If you have a passion for food and want a varied working life, foodservice could be the area for you. You could be working within a museum designing menus for guests, preparing lunches in a bank’s staff restaurant, or managing the match-day F&B for a football club


You may not have heard of foodservice, but it takes in everything from fast food to fine dining – it’s just that it’s supplied by a third party. So it covers City firms’ dining rooms, staff restaurants, airports, train stations, oil rigs, race courses, museums, hospitals, schools and the Ministry of Defence. They are all served by foodservice companies operating under contract – which is why they are also called contract caterers. Foodservice companies include multinationals such as Sodexo, Compass and ISS,


large independents such as BaxterStorey and CH&Co Group, smaller players such as Bartlett Mitchell, niche caterers such as Rhubarb or Vacherin, and in-house caterers. Each type offers different


opportunities. The big boys provide structured career development, while the independents may allow more creative input. Roles include chef, waiter and F&B manager through to operations, marketing and management. Few other sectors of hospitality let you start your career back of house and end up in head office.


Get ahead of the pack l Start in a basic role to get grassroots training.


l Work your way up for a good foundation in hospitality – it will earn the respect of your team when you become a manager.


l Get a few qualifications under your belt – NVQs, a BTEC or an HND.


l Look to the future. If you are serious about your career, plan each job move and make sure you stay in the role for at least two years as that level of commitment will persuade a blue-chip employer you are worth developing.


Try before you commit


If you need to get some experience under your belt, or if you are studying, foodservice companies in the leisure sector are always looking for casual workers. Try to get a weekend job serving food at a stadium, or maybe a holiday job at one of the UK’s many tourist attractions. You’ll get bags of experience that will make your CV sparkle.


Fabulous facts about foodservice


l It is a growing sector and, with each new contract, there is potential for your career to progress quickly.


l It’s easier to transfer between front and back-of-house roles than in hotels or restaurants. You don’t have to remain a commis chef – unless you want to. You could work your way up to commercial manager or account manager.


l The hours tend to be more sociable than in restaurants.


l Large foodservice companies in particular command huge training resources.


l Talent and hard work will pay off. There are lots of examples of people who started low on the career ladder and are now account managers or directors.


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l There is no age barrier to becoming a manager – it all depends on your ability and drive. Some managers are young, but others grow into the role later.


l As foodservice companies increasingly take on facilities management, such as cleaning, reception and car parking, you will also get a shot at developing new expertise.


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