Restaurants are a great place to get together with friends and families. There is also a great convenience as most facilities offer take-out as well, so these are very popular venues. There can be a huge quality difference seen from the products between these dine-in facilities versus the fast food variety, and the food is generally made to order.
The majority of positions available in this industry do not require any education level to work there. This industry is great for people who want part-time jobs or second jobs to help add extra income into their pockets. Restaurants are also a great place for people who are looking for their first job. For most positions, no previous experience is really required.
There is still growth in a field like this, as the more colleges and sporting areas are created there will be a higher need for these types of facilities. There will always be a need for convenient food, and that gives this field a positive feeling of job security department.
Anyone can work in a restaurant. There are many different jobs that can utilize most talents that an employee might have. Someone with great customer service can be out working around the dining area with the customers, while someone who is an excellent team player can excel in the kitchen area. There can be something for everyone in this industry.
Job Opportunities
Here are some of the employment opportunities that you can find within this industry:
Servers: Servers, also known as the wait staff, are the people who take the orders and are generally the ones who deliver the food to the customers. This requires excellent customer service skills, including the ability to calmly deal with unhappy customers. A good server will know the menu and drink selections very well as to answer any questions that might be asked. It can be a physically demanding job, as they often have to balance several large and hot plates at any given moment. Another mark of a good server is the ability to guess the needs of the consumer, like get them a drink refill before they ask. No education is needed to pursue this position. The hourly wage for this position is around $2-$3 but you will usually get tips to help move that figure more towards $8 or $9 per hour.
Hosts: That smiling face that you first see is there to greet you when you enter is the host or hostess. They are there to seat the guests and let them know if there is a wait currently in the restaurant. In places with take-out, often they are the ones who take those orders. A host will have to have an excellent set of customer service skills, as well as be approachable and friendly. They also need to stand for long periods of time and be well-groomed. They are the first impression of the restaurant. For this position, there is no educational requirement. The hourly wage is $8-$10.
Cooks: There are two types of cooks found in this field: the prep cook and the line cook. A line cook is the one who does a majority of the cooking, like the entrees or appetizers. Prep cooks often have a focus on items like salads, desserts while also doing the prep work for the line cook. In some restaurants the line cook and prep cook are the same, but in more busy establishments they are separate. Generally no education level is required to enter this field, but it is preferred to have at least a technical school level education in culinary. The average hourly wage for this job is $10-$14.
Managers: The managers are responsible for supervising their employees. They do the scheduling, inventory ordering, and hiring/firing employees. They often walk around and ask customers in the dining area about their experience to ensure top quality customer service in their establishment. Managers are also there to hear customer complaints and deal with them in an efficient and polite manner. This position requires someone to at least have a high school degree. Most often restaurants like their managers to have a bachelor’s degree as well as previous restaurant experience. The average hourly wage for a manager is $23.
Job Outlook
The outlook in the restaurant industry is about 8%. This number is less than the 11% national average in other industries. Even with that number, there are always job openings in this field as employees often leave to find different careers.