Food Service Helper

Dining room assistants help food and beverage servers in restaurants and formal dining establishments. In general, they:

• clear and reset tables
• wipe tables or remove and replace soiled table linens
• carry dirty dishes to the dishwashing area
• serve water or bread products to customers
• ensure that each table has supplies (for example, sugar, cream, butter)
• bring out trays of food
• serve coffee
• clean up spilled food and broken dishes.

Dining room assistants must be quick to help food and beverage servers whenever their assistance is needed. During less busy periods between mealtimes, they may:

• stock cabinets
• spot-clean walls
• dust
• vacuum
• perform other tasks, such as scraping and stacking dishes in the kitchen.

Food and beverage service runners or assistants deliver food orders from the kitchen to the appropriate tables and respond to customer questions. Runners also may perform duties similar to those of dining room attendants.

Caterer helpers assist caterers with the service of food and refreshments at social functions and banquets. In general, they:

• arrange tables and decorations according to instructions
• prepare simple foods and beverages
• distribute food to servers
• collect and return dirty dishes to the kitchen
• either scrape and wash dishes or pack for transporting and washing at the caterer's establishment
• collect and pack tablecloths and accessories for transport.

Food service helpers usually work lunch or dinner shifts, sometimes in split shifts. They often work weekends and holidays. At busy mealtimes they are constantly on their feet and under pressure to work quickly. They may be required to lift items weighing up to 20 kilograms.

Food service helpers need to possess:

• interest in learning about food and beverage service
• cheerful, positive attitude
• good health and personal hygiene
• ability to work well in a team environment.

They should enjoy handling dishes, having clear rules and organized methods, and working with people.

Above-average occupational growth is expected in Alberta for 2016 to 2020. Job openings are a result of employment turnover and newly created positions.

Food service helpers are employed in restaurants and formal dining rooms. Most food service helpers are students employed in part-time positions.

When dining room attendants have learned food and beverage service skills by observing experienced food and beverage servers and obtaining appropriate training (for example, food safety courses), they may advance to food and beverage server positions. For more information, see the Food and Beverage Server occupational profile.

Kitchen helpers and food assemblers are part of the larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 6711: Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations. In Alberta, 78% of people employed in this classification work in the Accommodation and Food Services (PDF) industry.

The employment outlook (PDF) in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the Accommodation and Food Services industry)
• location in Alberta
• employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions)
• size of the occupation.

Over 40,700 Albertans are employed in the Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related occupations occupational group. This group is expected to have an above-average annual growth of 2.4% from 2016 to 2020. As a result, 977 new positions are forecast to be created each year, in addition to job openings created by employment turnover. Note: As food service helpers form only a part of this larger occupational group, only some of these newly created positions will be for food service helpers. 

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.

Canadian Association of Foodservice Professionals website: www.cafp.ca

emerit website: www.emerit.ca

National Restaurant Association [United States]website: www.restaurant.org

Restaurants Canada website: www.restaurantscanada.org

For more information on career planning, education and jobs, visit the Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) website, call the Alberta Career Information Hotline toll-free at 1-800-661-3753 or 780-422-4266 in Edmonton, or visit an Alberta Works Centre near you.