How to hire a food porter

How to hire a food porter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step food porter 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 porter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new food porter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the food porter you need to hire. Certain food porter roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a food porter to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a food porter that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of food porters.

   Type of Food Porter	Description	Hourly rate
   Food Porter	Food and beverage serving and related workers perform a variety of customer service, food preparation, and cleaning duties in restaurants, cafeterias, and other eating and drinking establishments.	$12-18
   Food Service Worker	Foodservice workers are employees at restaurants, food trucks, or any outlet that provides food to customers. They may be assigned to welcome customers, take food orders, prepare food orders in the kitchen, serve food, handle customer payments, clean up the tables once the guests leave, or maintain the whole store's cleanliness... Show more	$10-17
   Food Server	A Food Server specializes in helping customers attain a pleasant dining experience while ensuring to meet all food handling and health regulation standards. Most of the responsibilities revolve around greeting customers and directing them to comfortable seats, responding to their inquires and taking their orders, and courteously suggesting options... Show more	$8-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cleanliness
   • Casino Floor
   • Kitchen Equipment
   • Food Handling
   • Customer Orders
   • Food Carts
   • Safety Standards
   • Cooking Equipment

   Responsibilities:

   • Organize schedules for employees and set payroll -Provide direction and solve employee problems -Be extremely personable & manage stock control
   • Maintain cleanliness of the dining area and food prep stations throughout the day.
   • Maintain cleanliness of restaurant exterior and interior.
   • Assist with planning and directing food preparation and culinary activities along with safely handling and storing all products appropriately.
   • Operate dishwasher or assist with washing/ sterilizing dishes, glassware, silverware, utensils, etc.
   • Receive numerous awards for upselling specials and increasing check averages.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, food porters' average salary in mississippi is 46% less than in vermont.
   • Seniority. Entry-level food porters earn 32% less than senior-level food porters.
   • Certifications. A food porter 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 porter's salary.

   Average food porter salary

   $15.33hourly

   $31,881 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level food porter salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing a food porter job description

   A food porter 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 food porter job description:

   Food porter job description example

   Join our talented team, where we inspire children to be lifelong learners! Through our play based curriculum, our affectionate and loving staff ensures that our children are imparted with the knowledge to succeed.
   
   The Food Specialist is responsible for overall food preparation for the School's enrolled children. May be responsible for the oversight of a group of children and be responsible for their health and safety. Must be adaptable to menu changes and be able to meet meal and snack schedules. Ensures safe food preparations and proper sanitation methods are used and maintains a safe kitchen/pantry area.
   Job Responsibilities:
   Create home-style, nutritional meal plans in the boundaries of their school's menu and budget, as well as state and federal requirements. Prepare meals/snacks for children and staff. Distribute food to the classrooms following appropriate health and safety guidelines, and policies. Follow the daily menu provided by the Director which incorporates, USDA, licensing and/or health department regulations. Maintain inventory of food and supplies and order more when needed. Assists in classrooms as needed as an Assistant Teacher/Floater. Are caring, compassionate and love what they do
   Job Requirements:
   Work experience in cooking and/or food preparation for multiple individuals, preferably in a childcare facility An understanding of all current state and local regulations Flexibility as to the hours and schedule of work A High School diploma or equivalent Must be at least 18 years of age
   
   About Us
   
   Learning Care Group, Inc. is the second-largest for-profit child care provider in North America and a leader in early education. Our programs are designed for children aged 6 weeks to 12 years. Across our eight unique brands, we're committed to creating state-of-the-art facilities with the latest technology and expert-driven curricula created by our own Education team.
   
   Our Promise
   
   To make a difference and have a positive impact on every child at our schools, their families, and the communities we serve every day. We support child development for infants to school-age students, through a comprehensive, research-based curriculum in a safe, nurturing, fun school environment. As experts in child care and early education, we empower children to be ready for school, we instill a lifelong love of learning, and we provide a solid foundation for a successful future.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right food porter 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 porter job on Zippia to find and recruit food porter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting food porters 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 porter

   Once you've selected the best food porter 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.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   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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