Food Service
Advance your skills and learn what it takes to move up the Food Service Career Ladder!
Each career level contains information about hourly wages, job descriptions, main job duties, examples of job titles, general skills, and links to educational courses and training opportunities.
If you have further questions about local labour market information, contact us here: [email protected].
SECTION 1
65201 – Food Counter Attendants and Kitchen Helpers
Median hourly wage:
$18.20/hr
What you do:
Prepare, heat and finish cooking simple food items and serve customers for restaurants, hotels, hospitals and other establishments.
Main job duties:
- Take customers’ orders
- Clean, peel, slice and trim foodstuffs using manual and electric appliances
- Use equipment to prepare fast food items and hot beverages
- Portion, assemble, and wrap food or place it directly on plates for service to patrons, and package take-out food
Skills:
Customer service
Interpersonal skills
Food safety
Organization
Time management
Job title examples:
Food Counter Attendant
Kitchen Helper
Dietary Aide
Hourly wages:
$17.20 low
$18.20 median
$21.64 high
Education & Training:
| Hospitality & Tourism: Remarkable Customer Service | St.Lawrence College | |
| Food Counter Attendant & Kitchen Helper | Tri-County Literacy Council | |
| Food & Beverage Server | Tri-County Literacy Council | |
| Customer Service (french) | Moi j’Apprends | https://moijapprends.ca/services/formation/ |
| Customer Service (french) | Carrefour de Formation pour adultes inc | |
| WHMIS | Moi J’Apprends | https://moijapprends.ca/services/formation/ |
| Cooking & Catering | Eastern Ontario Training Board | https://eotb-cfeo.on.ca/cooking-catering/ |
| Safe Food Handler | Eastern Ontario Health Unit |
SECTION 2
65200 – Food and Beverage Servers
Median hourly wage:
$19.57/hr
What you do:
Food and beverage servers take patrons' food and beverage orders and serve orders to patrons. They are employed in restaurants, hotels, bars, taverns, private clubs, banquet halls and similar establishments.
Main job duties:
- Greet patrons, present menus, make recommendations and answer questions regarding food and beverages
- Take orders and relay to kitchen and bar staff
- Recommend wines that complement patrons’ meals
- Serve food and beverages
- Prepare and serve specialty foods at patrons’ tables
- Present bill to patrons and accept payment
- May order and maintain inventory of wines and wine glassware
- May perform sensory evaluation of wines.
Skills:
Job title examples:
Banquet server
Captain waiter/waitress
Chief wine steward
Cocktail waiter/waitress
Food and beverage server
Formal service waiter/waitress
Sommelier
Waiter/waitress
Wine steward
Hourly wages:
$16.55 low
$19.57 median
$25.56 high
Education & Training:
- On-the-job training is usually provided.
- Completion of secondary school may be required.
- Responsible beverage service certification is usually required for employees serving alcoholic beverages.
- Formal waiters/waitresses may require completion of a one- or two-year apprenticeship program or college or vocational school courses.
- Sommeliers may require courses in wine selection and service or experience as a formal waiter/waitress.
SECTION 3
63200 – Cooks
Median hourly wage:
$18.37/hr
What you do:
Prepare a wide variety of foods for restaurants, hotels, hospitals and other establishments.
Main job duties:
- Prepare and cook full meals or individual dishes of food
- Maintain inventory and records of food, supplies and equipment
- Oversee kitchen operations
- May plan menus, determine size of food portions, estimate food requirements and costs, and monitor and order supplies
Skills:
Attention to detail
Communication skills
Food safety organization
Time management
Job title examples:
Line Cook
Short Order Cook
Dietary Cook
Hourly wages:
$17.20 low
$18.37 median
$23.42 high
Education & Training:
| WHMIS | Moi j’Apprends | https://moijapprends.ca/services/formation/ |
| Cooking & Catering | Eastern Ontario Training Board | https://eotb-cfeo.on.ca/cooking-catering/ |
SECTION 4
62200 – Chefs
Median hourly wage:
$23.51/hr
What you do:
Plan and direct food preparation and cooking activities and prepare and cook meals and specialty foods.
Main job duties:
- Plan menus and ensure food meets quality standards
- Estimate food requirements and may estimate food and labour costs
- Supervise activities of cooks and other kitchen workers
- Prepare and cook full meals or specialty foods
- Instruct cooks in the preparation, cooking, garnishing and presentation of food
Skills:
Customer service
Leadership
Interpersonal skills
Time management
Planning
Job title examples:
Sous Chef
Specialty Chef
Head Chef
Hourly wages:
$17.20 low
$23.51 median
$33.76 high
Education & Training:
| Hospitality & Tourism: Post COVID-19 Standards | St.Lawrence College | |
| WHMIS | Moi j’Apprends | https://moijapprends.ca/services/formation/ |
| Safe Food Handler | Eastern Ontario Health Unit |
SECTION 5
62020 – Food Service Supervisors
Median hourly wage:
$18.51/hr
What you do:
Food service supervisors supervise, direct and coordinate the activities of workers who prepare, portion and serve food. They are employed by hospitals and other health care establishments and by cafeterias, catering companies and other food service establishments.
Main job duties:
- Supervise, coordinate and schedule the activities of staff who prepare, portion and serve food
- Estimate and order ingredients and supplies required for meal preparation
- Prepare food order summaries for chef according to requests from dieticians, patients in hospitals or other customers
- Establish work schedules and procedures
- Maintain records of stock, repairs, sales and wastage
- Train staff in job duties, and sanitation and safety procedures
- Supervise and check assembly of regular and special diet trays and delivery of food trolleys to hospital patients
- Ensure that food and service meet quality control standards
- May participate in the selection of food service staff and assist in the development of policies, procedures and budgets
- May plan cafeteria menus and determine related food and labour costs.
Skills:
Job title examples:
Cafeteria supervisor
Canteen supervisor
Catering supervisor
Food service supervisor
Hourly wages:
$17.20 low
$18.51 median
$25.03 high
Education & Training:
- Completion of a community college program in food service administration, hotel and restaurant management or related discipline or several years of experience in food preparation or service are required.
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
SECTION 6
60030 – Restaurant and Food Service Managers
Median hourly wage:
$27.15/hr
What you do:
Plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the operations of bars, cafeterias and other food and beverage services.
Main job duties:
- Determine types of services to be offered and implement operational procedures
- Recruit staff and oversee training
- Set staff work schedules and monitor staff performance
- Control inventory, monitor revenues and modify procedures and prices
- Resolve customer complaints and ensure health and safety regulations are followed
Skills:
Customer service
Conflict resolution
Leadership
Communication skills
Planning
Job title examples:
Hotel Restaurant Manager
Food Catering Manager
Bar Manager
Hourly wages:
$17.20 low
$27.15 median
$45.09 high
Education & Training:
| Hospitality & Tourism: Post COVID-19 Standards | St.Lawrence College | |
| Hospitality & Tourism: Remarkable Customer Service | St.Lawrence College | |
| Customer Service (french) | Carrefour de Formation pour adultes inc. | |
| Office Clerk | Carrefour de Formation pour adultes inc. |
SECTION 7
Entrepreneurs / Business Owners | Food Service
Median hourly wage:
Varies
What you do:
Organize and operate a business, taking on greater than normal financial risks to do so.
Main job duties:
- Creating and managing a business plan, ongoing research and planning, hiring staff, creating policies, and forecasting
- Maintaining business accounts, payments processing, taxes and general bookkeeping
- Develop marketing campaigns, manage social media and conduct other marketing activities
- Respond to customer service inquiries, including answering phone calls and emails to build a positive reputation for the business
Skills:
Work independently
Customer service
Organization
Accounting
Time management
Job title examples:
Small Business Owner
Franchisee
Hourly wages:
Education & Training:
| Business Management/Entrepreneurial | St.Lawrence College | |
| Supply Chain Management | St.Lawrence College | |
| Business Administration | St.Lawrence College | |
| Leadership Development Series | St.Lawrence College |