How to hire a catering staff

How to hire a catering staff, step by step

Here's a step-by-step catering staff hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a catering staff job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new catering staff
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a catering staff, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

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   Hiring the perfect catering staff also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of catering staff.

   Type of Catering Staff	Description	Hourly rate
   Catering Staff		$11-18
   Front Of House Manager	A front of house manager coordinates and supervises the front house team. Front of house managers make sure that every client receives a warm welcome... Show more	$12-29
   Bar Manager/Bartender	A bar manager/bartender is responsible for handling daily bar operations to achieve the highest customer satisfaction. Bar manager/bartenders often interact with guests, responding to their inquiries and special requests, and immediately resolving service complaints... Show more	$8-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Wine
   • Dishes
   • Food Preparation
   • Culinary
   • Bartending
   • Food Service
   • Excellent Guest
   • Food Handling
   • Customer Service
   • Fine Dining
   • Wedding Receptions
   • Event Set-Up
   • Guest Satisfaction
   • Food Delivery

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and prioritize restaurant reservations.
   • prepare food for cater events * waiter * bartending
   • Prepare and cook a wide range of food and espresso beverages and bartending.
   • Work with pos system to complete orders, kitchen line with fifthteen people.
   • Stock and serve buffets lines and also set up and display for private party's.
   • Decorate event halls and arrange displays, wait tables, work at buffets, bars, coat checks etc.

   More catering staff duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your catering staff job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A catering staff can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, catering staff' average salary in louisiana is 36% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level catering staff 38% less than senior-level catering staff.
   • Certifications. A catering staff with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a catering staff's salary.

   Average catering staff salary

   $14.96hourly

   $31,107 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level catering staff salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average catering staff salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$39,319	$19
   2	District of Columbia	$38,318	$18
   3	Washington	$35,979	$17
   4	New York	$35,349	$17
   5	Virginia	$35,226	$17
   6	Wisconsin	$34,762	$17
   7	Pennsylvania	$33,726	$16
   8	Indiana	$32,051	$15
   9	Utah	$30,651	$15
   10	North Carolina	$30,508	$15
   11	Arizona	$30,311	$15
   12	Florida	$29,396	$14
   13	South Carolina	$29,074	$14
   14	Michigan	$29,054	$14
   15	Tennessee	$28,529	$14
   16	Georgia	$28,450	$14
   17	Missouri	$28,427	$14
   18	Oklahoma	$27,084	$13
   19	Illinois	$26,978	$13
   20	Texas	$26,344	$13

   Average catering staff salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Table 301	$44,016	$21.16
   2	Roanoke College	$37,042	$17.81	3
   3	Cornell University	$34,838	$16.75	3
   4	Missouri State University	$34,588	$16.63	1
   5	Alterra Mountain	$34,078	$16.38
   6	Uncle Julio's	$33,986	$16.34
   7	A S Hospitality	$33,814	$16.26
   8	Oklahoma State Fair	$33,181	$15.95	2
   9	Chicken Salad Chick	$31,831	$15.30	5
   10	Sodexo Management, Inc.	$31,600	$15.19	66
   11	Russell Morin	$31,222	$15.01
   12	BCforward	$31,052	$14.93	2
   13	Zingerman's	$31,039	$14.92
   14	Compass Group USA	$31,024	$14.92	238
   15	Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay	$30,901	$14.86	1
   16	Corner Bakery Cafe	$30,440	$14.63	2
   17	Westminster Canterbury of Lynchburg	$30,335	$14.58	2
   18	Elite Hospitality	$29,793	$14.32
   19	ManpowerGroup	$29,740	$14.30	10
   20	Aramark	$29,662	$14.26	90

4. Writing a catering staff job description

   A catering staff job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a catering staff job description:

   Catering staff job description example

   Are you interested in working in the hospitality industry? Do you enjoy building relationships, and getting to know people? We have just the right place for you! Table 301 Catering is seeking personable, hard working catering staff to join our team!
   
   Table 301 is now hiring hospitable, outgoing and passionate individuals who are dedicated to guest service. Table 301 restaurants are great places to dine partly because they are great places to work. We work hard. We focus all of our energies on delighting our guests, and we have fun doing it. Over the past 20+ years, we’ve built a company culture we’re proud of and would love to add more people to our team who are as committed to hospitality as we are.
   **Your schedule would be based around our booked events and your availability **
   If you love the industry, and want to grow your knowledge and expertise - we want you! COLLEGE STUDENTS WELCOME!!
   Table 301 offers excellent benefits including: Competitive Wages Health Benefits (including medical and optional dental and vision) Matching 401k Program Paid Time Off 35% dining discount Financial Planning Education Employee Assistance Programs And more…
   
   REQUIREMENTS
   Experience in customer service orientated environment is a plus Flexibility and availability to work combination of early morning, day time, evening, and weekend shifts Team player with a "Go-Giver" attitude Task oriented Focused and assertive Responsible Reliable mode of transportation
   
   ABOUT THE COMPANY
   With a passion for creating memorable events - both large and small -- our goal at Table 301 Catering is to exceed our clients' expectations with extraordinary food and warm hospitality. We offer a full range of catering services to consider for any type of event you can imagine, whether it's located at one of our restaurants' private dining rooms, the backyard of your own home or at one of Greenville's signature venues. We are flexible and creative!
   It all began in 1997, with the opening of the now Greenville dining staple, Soby's New South Cuisine. Table 301 is now Soby's, The Lazy Goat, NOSE DIVE, Southern Pressed Juicery, Highway 301 Food Truck and Table 301 Catering, and CAMP.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right catering staff for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with catering staff they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit catering staff who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your catering staff job on Zippia to find and recruit catering staff candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting catering staff requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new catering staff

   Once you've selected the best catering staff candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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