Food Service Operator

Food Service Operator I
• Richland County School District One, South Carolina

• Position Type: CLASSIFIED/ NUTRITION SERVICES
• Date Posted: 2/4/2026
• Location:
  
  NUTRITION SERVICES
• Classification
  
  Description:
  
  Food Service Operator I (5 hours) – Salary Range: $12,635.63 - $18,423.40; FLSA:
  Non-exempt; 184 days
  • Food Service Operator I (7 hours) – Salary Range: $17,689.91 - $25,792.72; FLSA:
    Non-exempt; 184 days

Under frequent supervision, prepares and serves student breakfasts and lunches at assigned school, following established procedures and standards of quality and cleanliness. Reports to the Manager of Student Nutrition Services.

• Prepares and cooks food items for student meals in the prescribed quantity and as scheduled; monitors cooking times and temperatures to ensure thorough heating as required for consumer safety.
• Sets up serving lines and maintains cleanliness of serving area, ensures the availability of necessary serving utensils, and serves food in the appropriate quantity per customer.
• Cleans, sanitizes and stores utensils, pans, serving ware, warmers, freezers, coolers, ovens, carts, cookware, floors, and restrooms.
• Inspects daily food and supply deliveries to ensure compliance with required quantity and quality standards.
• Operates a variety of equipment such as a braising pan, oven, steamers, dishwasher, fryers, mixers, meat slicer, pallet jack, thermometer, conveyor belt, can opener, power soak sink, trash compactor, icemaker, scales, kitchen utensils, knives, cleaning equipment and tools.
• Interacts and communicates with various individuals, such as immediate supervisor, co-workers, school personnel, and students.
• Complies with all federal laws, state statutes, Board policies, administrative rules, and directives.

• May perform duties of cashier, as needed, and may fill in for absent co-workers as needed.
• Assembles bag lunches for field trips.
• Prepares boxes and cans for recycling.
• Maintains cleanliness of kitchen and eating areas.
• Performs related duties as required.

Requires a high school diploma supplemented by six months of experience in commercial food preparation, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Requires food safety certification or obtain within 6 months of employment. Acceptable certification include:
Serv Safe and/or HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points).

Must be physically able to operate a variety of machines and equipment, including a cooking equipment, kitchen appliances and utensils, etc. Must be able to exert up to ten pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Physical demands are in excess of those for sedentary work;

must be able to remain on feet for extended periods of time, stoop, kneel, push, pull, etc. Must be able to lift and/or carry weights of up to fifty pounds.

Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable functional, structural or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.

Requires the ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving assignments and/or directions from supervisor.

Requires the ability to read a variety of policy and procedure manuals, food manuals, recipes, etc. Requires the ability to prepare forms and reports with proper format. Requires the ability to speak with and before others with clarity, voice control and confidence.

Requires the ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions, and to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in or from standardized situations. Requires the ability to learn and understand principles and techniques, to make routine independent judgments in absence of supervision, and to acquire…