Assistant Manager - Food Services

The Caldwell Zoo; Tyler (TX); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Dental insurance

Health insurance

Life insurance

Paid time off

Vision insurance

Employee discount

Free park admission

Complementary tickets

Job summary

The Caldwell Zoo is seeking an Assistant Manager for Food Service in Tyler, TX. You will oversee planning, staffing, budgeting, inventory, and customer experience across food service venues.

Responsibilities include supervising staff, ensuring safety and health compliance, handling cash, training teams, and assisting in promotions and events. The role requires a high school diploma and supervisory experience; a food service certificate is preferred.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED; at least two years’ supervisory experience.
• Strong cash handling and money management skills.
• Ability to supervise core and seasonal staff and manage scheduling.

Responsibilities

• Directly supervise core and seasonal staff in Food Service; interview, hire, train, and evaluate staff.
• Open/close venues; ensure customer-ready environments and safety procedures.
• Inspect facilities for health code compliance and take corrective actions.
• Maintain health and safety standards; report gaps with improvement plans.
• Reconcile cash, deposits, and daily reports; demonstrate strong money handling.
• Train staff on theft prevention, customer service, food quality, pricing and stocking.
• Provide excellent customer service and assist visitors.
• Maintain sales history and inventories; plan and execute physical counts.
• Monitor labor and food costs; adjust to meet goals.
• Maintain internal controls including PCI compliance; report variances daily.
• Order supplies; plan promotions and zoo events; perform other duties.

Skills

Staff supervision

Staffing & scheduling

Cash handling

Customer service

Safety compliance

Training

Inventory management

Budget awareness

Microsoft Office

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Supervisory experience

Food Service/Hotel Management Cert. (desired)

Tools

Food service operations software

Job description

Job Title: Assistant Manager – Food Service

Department: Food Services

Reports To: Food Service and Retail Sales Manager

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Job Summary: Is responsible, under the oversight of the Food Service and Retail Sales Manager, for the planning and execution of all business operations in Food Services, to include but not limited to: safety, training, staffing & scheduling, personnel management, regulatory compliance, purchasing, inventory, menu planning and costing, portion and waste control, cleanliness, and customer experience.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Directly supervises core and seasonal staff in the Food Service Department. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and discipling employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems as directed and/or delegated by the manager. Work schedule coincides with zoo attendance patterns. The Assistant Manager personally tends the concession stands(s) as needed.

Job Duties/Responsibilities

include the following but others may be assigned.

• Communicates proactively and clearly with staff, including pertinent organizational updates and directives or requests from next level leaders.
• Opens and closes food service venues as required and according to procedures. This includes ensuring a customer ready environment and observing safety/security procedures.
• Inspects food services facilities to ensure that equipment and building meet requirements of state and local health laws and internal specifications. Takes immediate action if any aspect of equipment or building does not meet standard, either external or internal.
• Ensures compliance with all health and safety standards for self and staff. Reports any standard gaps immediately to the Food Service and Retail Sales Manager as well as a detailed plan to close gaps with specific time targets.
• Reconciles cash, prepares deposits and daily reports. Must possess strong money handling skills.
• Using approved materials and methods, trains and supervises other concession employees in regards to theft prevention, customer service, food quality, food production, merchandising and displays, receiving, pricing, and stocking. Works with employees to achieve food service/zoo goals and serve as a positive role model.
• Exhibits excellent customer service and visitor assistance skills and the ability to avoid/ de-escalate, and/or/resolve problem situations.
• Maintain sales history and necessary inventories including the planning, preparation, and execution of physical inventories.

• Monitors labor costs and food costs, adjusting accordingly to variances to meet goals and objectives.

• Maintains internal controls including cash control procedures and PCI compliance.
• Reports variances to Food Service and Retail Sales Manager daily.
• Orders merchandise and supplies in accordance with supplier delivery schedules and to meet business needs.
• Assists in planning of special sales promotions and zoo events.
• Performs other duties as requested.

Job Qualifications

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and /or ability required.

Education and/or Experience

• High School Diploma or General Education Diploma (GED), at least two years’ experience in a supervisory position.

Language Skills

• Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively and present information in one‑on‑one or small group situations to customers, clients and other employees of the organization. Ability to speak Spanish helpful.

Mathematical Skills

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, proportions, percentages, area, circumferences, and volume.

Other Skills and Abilities

• Excellent cash handling skills required both manually and automated. Strong computer skills with working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Publisher, and Outlook Express. Knowledge of PowerPoint helpful. Must be capable of becoming certified in CPR. Must have a valid license and driving record meet the criteria for insurability under The Caldwell Foundation’s fleet liability insurance policy. Merchandising and creativity a plus.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

• Valid Texas Driver License
• Food Services/Hotel Management Degree or Certificate Desired.
• State Health Certificate Required
• County Certified Food Handler

Physical Demands

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, climb ladders, or crawl, as well as talk, hear, taste, smell, and reach with hands and arms, and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus. Extremely fast paced environment.

Work Environment

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.
• The noise level in the work environment is frequently noisy.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, outside weather conditions and risk of electrical shock.

Benefits

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance
• Employee Discount at Concessions and Gift Shop
• Employee Free Admission to Park
• Complementary Tickets for Friends / Family

Work Location

Caldwell Zoo

2203 Martin Luther King Blvd

Tyler, Texas 75702