With the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, most food and drinking establishments – more specifically restaurants and bars – had to close their dining rooms due to restrictions imposed by statewide executive orders. However, many of these establishments were able to continue with take-out and/or curbside pick-up, maintaining the need for food service workers, and people to supervise them. The state of Minnesota is home to approximately 17,270 people working as First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers.
Not only do First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in preparing and serving food, but they are also tasked with a wide variety of other job duties, such as training in new employees, resolving customer complaints, performing various financial activities, compiling and balancing cash receipts, and inspecting supplies, equipment, and work areas to ensure efficient service and conformance to standards. This can require skills in technology, such as accounting and Point of Sale software. There is a large amount of social interaction in this occupation, especially dealing with employees and patrons. Thus, strong interpersonal and communication skills are also required.
With the added responsibilities, first-line supervisors have higher wages than most food service jobs. The median wage for this occupation is $17.98 per hour, and half of all individuals working in this job earn between $15.12 and $22.44 per hour.
With many food establishments re-opening for dining indoors, as well as continuing take-out and curbside pick-up, there is a high demand for First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Related Workers. In fact, data from DEED’s Job Vacancy Survey shows that there were over 2,700 job vacancies for this occupation in the 4th quarter of 2019, with a median wage offer of $15.69 per hour.
Though experience in food preparation and serving is required, there are minimal education requirements to start this job. According to DEED’s Educational Requirements for Occupations, most of the jobs require a high school diploma or less. Thus, one can start as a food preparation and serving worker and move up to a supervisory role in time, climbing the career ladder to better wages and opportunities.
If you are interested in more information about openings in food preparation and serving related jobs, check out Jobs in Demand here on the CareerForceMN.com website for wage ranges, educational and training requirements, current open positions in Minnesota and more.
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