How to hire a food aide

How to hire a food aide, step by step

Here's a step-by-step food aide hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your food aide job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a food aide for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect food aide 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.

   Here's a comparison of food aide salaries for various roles:

   Type of Food Aide	Description	Hourly rate
   Food Aide	Food preparation workers perform many routine tasks under the direction of cooks, chefs, or food service managers. Food preparation workers prepare cold foods, slice meat, peel and cut vegetables, brew coffee or tea, and perform many other food service tasks.	$9-15
   Kitchen Staff	The kitchen staff consists of preparation workers who execute several routine tasks as directed by chefs, food service managers, and cooks. These works should have the ability to follow cooking instructions and deliver well-prepared meals... Show more	$11-17
   Kitchen Helper	Kitchen helpers perform various kitchen tasks in restaurants, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. Their duties and responsibilities include assisting cooks in the preparation of meal ingredients, helping other staff with unloading food items from delivery trucks, and washing and drying the utensils, dishes, and cookware... Show more	$9-15

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Food Handling
   • Cleanliness
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Patients
   • Food Storage
   • Food Preparation
   • Hot Meals
   • Food Service Equipment
   • Food Safety Rules
   • Stock Food
   • USDA
   • Food Orders
   • Breakfast Lunch
   • Food Line

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain cleanliness and organization of food preparation and serving areas.
   • Cook and plait dishes with accuracy and cleanliness while keeping short ticket times.
   • Make patients for that they order throw the phone and bring it to them.
   • Insure quality of cater meals, insure substitute meals for children with allergies, order supplies for center
   • Job requires helping patients with ordering food on restrict diets, assisting with all schedule preparation, service, and sanitation.
   • Plan activities base on assign student's IEP to encourage appropriate independence and facilitate/support student's participation in all activities.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your food aide job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A food aide salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, food aides' average salary in louisiana is 45% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level food aides earn 42% less than senior-level food aides.
   • Certifications. A food aide with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a food aide's salary.

   Average food aide salary

   $12.40hourly

   $25,789 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level food aide salary

   $19,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

4. Writing a food aide job description

   A food aide 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a food aide job description:

   Food aide job description example

   EXCELLENT PAY AND WORKING CONDITIONS - JOIN OUR TEAM
   Summary Performs a wide range of duties involved with preparing and/or serving foods and beverages in one or more of a variety of food service environments. May perform such duties as preparing salad items, hot foods, and/or cold foods, and/or assisting in the preparation of bakery items, as appropriate to the position. Assist in cleaning work areas, equipment, utensils. May assist in the set up, and service; and collection of garbage/trash; as appropriate to the area of operation. May serve food to customers and/or perform cashiering duties, as appropriate. Duties and Responsibilities

   1. Sets up food service, kitchen, or salad area facilities, equipment and utensils, under detailed instruction and, in accordance with specific area needs; checks food temperatures and/or prepares areas for daily operations; may operate cooking or bakery equipment as assigned.
   2. Conveys food and supplies from the main kitchen, bakery, and/or salad preparation area to the serving site either by carrying or by utilizing a motorized cart.
   3. Follows prescribed procedures in setting up hot and cold food lines; ice cream, yogurt, and/or ice machines; chooses proper utensils and sets steam line to appropriate temperature for menu items.
   4. Prepares or assists in the preparation of hot and cold meat and vegetable dishes, beverages, salads, sandwiches, pie fillings, simple bakery items, salad dressings, and/or other similar food items, as appropriate to the position.
   5. Serves food items to customers from counters and/or steam tables, in accordance with specific instructions, ensuring that appropriate portions are served, and adds relishes and garnishes according to instructions.
   6. Replenishes foods, silverware, glassware, dishes, and trays at serving stations; may order and replenish condiments.
   7. Attends to day-to-day problems and needs concerning equipment and food supplies; detects and ensures disposition of spoiled or unattractive food, defective supplies/equipment, and/or other unusual conditions.
   8. May clean, wash and maintain work areas, including floors, facilities, pots, pans, service ware, utensils, and equipment; collects and places garbage and trash in designated containers; as appropriate to the area of operation.
   9. May perform cashiering duties, as required.
   10. May provide guidance and training to other employees performing related work.
   11. Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right food aide for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit food aides, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 food aide

   Once you've found the food aide candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new food aide. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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