5 Introduction

There are many careers in the food service industry for talented and well-trained individuals. Opportunities in this industry have been steadily increasing for the last several decades and the demand for skilled people, at times, has exceeded the number of suitable applicants. Currently, there is expected to be higher demand for jobs than there are available people to work, and shortages in the tourism and hospitality industry could be as high as 15,000 people by 2020 (go2HR, 2012).

Occupations in the industry generally fall into three categories: front of house; back of house, and administrative. Front of house occupations include those responsible for serving the food and the customers, such as waiters, hosts/hostesses, and bussers. Back of house occupations include those responsible for preparing the food, including cooks, chefs, and dishwashers. Administrative occupations are those which help grow the business or keep it running, including human resource and finance staff, and general managers and owners.