Production Manager to Food Service Director Training Path

Production Manager training is structured to allow our Production Managers to first obtain the skills needed to do their primary job, and then build further skills that will allow the Production Manager to demonstrate readiness for consideration for a promotion to Chef Manager or Food Service Director. The training is flexible and although the Production Manager is allowed to work on skills at multiple levels at the same time, the basic areas in the training plan are designed to allow the Production Manager to stay focused on their primary responsibilities while developing more advanced management skills. The progression is broken down into the following areas:

 Area #1 – Essential Job Functions - The Production Manager must demonstrate competence operating the kitchen of the building to which they are assigned. The Production Manager’s building must be run to all company standards, including but not limited to: cleanliness; food safety and sanitation; food quality; food cost control; labor cost control; presentation; proper completion of HACCP and NSLP recordkeeping. The Production Manager must complete Serv Safe Training; basic cash register training, Reimbursable Meals training and become SNS Level 1 certified. The Production Manager is also expected to demonstrate good basic supervisory skills.

 Area # 2 – Food Production & Management - The Production Manager must demonstrate competence in doing managerial tasks associated with running a school kitchen. These tasks include but are not limited to: ordering of all products for the food service operation; creation of production records using Nutrikids Menu Planner software; preparation of monthly and weekly menus; running production meetings and taking physical inventory. The Production Manager must also demonstrate an understanding of food cost and food cost control techniques, as well as good purchasing practices. The Production Manager must also demonstrate competency in all hourly positions at the school to which they are assigned, including cashiering.

 Area #3 – Administrative & Financial Management - The Production Manager must demonstrate competence in doing managerial tasks associated with the administrative aspect of running a school food service department. These tasks include but are not limited to: proper cash handling and preparation of deposits; basic understanding of the POS system’s management software and what reports need to be run; basic data entry into the standard Café Services accountability spreadsheet; proper completion of payroll; preparation of week end and month end packets; completion of safety trainings. They Production Manager must also demonstrate an understanding of the information they are viewing in the POS manager reports and accountability workbook, and an understanding of what is entailed in the job of a food service director or chef manager.

Café Services, Inc. – Training Overview PM to FSD Training Last Updated – Nov 2011  Area # 4 – Customer and Client Relations - The Production Manager must demonstrate competence in customer and client and other soft skills related to the Food Service Director or Chef Manager position. Tasks in this area include but are not limited to: communication with school administrators on information such as negative balance lists or meal counts; communication with parents on inquiries into student balances or other information; participation in wellness committees or other committees; participation in student groups such as food service committees; and proper interaction with students and teachers.

 Area #5 – Employee Relations and Supervision - The Production Manager must demonstrate competency in aspects and tasks pertaining to employee relations and supervision. Tasks in this area include but are not limited to: properly completing a new hire packet, properly completing a PDR, properly processing payroll changes and attendance recordkeeping. The Production Manager must also complete all HR published soft skills trainings and demonstrate competency dealing with supervisory and disciplinary situations as they arise.

 Area #6 – Demonstration of Readiness - The Production Manager must demonstrate competence in using the skills developed in the previous areas of training. During this Area, depending on the makeup of the school district, the Production Manager may act as food service director for the entire district for a month or may act as food service director in a single building for a month. In either case, they will be supported by the current food service director and allowed to demonstrate their readiness for promotion.

 Evaluation – After all areas have been completed, the Food Service Director and members of the Café Services executive team will evaluate the training and performance of the Production Manager, and communicate whether the Production Manager is eligible to be considered for promotion or if additional training is needed. If additional training is needed, an updated plan focused on deficient areas will be created.

Roles of the Food Service Director and Production Manager during training:

During the first 5 Areas of training, the Food Service Director will have primary responsibility for training the Production Manager in all areas, using materials and guidance provided by Café Services. The Food Service Director will bear responsibility for keeping up training checklists and providing regular reports to their District Manager or Field Supervisor. The Food Service Director will also bear responsibility for making sure that the Production Manager is performing their primary function of running the kitchen to which they are assigned first, and adding training in rather than forgoing their primary job to focus on training. The Production Manager bears responsibility for doing their primary job efficiently enough to allow time for training.

Café Services, Inc. – Training Overview PM to FSD Training Last Updated – Nov 2011 During the 6th Area of training, the Production Manager (trainee) will take primary responsibility for all ordering, financial reporting, production recordkeeping and day to day operations of the school district or building to which they are assigned. In districts where the trainee will act as Food Service Director for the entire district, the Food Service Director (trainer) will take primary responsibility for food production at the High School, and will perform all the typical tasks an entry level Production Manager would be expected to perform. In districts where the trainee will act as Food Service Director for the building to which they are assigned, the trainee will perform all tasks for that building as if there were no other Food Service Director in the district, and will prepare all financial reporting for the district. The trainer will continue to perform all of their other normal tasks except operation of the trainee’s building.

During the 6th area training, the trainer will support the trainee on his/her responsibilities. This support will include being available to answer questions; monitoring the trainee and soliciting feedback to make sure that the trainee understands all of the tasks assigned to him/her; reviewing the trainee’s paperwork for accuracy; and coaching the trainee on strategies that may help him/her do the Food Service Director’s job more efficiently. The trainer may also provide such support as an experienced Production Manager might provide a Food Service Director, such as creating production records or placing an order. These items should only be done at the trainee’s request, and only on a limited basis.

At no time should the trainer take over any of the trainee’s responsibilities. The trainer should monitor the trainee’s performance, and immediately instruct the trainee on how to correct any mistakes that would cause a major problem. Mistakes that would only cause a minor problem should be left for the trainee to work out on his/her own or ask for help.

To aid in achieving the goals for each training area, punch lists have been developed to better communicate the tasks that need to be performed. These punch lists are broken down by training area, and further divided by levels: Basic, Int (intermediate) and Adv (advanced). Production Managers may work on tasks in multiple areas by jumping ahead to some of the basic or even intermediate tasks in other areas, but should always keep primary focus on the area they are working on until it is completed. Production Managers must always complete Basic and Intermediate tasks in an area before moving on to the Advanced tasks in that area.

Training punch lists are available in PDF format. Punch lists are to be updated monthly and sent to your DM the first week of each month.

Café Services, Inc. – Training Overview PM to FSD Training Last Updated – Nov 2011