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What does a lunchroom supervisor do?

Updated January 8, 2025
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Lunchroom supervisor responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real lunchroom supervisor resumes:

  • Supervise students in the lunchroom and adjacent areas and enforce MPS policies and behavior standards.
  • Submit reports to USDA reimbursement.
  • Enter student information on POS system.
  • Preform cpr if nessary.Keep order in the room.
  • Monitor elementary age children ranging from Pre-K to 5th grade.
  • Clean up the kitchen afterwards and take out trash, also run the computers.
  • Maintain and submit accurate information for payroll reporting.
  • Submit reports to USDA reimbursement.

Lunchroom supervisor skills and personality traits

We calculated that 38% of Lunchroom Supervisors are proficient in Food Preparation, MPS, and Children Ages. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.

We break down the percentage of Lunchroom Supervisors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Food Preparation, 38%

    Reduced waste by controlling perishable product inventory and excess food preparation.

  • MPS, 26%

    Supervised students in the lunchroom and adjacent areas and enforced MPS policies and behavior standards.

  • Children Ages, 7%

    Direct supervision of elementary age children during their lunch period.

  • Meal Service, 6%

    Managed students during meal service.

  • K-5, 5%

    Supervised K-5 students on the playground, in the lunchroom, and during alternative recess/lunch environment.

  • Allergies, 4%

    Keep an updated allergies file for all participants and action plan from the school nurse.

Common skills that a lunchroom supervisor uses to do their job include "food preparation," "mps," and "children ages." You can find details on the most important lunchroom supervisor responsibilities below.

Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for a lunchroom supervisor to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what lunchroom supervisors do because "childcare workers need to work well with people in order to develop good relationships with parents, children, and colleagues." Additionally, a lunchroom supervisor resume shows how lunchroom supervisors use interpersonal skills: "communicated with students and school staff in a positive and professional manner utilizing appropriate customer service and interpersonal skills. "

Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform lunchroom supervisor duties is communication skills. Lunchroom supervisors responsibilities require that "childcare workers need good speaking skills to provide direction or information effectively and good listening skills to understand parents’ instructions." Lunchroom supervisors also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "establish open communication with parents, school administration and supportive staff to ensure safety of the children. "

See the full list of lunchroom supervisor skills

The three companies that hire the most lunchroom supervisors are:

Compare different lunchroom supervisors

Lunchroom supervisor vs. Banquet captain

Banquet captains are responsible for directing each banquet staff in the entire meal service and assign tasks to them as required. Their duties include teaching new staff members how to execute their designated tasks in the banquet. Also, they organize meetings to give updates on service or policy changes as well as administering any staff issues and resolving them in a timely manner. Additionally, they guide the setup of the banquet, preserve stock room supply, and ensure all sanitary regulations and company policies on appropriate and safe food handling are followed by every staff member.

The annual salary of banquet captains is $5,475 higher than the average salary of lunchroom supervisors.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, lunchroom supervisor responsibilities require skills like "mps," "food service facilities," "behavior standards," and "children ages." Meanwhile a typical banquet captain has skills in areas such as "customer service," "cleanliness," "food service," and "beverage service." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Banquet captains earn the highest salaries when working in the hospitality industry, with an average yearly salary of $34,190. On the other hand, lunchroom supervisors are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $30,079.The education levels that banquet captains earn slightly differ from lunchroom supervisors. In particular, banquet captains are 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a lunchroom supervisor. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Lunchroom supervisor vs. Bakery manager

Bakery managers are responsible for the staff's training, schedules, and assignment of tasks. Suggesting changes in the inventory, prices, and products to make based on reports are also part of a manager's job aside from purchasing supplies for the bakery when needed. Being able to communicate with one's subordinates is an important skill to have as a manager to be able to come up with better ideas in decreasing the amount of wasted and unsold products while increasing the sales. A candidate should also have leadership skills as they will be overseeing the sales and operations part of the bakery.

A career as a bakery manager brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a lunchroom supervisor. In fact, bakery managers salary is $9,270 higher than the salary of lunchroom supervisors per year.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real lunchroom supervisor resumes. While lunchroom supervisor responsibilities can utilize skills like "mps," "food service facilities," "behavior standards," and "children ages," bakery managers use skills like "food safety," "excellent interpersonal," "customer service," and "food handling."

On average, bakery managers earn a higher salary than lunchroom supervisors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, bakery managers earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $35,367. Whereas lunchroom supervisors have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $30,079.In general, bakery managers achieve similar levels of education than lunchroom supervisors. They're 2.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Lunchroom supervisor vs. Shift leader

Shift leaders are tenured or experienced employees who are assigned to oversee employees in specific work shifts. They manage team members who are assigned in their shift. They also ensure that business goals are met. Shift leaders check whether team members are working, and they ensure that they always comply with company policies and guidelines. They also monitor the performance of their employees and coach them should the employees need help in any area of their work. Shift leaders should have good communication skills, decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills.

An average shift leader eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of lunchroom supervisors. The difference in salaries amounts to shift leaders earning a $4,888 higher average salary than lunchroom supervisors.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from lunchroom supervisor resumes include skills like "food preparation," "mps," "food service facilities," and "behavior standards," whereas a shift leader is more likely to list skills in "patients," "customer complaints," "customer service," and "math. "

Shift leaders make a very good living in the manufacturing industry with an average annual salary of $36,581. On the other hand, lunchroom supervisors are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $30,079.shift leaders typically earn similar educational levels compared to lunchroom supervisors. Specifically, they're 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Lunchroom supervisor vs. Deli manager

A deli manager is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of the restaurant, delegating tasks to staff, supervising the food orders and services, maintaining adequate stock inventory, and finding ways to minimize production costs without compromising quality service. Deli managers strategize on techniques in maximizing the productivity of the operations staff to boost revenues and increase the business' profitability. They also attend to the guests' needs, respond to their inquiries, and resolve complaints immediately. A deli manager analyzes current food trends to update the restaurant's menu and meet the guests' demands.

Deli managers average a higher salary than the annual salary of lunchroom supervisors. The difference is about $10,268 per year.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between lunchroom supervisors and deli managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a lunchroom supervisor might have more use for skills like "mps," "food service facilities," "behavior standards," and "children ages." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of deli managers require skills like "cleanliness," "basic math," "food safety," and "pallets. "

Deli managers enjoy the best pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $36,922. For comparison, lunchroom supervisors earn the highest salary in the education industry.In general, deli managers hold similar degree levels compared to lunchroom supervisors. Deli managers are 2.4% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of lunchroom supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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