operate their own schools for prospective assistant managers so that they can attend training seminars before acquiring additional responsibilities. Eventually, successful assistant managers may advance to general manager of one of the chain's establishments, to a top management position in another large chain operation, or to a management position in an independent restaurant. Assistant managers in smaller, independent restaurants may learn their duties on the job, while assistant mangers in most chain-affiliated establishments receive training through more formal programs.
Completion of postsecondary training is increasingly important for advancement in the food services and drinking places industry. Whether it is in the form of a bachelor's degree or as specialized training in culinary arts or hospitality management, completion of such programs demonstrates both the maturity and motivation required for work in a hectic fast-paced industry. Appropriate training often enables graduates to start as assistant managers. Management programs may last from 18 months, for tailored certificate or associate degree programs, to 4 years, for more comprehensive bachelor's degree programs. A growing number of master's degree programs in hospitality management provide training for corporate-level management involving site selection and feasibility assessments in addition to training for restaurant-level customer service responsibilities. Courses are available through community and junior colleges, trade and vocational schools, 4-year colleges and universities, hotel or restaurant associations, and trade unions. The Armed Forces are another source of training and experience in food service work.
Training options for chefs and other kitchen staff are more varied. Some start out in kitchens as food preparation workers and gradually work their way up to cook and chef positions with experience and improved skills. Or they may start in smaller restaurants or in less demanding work stations, such as the cold station, preparing comparatively simple salads or appetizers, then move up to stations where more complicated dishes are made and more sophisticated cooking techniques are used. Working under an experienced chef and gaining progressively more responsible and difficult assignments is one way many cooks advance.
Formal culinary training for chefs and cooks is available through a wide variety of sources—independent cooking schools or academies, community and junior colleges, trade and vocational schools, and 4-year colleges and universities. Many trade associations and unions also certify cooking programs conducted at selected schools or sponsor Federally approved apprenticeship programs that combine formal classroom instruction with on-the-job experience in a working kitchen. Many formal training programs offer job placement opportunities that help recent graduates find work in kitchens, generally at the sous-chef level or higher. Many cooks without the formal training gain experience through structured internships, working under the direction of experienced chefs. Some advance to more responsible cooking positions by moving up the line in the same restaurant or by moving from one kitchen to another.
Most culinary programs now offer more business courses and computer training to better prepare chefs to assume greater leadership and managerial roles in the industry and to manage large, complex food service operations. Culinary training also has adapted to reflect changing food trends and eating habits. For example, chefs and cooks must know a wide variety of food preparation techniques and cooking styles. They also must know how to prepare foods to accommodate various dietary restrictions to satisfy health-conscious eating styles, and to meet the needs of an increasingly international clientele. Chefs and cooks also need to be creative and know how to inspire other kitchen staff to develop new dishes and create inventive recipes.
Promotion opportunities in food services and drinking places vary by occupation and the size of individual establishments. As in other industries, larger establishments and organizations usually offer better advancement opportunities. As beginners gain experience and basic skills, those who choose to pursue careers in food services and drinking places can transfer to other jobs that require greater skill and offer higher earnings. Many workers earn progressively higher incomes as they gain experience or switch to jobs in establishments offering higher pay. For example, waiters and waitresses may transfer to jobs in more expensive or busier restaurants where larger tips are more likely.
Many food service workers start as untrained food preparation workers. As they pick up kitchen skills, and demonstrate greater responsibility, they may advance to cook positions preparing routine or simple dishes. Advancement opportunities for food preparation workers, as well as for cafeteria and institution cooks and short-order cooks, generally require that they move into positions in full-service restaurants. In full-service restaurants, kitchen workers at all levels may acquire the appropriate experience and expand their skills, which may lead to work as a line cook. Line cooks also develop and acquire new skills, moving to more demanding stations and eventually to more challenging chef positions. As chefs improve their culinary skills, the opportunities for professional recognition and higher earnings increase. Chefs may advance to executive chef positions and oversee several kitchens within a food service operation, open their own restaurants as chef-proprietors, or move into training positions as teachers or culinary educators. Other chefs may go into sales or demonstrator careers, testing recipes, products, or equipment for sale to chefs and restaurateurs.
Many managers of food services and drinking places obtain their positions through hard work and years of restaurant experience. Dining room workers, such as hosts and hostesses or waiters and waitresses, often are promoted to maitre d' or into managerial jobs. Many managers of fast-food restaurants advanced from the ranks of hourly workers. Managers with access to the necessary capital may even open their own franchises or independent restaurants.