Best Skills for Food Handlers to Have in the Hospitality Industry

Food handlers and restaurant workers have a very important job to do. They must prepare and serve food to paying customers while ensuring the food and the environment in which they’re eating are safe and hygienic.

As a result, most bar and restaurant owners take great care in hiring workers they believe have the necessary skills to prepare and serve food safely. If you’re wondering what skills you’ll need to make yourself look more desirable to prospective employers, consider working toward some of the following skills and qualifications.

Food Handler Training

Under Texas Food Establishment Rules with the Texas Department of State Health Services, all food employers must complete an accredited food handler training course and receive their certificate within 60 days of working at a food-serving establishment.

While it might seem daunting to undertake study, you might be surprised how straightforward it can be with reputable training providers like TABC Pronto. The food handling certificate is 100% online with no timers, no test, and can be completed at your own pace. It also teaches you important topics in easy-to-follow modules like personal hygiene, time and temperature requirements, cleaning, and how to prevent cross-contamination.

Everything you learn within a food handlers certificate can assist you in creating a safe and pleasurable dining experience for your customers.

Communication

You might think that safe food preparation is all you need to concern yourself with when applying for a job in the hospitality industry, but communication also ranks highly. No matter which position you apply for in a bar, restaurant, or similar business, you’ll be required to communicate with multiple people across various roles.

Servers must take instructions from customers and pass them on to cooking staff while cooking staff must consult with suppliers and management to ensure customers’ dietary requirements can be met. Without adequate communication skills, you might struggle to provide high-quality customer service.

Basic Knife Skills

Basic knife skills can be necessary if you’re looking for a cooking job, which can require a significant amount of food preparation work. You can then work toward advanced knife skills. Basic knife skills involve knowing how to hold a knife safely, sharpen it, store it, and chop, dice, slice, cut, julienne, and chiffonade.

At a minimum, you should also know how to create a stable cutting surface and protect your fingers while chopping. With time, you can work on your speed and precision.

People Skills

People skills can be paramount whether you work in the front or back of house. Many customers base their tips not only on the food but also on the level of care they received during their dining experience.

Fortunately, even if you don’t believe your people skills are entirely up to scratch, they are a learned skill. Treat your customers with respect, identify your personal core values, and commit to good business ethics. You might even see the value in taking a training course if you’re entering a position requiring fine-tuned people skills.

TABC Certification

If you’re going to be working in a business that serves alcohol, TABC certification can be a desirable qualification to have. In fact, many hospitality business owners in Texas require their alcohol-serving employees to have this certification for the knowledge and protection it affords.

TABC certification is a fast, affordable, and straightforward course that you can do online in your own time. It covers alcohol laws relating to minors, how to detect them, how to manage intoxicated persons, and what’s required to keep you and your patrons safe. Not only can you purchase and complete this certification online, but you can purchase it as a bundle deal through TABC Pronto.

Prepare Yourself for Hospitality Work With TABC Pronto

With an excellent work ethic and a go-getter attitude, there’s every reason to believe a hospitality business owner will consider your job application. However, if you have some of these skills and qualifications, many of which you can attain through TABC Pronto, your application might shoot to the top of the list. Get your TABC certification and Texas food handlers card today, and you might be surprised by how quickly you’re able to land the job you want.