The hospitality industry is the umbrella term that covers the food and beverage industry, but even when it comes to just cooking and front of house, there are still so many options out there for you.
Different establishment types have different service styles and will work at different paces. The beauty of this is that you can truly find the right job to suit you and your working style, either as a chef or front of house (in most cases).
So, what are the most common establishment types, and who might they be best for?
Hotels
Hotels are a great starter option for you if you know the food and beverage industry is where you want to be.
There are so many options for job roles in hotels (both back and front of house). If you’re back of house, this could be anywhere from washing dishes to kitchen management and overseeing the smooth operation of service three times daily.
For front of house employees, there’s always waitressing and bartending needed, and depending on the level of formality the hotel prides itself on, you may learn different styles of such, for example silver service waitressing or cocktail bartending.
Hotel service requires staff who are prepared and organised for the rush that happens during peak service hours, but fantastic customer service is also a great quality to have.
Catering Companies
Caterers arrange the delivery, preparation and presentation of food for often bulk pre-arranged numbers, like at weddings or functions.
Caterers tend to be artistic people who are able to overcome last minute issues that might arise, but the overall pace of catering can be more relaxed than ordinary chef work as numbers are often arranged in advance and the majority of ingredients prepared beforehand.
Restaurants
Restaurants can vary hugely in their approach and required characteristics of their staff. This can depend on the specific cuisines the establishment specialises in, or simply the formality of the restaurant once again.
Generally restaurants will work on a bookings basis, therefore you’re likely to know exactly how many people you’ll have walking through the door each service.
They will still order their food on the spot, so there’s less preparation you can do in this establishment than with catered food – you’ll need to be able to work on your feet and to a good schedule in order to get your meals out at the right pace and timing for each booking.
It will help to be able to work under pressure and be quick thinking for a job in a restaurant, both for back of house and front of house roles.
Pubs
Pub work can be hit or miss – when it comes to the food prep, you may have a day where the world and his wife comes in to order food, the next day you may barely cook any food as it’s a day where the locals simply sit, talk and drink and not much else.
Pub work can be incredibly fast paced but also can have its moments of lull – the trick to shine in this establishment is to know what to do in these slow periods in order to help you become more efficient in the busier periods!
It’s the same with front of house in a pub – there’s always the need for bartenders but potentially not so much waiters or servers if you’re having a quiet day.
One way to really get the most out of pub work is to be trained in all potential areas to allow you to make the most of your employment and transfer these skills to other premises should you desire.
Fast Food
While fast food isn’t the most revered of food and beverage jobs, if you’re just looking at getting into hospitality it can actually be a great and easy starter in the basics of the industry.
You’ll learn how to work to speed and basic customer service skills, not to mention training being top-notch when it comes to some of the bigger fast food companies.
This is certainly not a job to look down on – if you’ve been training for years you’re likely overqualified, but if you’re looking for a stepping stone into the food service industry, this is an ideal one.
Other – Markets/Food Stalls/Food Trucks
Quite often if you’re the more creative type of chef that enjoys creating your own dishes, and you want the flexibility to make your own schedule and menu without the management of a whole restaurant, this is more of the sort of business for you. You can run these more independently (so long as they’re in compliance with local food and transport laws!).
This can help you to showcase your skills and create your own menu, and is definitely more suited to the more independent and creative chef!
For more recruitment tips, take a look at this section on our blog. If you think you know where we want to be applying, why not take a look at our job search now!
