Catering Assistant Job Description
Provide food preparation, service and kitchen support during service periods. This role suits practical, reliable people who can work to food-safety standards and deliver good customer service across a variety of catering environments.
What does a Catering Assistant professional do?
A Catering Assistant helps prepare and serve food, keeps kitchen and servery areas clean and safe, and supports smooth daily catering operations.
Catering Assistant job description template
Use this employer-ready example as a starting point, then replace the placeholders and adjust the content so it accurately reflects your vacancy.
Catering Assistant
About the role
[Employer name] is looking for a Catering Assistant to join our team at [Location]. You will help with food preparation, plating and service, maintain cleanliness to food-safety standards, assist with stock rotation and basic inventory, and provide friendly customer service during shifts. This role is [full-time/part-time] with [hours/shifts]. Salary: [salary or hourly rate].
Key responsibilities
- Prepare simple ingredients and dishes to standard recipes and portion sizes.
- Serve customers at counters or buffets, take basic food orders and handle transactions if required.
- Wash, clean and sanitise kitchen equipment, utensils and food prep surfaces.
- Follow food-hygiene, allergen and safe-food handling procedures (including accurate labelling and segregation).
- Operate basic kitchen and service equipment safely (e.g. ovens, hotplates, warmers, dishwashers).
- Help with stock rotation, unpacking deliveries and checking ingredient quality.
- Clear tables, buss dishes and maintain dining/servery presentation.
- Report maintenance needs, shortages and any health-and-safety incidents to the supervisor.
Essential skills and experience
- Right to work in the UK.
- Good personal hygiene and the ability to follow food-safety procedures.
- Ability to work standing for prolonged periods and to lift routinely (e.g. boxes, equipment).
- Reliable timekeeping and the ability to work the shift pattern required (including early mornings, evenings or weekends as needed).
- Basic numeracy and communication skills for portioning, simple records and customer service.
- Willingness to complete Level 2 Food Safety in Catering (or equivalent) if not already held.
Desirable
- Previous experience in a commercial kitchen, canteen, school or healthcare catering environment.
- Level 2 Food Safety in Catering certificate or equivalent already obtained.
- Allergen awareness training or experience working with allergen labelling.
- Experience operating a till or taking payments.
- Basic knife skills and experience following set recipes.
What we offer
- Statutory holiday entitlement (editable placeholder).
- Company pension scheme (placeholder).
- Staff meals while on shift (placeholder).
- Uniform and laundering allowance (placeholder).
- On-the-job training and qualifications support (placeholder).
- Flexible shift patterns where possible (placeholder).
How to apply
Apply with your CV and any additional information requested. Make the interview process, closing date and any assessment stages clear where known.
Use this as a starting point rather than a final advert. The strongest version will reflect the real role, salary, location, systems, responsibilities, benefits and working arrangements.
What is a Catering Assistant role?
Catering Assistants work in kitchens, canteens, events or retail food outlets to prepare ingredients, serve food and maintain hygienic and safe working areas. They support cooks and supervisors by completing routine food-preparation tasks, cleaning and basic stock duties. The role is practical and customer-facing, often involving shift work and physical activity.
Core tasks
Food preparation, serving, cleaning and basic stock handling.
Shift patterns
Often shift-based: early starts, lunchtimes, evenings or weekends depending on the setting.
Teamwork
Works closely with kitchen staff, servers and supervisors; clear communication is important.
Progression
Can lead to senior catering roles, supervisory positions or chef training with experience and qualifications.
Typical Catering Assistant responsibilities
Responsibilities should reflect the real scope of the vacancy rather than every task someone in this profession might ever complete.
Prepare simple ingredients
Prepare simple ingredients and dishes to standard recipes and portion sizes.
Serve customers at counters or buffets
Serve customers at counters or buffets, take basic food orders and handle transactions if required.
Wash, clean
Wash, clean and sanitise kitchen equipment, utensils and food prep surfaces.
Follow food-hygiene
Follow food-hygiene, allergen and safe-food handling procedures (including accurate labelling and segregation).
Operate basic kitchen
Operate basic kitchen and service equipment safely (e.g. ovens, hotplates, warmers, dishwashers).
Help with stock rotation
Help with stock rotation, unpacking deliveries and checking ingredient quality.
Clear tables
Clear tables, buss dishes and maintain dining/servery presentation.
Report maintenance needs
Report maintenance needs, shortages and any health-and-safety incidents to the supervisor.
Catering Assistant skills and experience to look for
Keep the essential list focused on what the person really needs to perform the role. Move useful-but-trainable experience into desirable criteria.
Usually worth prioritising
- Right to work in the UK.
- Good personal hygiene and the ability to follow food-safety procedures.
- Ability to work standing for prolonged periods and to lift routinely (e.g. boxes, equipment).
- Reliable timekeeping and the ability to work the shift pattern required (including early mornings, evenings or weekends as needed).
- Basic numeracy and communication skills for portioning, simple records and customer service.
- Willingness to complete Level 2 Food Safety in Catering (or equivalent) if not already held.
Useful where relevant
- Previous experience in a commercial kitchen, canteen, school or healthcare catering environment.
- Level 2 Food Safety in Catering certificate or equivalent already obtained.
- Allergen awareness training or experience working with allergen labelling.
- Experience operating a till or taking payments.
- Basic knife skills and experience following set recipes.
See our guide to what to include in a job advert before publishing.
How to write a Catering Assistant job advert
Small role-specific details can make the advert much easier for suitable candidates to assess.
Be specific about shifts
State typical shift times, weekend requirements and whether hours are fixed or variable so candidates know if their availability matches.
List core duties clearly
Include daily tasks such as food prep, service, cleaning and stock handling rather than vague phrases so applicants understand the day-to-day role.
Make training expectations clear
Say if you will provide food-safety training or require an existing certificate and whether training costs are covered.
Note physical demands
Be honest about lifting, standing for long periods and working in hot environments; this helps attract appropriate applicants.
Catering Assistant salary considerations
Pay for catering assistants varies by location, employer sector, experience and shift patterns. Employers should decide whether to offer hourly pay or a fixed salary and consider local cost-of-living, London weighting, weekend/unsocial-hours premiums and responsibilities such as cash handling or supervisory duties.
depending on experience
- Use a genuine range
- Separate variable pay
- Avoid “competitive” alone
- Match salary to seniority
What Catering Assistant candidates will want to know
Practical details can influence whether a suitable candidate applies, even when the title and salary are attractive.
What are the typical shifts and hours?
Candidates will want to know start and finish times, how rota changes are handled and whether weekend or bank-holiday cover is required.
Is food-safety training provided or required beforehand?
Clarify whether a Level 2 Food Safety certificate is needed at application or if training will be arranged and paid for by the employer.
Will staff receive meals or breaks on shift?
Applicants commonly ask about on-shift meal provision, break lengths and whether meals are free or subsidised.
How is pay structured and are there extra premiums?
Be clear about hourly/salary pay, overtime rules, weekend/unsocial-hours premiums and any tips policy.
Is there parking or good public transport nearby?
Candidates will want to know about travel options, parking availability or whether travel costs are reimbursed.
Where to post a Catering Assistant job
Reach candidates through a mix of broad UK job boards and hospitality-specific channels. Local recruitment methods — including college job boards, community noticeboards and nearby staff-referral schemes — are effective for early-morning or part-time roles. Use recruitment agencies or temp providers when you need immediate cover for busy periods or events.
Related hospitality & catering job descriptions
Recruiting for a slightly different role? These templates may be a closer fit.
Catering Assistant job description FAQs
Do I need a food hygiene certificate to hire a Catering Assistant?
A Level 2 Food Safety in Catering certificate is commonly required by employers but not a legal requirement for every hire. Many employers make it a condition of employment or offer training in the first weeks. State clearly in the advert whether you expect the candidate to already hold the qualification.
What checks should employers carry out?
Carry out right-to-work checks and take references. Enhanced DBS checks are only necessary where the role involves regular unsupervised work with children or vulnerable adults, such as school or care settings.
Is a trial shift a good idea?
A short paid trial shift is useful for assessing practical skills, speed and hygiene standards; confirm this in advance and pay at least minimum wage for the time worked.
How should I advertise working hours?
Be explicit about start/finish times, typical weekly hours and rota flexibility. If hours vary week to week, explain how rotas are published and any notice period for changes.
Should I recruit through agencies or directly?
Use direct advertising for stable permanent roles and local hires; use hospitality/temp agencies for cover during busy periods, events or where rapid start dates are needed.
Ready to publish?
Use this template to create a clear advert tailored to your hours, duties and training offer. Customise the placeholders, emphasise shift details and state any essential qualifications before publishing.
