How to hire a food service associate

Food service associate hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring food service associates in the United States:

The median cost to hire a food service associate is $1,633.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
Small businesses spend $1,105 per food service associate on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
There are a total of 265,912 food service associates in the US, and there are currently 64,167 job openings in this field.
Baraboo, WI, has the highest demand for food service associates, with 25 job openings.

How to hire a food service associate, step by step

To hire a food service associate, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a food service associate:

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

What does a food service associate do?

A food service associate performs fundamental functions in the food industry. Food service associates prepare and serve food items. They cater to special events, which involve facility preparation, food presentation maintenance, and setting up tables. Their duties include cleaning preparation and service equipment. They restock the work stations for the essential supplies. The skills they need to perform their job include customer service, teamwork, work with diverse cultural, ethnic, and academic backgrounds, and learn safety and health regulations.

Learn more about the specifics of what a food service associate does

Post a food service associate job for free, promote it for a fee

Identify your hiring needs

Before you post your food service associate 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 service associate 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?

Hiring the perfect food service associate 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 service associate salaries for various roles:

Type of Food Service Associate	Description	Hourly rate
Food Service Associate	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.	$12-18
Pastry Cook	The Pastry Cook's responsibilities include preparing quality pastry items such as breakfast items, desserts, breads, ice creams, creams, simple syrups, amenities, and others. They are also responsible for minimizing waste and maintaining control to attain forecasted food cost.	$12-21
Line Cook	Line cooks are responsible for preparing meals for guests or employers. The term line cook brings to mind an assembly line... Show more	$12-19

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Patients
- Food Handling
- Excellent Interpersonal
- Cleanliness
- Math
- Kitchen Equipment
- Sanitation Standards
- Basic Math
- Safety Standards
- Customer Service
- Culinary
- Food Trays
- Patient Meals
- Safety Regulations
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Experience using a cash register and POS system to manage food orders.
- Maintain pantry, follow USDA guidelines for proper food storage, and maintenance on equipment.
- Help track inventory using FIFO.
- Stock product according to date, using the FIFO method.
- Perform complex math calculations using fractions, percentile, probabilities and/or ratios.
- Rank one of the top math and technology schools in the nation.
More food service associate duties

Make a budget

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

Location. For example, food service associates' average salary in louisiana is 50% less than in district of columbia.
Seniority. Entry-level food service associates 36% less than senior-level food service associates.
Certifications. A food service associate 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 food service associate's salary.

Average food service associate salary

$15.21hourly

$31,642 yearly

Entry-level food service associate salary

$25,000 yearly salary

Updated January 21, 2026

Average food service associate salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	District of Columbia	$37,415	$18
2	Washington	$36,250	$17
3	Massachusetts	$35,955	$17
4	New York	$35,098	$17
5	California	$34,016	$16
6	Maine	$33,165	$16
7	New Jersey	$32,842	$16
8	Oregon	$32,590	$16
9	New Hampshire	$32,528	$16
10	Illinois	$31,525	$15
11	Colorado	$30,567	$15
12	Michigan	$29,981	$14
13	Nebraska	$29,915	$14
14	Wisconsin	$29,611	$14
15	Delaware	$29,381	$14
16	Utah	$29,347	$14
17	Ohio	$29,295	$14
18	Pennsylvania	$28,360	$14
19	Iowa	$27,894	$13
20	Arizona	$27,882	$13

Average food service associate salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$36,187	$17.40	2
2	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$36,119	$17.36	17
3	Northrop Grumman	$35,726	$17.18
4	WESTWOOD COUNTRY CLUB OF AUSTIN	$34,694	$16.68
5	Amazon	$34,168	$16.43	7
6	Hackensack Meridian Health	$33,903	$16.30	26
7	Global Partners	$33,626	$16.17	38
8	San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance	$33,448	$16.08	3
9	P&S Surgical Hospital	$33,331	$16.02	11
10	Cape Cod Healthcare	$33,325	$16.02	2
11	Meijer	$33,262	$15.99	28
12	SpaceX	$33,241	$15.98	3
13	OnCue Express	$33,126	$15.93	3
14	Northwell Health	$33,123	$15.92	16
15	Emory University	$33,110	$15.92	2
16	Highmark	$33,079	$15.90	36
17	Walmart	$33,032	$15.88	2
18	SLCH President	$32,846	$15.79
19	John Muir Health	$32,808	$15.77	2
20	Yale New Haven Health	$32,798	$15.77	11

Writing a food service associate job description
A food service associate 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 service associate job description:
Food service associate job description example

● At least 1 year of experience in a Food Service field is preferred

● Food Safety Certification in New York is required

● Experience in working in a school environment is preferred

● Ability to move & lift boxes (up to 50 lbs)

RESPONSIBILITIES

● 7:00AM - 8:30AM in the dino monitoring the students

● Prepare and maintain food in a warming kitchen

● Plate and serve meals to students

● Accept and unload deliveries

● Maintain the organization and cleanliness of the kitchen and serving area daily

● Perform all other related duties as assigned by Food Service Supervisor

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

● Professional management and supervisory skills

● Bilingual in English and Spanish

● Follow safety procedures and written and verbal instructions

● Work effectively with staff, students, and public

● Make independent decisions

● Work autonomously within school established guidelines and policies

● Organize tasks, set priorities, meet deadlines, and manage multiple tasks

● Demonstrate good judgment and good problem-solving skills

● Respond appropriately to evaluation and changes in the work setting

● Well organized with good verbal, written, and interpersonal skills

● Ability to lift and move heavy objects (up to 50 lbs)
Company DescriptionThe Mission of New Heights Academy Charter School is to graduate students who are prepared to succeed in college and life.

New Heights is a product of and exists to serve the students of Washington Heights, Inwood, and Harlem. We opened in 2006 as the very first charter school in our district. Our school was founded by a team of local educators who came together with the specific intent to provide the community they served and loved with an excellent educational option. We are an independent public charter school, and we are not affiliated with any management organization.

Since our opening, we have grown to serve 750 students in grades 5-12 and achieved an average annual graduation rate that exceeds the rest of the city. New Heights provides our students with an academically rigorous education that will prepare them to pursue whatever educational and professional path they choose.
Post your job
To find food service associates for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
- Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any food service associates they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level food service associates with the right educational background.
- Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.
Post your job online:
- Post your food service associate job on Zippia to find and recruit food service associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
During your first interview to recruit food service associates, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.
It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new food service associate
Once you have selected a candidate for the food service associate position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new food service associate. 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.
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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How much does it cost to hire a food service associate?

Before you start to hire food service associates, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire food service associates pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

Food service associates earn a median yearly salary is $31,642 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find food service associates for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $12 and $18.

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How to hire a Food Service Associate

Updated January 21, 2026

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How to hire a food service associate