catering assistant

Your duties as a catering assistant include:

• cleaning: the kitchen and everything in it is your area of responsibility. You clean appliances and regularly work surfaces, floors and walls to ensure compliance with food hygiene standards. If your unit has a dishwasher, you use it to wash crockery, utensils and cookware. You then dismantle and sanitise it, getting it ready for the next service period.
• washing and preparing ingredients: you wash and peel vegetables, portion meat, and ensure the chefs have everything they need regarding ingredients. This might involve using industrial slicers, chippers and commercial-grade graters.
• stock control: receiving, organising and storing deliveries helps with stock control. With attentive stock counts and assessments, goods could stay updated. Stock rotation to ensure new deliveries are put to the back of the shelves in fridges and freezers is part of this duty.
• cooking tasks: catering assistants have basic cooking skills. You may be limited to sauces, side dishes, and desserts or cover all menu items and recipes. Depending on the kitchen, you step in only when it's very busy, or you might be a permanent part of the production line.
• customer service: if you work in smaller venues or for an events catering company, your role also includes serving customers. You are part of the team that sets up and breaks down the dining space. You also take an active part in customer-facing service and are tasked with a final check on cleanliness and hygiene before finishing your shift.

As a catering assistant, you work indoors and are on your feet moving almost all the time. A kitchen environment has limited space and is always busy, so it's important to be aware of potential hazards to avoid accidents. You generally wear a uniform that may be relatively informal (checks and a t-shirt) or traditional chef's whites but will always include comfortable shoes and an apron. You might also need hygiene protection, such as gloves or a hairnet. When using cleaning chemicals and other hazardous liquids, you wear overalls and protective boots.

As a catering assistant, you work alongside kitchen staff and professionals in the hospitality industry. You are likely to work with event coordinators, receptionists and accountants. You also work with chefs, kitchen porters and catering managers. Sometimes, you collaborate with accounts assistants, assistant managers, clerks and hotel managers.

Your work schedule as a catering assistant depends on your employer. Small businesses, such as cafes, employ you on a part-time or casual basis for daytime, weekend and holiday shifts, while pubs and restaurants require evening work. A full shift is usually eight hours or longer, but split shifts of four hours or less are common.

In a larger kitchen, such as a hotel or hospital, your shifts rotate to cover morning, midday and evening meals. Your work varies between high pressure at mealtimes or preparation and downtimes when cleaning between service periods. If you work for a company that supplies supermarkets or airlines, your schedule could be based on 24/7 shift work to accommodate delivery volumes (supermarkets) and flight times (in-air meals).

When catering for events, your schedule might vary from early mornings for breakfasts and lunches to late at night for dinners. You could be in a commercial kitchen unit to pre-prep the menu and travel to the venue for set up and service. You then help remove all equipment and return to the kitchen to clean supplies at the end of your shift.

The hospitality and food sectors offer seasonal work in cafes and hotels, but there is always demand for catering assistants in services such as hospitals and armed forces catering. Although vacancies in restaurants, hotels and events might fluctuate, available positions in commercial food preparation companies that supply supermarkets remain stable.

In terms of seniority, catering assistant is an entry-level position but can be a good starting point for advancement into a commis chef or sous chef role. With experience and dedication, achieving executive chef status is within reach.

Finding your catering assistant job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:

• a wide variety of training and development opportunities
• an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
• a range of opportunities in your area
• get paid on a monthly basis
• temporary and permanent contracts

Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a catering assistant is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!

As a catering assistant, you assist the kitchen staff and catering managers with their duties. Your tasks include serving customers and food preparation. You also perform other kitchen duties like washing and cleaning.

A catering assistant takes home a salary of ₹198,000 per year. When you are new to the role, you start with a low salary of ₹162,000 annually. However, with experience and educational qualifications, you take home over ₹253,800 per year.

As a catering assistant, you require good customer service skills to serve customers well and answer their questions. Having food preparation skills and knowledge of nutrition is also useful for serving customers.

As a catering assistant, you assist in food preparation, cooking and serving food. You wash the ingredients and cut them. You also prepare salads and pair the dishes with wine or beverages.

Working as a catering assistant can be stressful due to the long working hours and juggling multiple responsibilities. However, organisational skills help you plan your work day and reduce stress.

Applying for a catering assistant job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!