Bethany School
Summary
The Food Service Worker at Bethany School is responsible for assisting in the preparation and serving nutritious meals to students and staff while maintaining high standards of cleanliness, safety, and customer service. The Food Service Worker often works in a fast-paced environment that requires teamwork and the ability to interact positively with children.
Roles and Responsibilities:
Food Preparation & Service
Prepares, cooks, and bakes various food items according to standardized recipes, including salads, hot foods, and sandwiches.
Sets up serving lines and ensures food is served in appropriate portion sizes to students and staff.
Sanitation & Cleaning
Cleans and sanitizes kitchen equipment, utensils, serving areas, and dining surfaces to prevent cross-contamination.
Cleans freezers, coolers, and storage areas, as well as operates dishwashers.
Inventory & Logistics
Receives, checks in, and stores food and supply deliveries, including putting away stockin freezers, coolers, and storage rooms.
Monitors food temperatures and inventory levels to rotate stock properly.
Point of Sales & Cashiering
Operates cash registers or computerized, touch-screen point-of-sale systems to track student meals and process transactions.
Safety & Compliance
Follows all food safety standards, local/state health codes, and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) protocols.
Customer Services
Interact with students and staff in a friendly and helpful manner.
Additional Duties
Performs other related duties as assigned.
Qualifications and Skills
Good communication skills.
Ability to read and follow recipes.
Basic math skills.
Familiarity with kitchen equipment (ovens, mixers, slicers)
Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with staff and students.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and interact positively with children.
Strong attention to detail.
Commitment to maintaining confidentiality regarding student dietary needs.
Capability to multitask, follow oral or written instructions, and manage basic math and reading for inventory and standardized recipe scaling.
Knowledge of basic food preparation and safety procedures.
Proficiency with Lunchtime platform and/or other relevant software.
Education and Experience
High school diploma or equivalent is required.
Previous food service experience in a school kitchen, restaurant, childcare facility, commercial food service, or similar, large-quantity food preparation role is preferred.
A Serve Safe Food Safety Program certificate or local Food Handler's Certification is required (or required within a specific timeframe after hire).
Responsible for maintaining certification and submitting updated documentation every 3 years.
Physical Requirements
Ability to stand and walk on hard floors daily, with frequent bending, stooping, kneeling, and reaching.
Regular ability to lift, carry, push, or pull objects and bulk food supplies or food equipment weighing up to 30–50 pounds.
Strong manual dexterity skills to rapidly portion meals, operate commercial kitchen equipment (dishwashers, slicers), and handle knives safely.
Capacity to work in environments with extreme temperature changes (walk-in freezers to hot ovens), loud noise levels, and exposure to fumes, steam, and cleaning chemicals.
Ability to maintain emotional control, make quick decisions under pressure, and meet strict time constraints when lots of students are waiting.
Work Environment
Highly structured, and deeply team-oriented atmosphere, where staff work closely together to meet strict school food service deadlines.
Generally, it offers steady schedule, and reliable daytime shifts that align closely with the school calendar.
Temperature varies widely. Food service workers frequently alternate between the intense ambient heat of ovens, steam tables, and stovetops, and the freezing temperatures of institutional walk-in coolers.
Safety & Hygiene is strictly regulated, and food service workers must wear specific PPE (for example: hairnets, gloves, and slip-resistant closed-toe shoes).
•Typical sounds of the school kitchen could include the following:
Mechanical Hum: The continuous background drone of industrial-sized refrigerators, walk-in freezers, and heavy-duty ventilation hoods.
Meal Prep Clatter: The sharp, rhythmic sounds of chopping on cutting boards, the clanking of heavy stainless-steel pots, pans, and metal utensils, and the whirring of commercial mixers.
Cleanup Phase: The forceful spraying of water in the dishwashing station, the humming of commercial dish sanitizers, and the squeak of mops on tile floors.
Student Activity: Distant, muffled chatter and laughter from the adjoining cafeteria, occasionally interrupted by bells or school public address announcements.
We require all candidates who have been offered a position with our Ministries to go through a background check which includes fingerprinting.