Cafeteria Operator

Horry County Schools; South Carolina; On-site; USD 17,000 - 22,000; Full time

Job summary

Horry County Schools Cafeteria Operator position is a hands-on role in the school nutrition team. In this role you will prepare breakfast and lunch, follow recipes, portion meals and ensure food safety and sanitation in a busy kitchen environment.

You will work under Cafeteria Management for 185 days, operate common kitchen equipment, assist with cashiering and dishroom tasks, and help maintain a welcoming, clean dining area while delivering nutritious meals to students and staff.

Qualifications

• Previous school food service experience preferred.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds regularly.
• Completion of sanitation training or willingness to attend.

Responsibilities

• Prepare assigned breakfast and lunch meals.
• Follow recipes to ensure quality, portion and nutrition.
• Serve attractive, well-presented, portion-controlled items.
• Follow sanitation and food safety practices as required.
• Operate and maintain kitchen equipment such as meat slicers and choppers.

Skills

Food prep

Sanitation knowledge

Cashiering

Dishroom maintenance

Tools

Meat slicers

Food choppers

Kitchen hood cleaning

Job description

• Position Type: Food Services/ Cafeteria Worker
• Date Posted: 10/22/2026
• Closing Date: 10/29/2026

Job Title

Cafeteria Operator

Supervisor

Cafeteria Management

Terms of Employment

185 days

Job Summary

To serve the customer attractive and nutritious meals in an efficient, clean, and friendly environment.

Essential Duties

• Prepare assigned breakfast and lunch meals.
• Follow established recipes as assigned by cafeteria management to ensure quality, portion and nutritional requirements.
• Serve attractive, well presented and portion-controlled menu items in a friendly manner.
• Follow specific sanitation and food safety practices established by the food service child nutrition program.
• Attend a 10-hour sanitation course provided by HCS food services and a refresher course every three years.
• Complete safe school's training videos regarding practicing safety requirements in all kitchen areas.
• Complete job requirements in assigned areas. This may include but not limited to the following: cashiering, baking, maintaining dish room, daily record keeping, properly receiving and storing of food and supplies, fruit/vegetable preparation, salad/sandwich preparation, mainline cooking, inventory control and kitchen janitorial duties.
• Follow general directions and assignments required by cafeteria management with limited supervision.
• Physical Effort: Frequent lifting or moving of objects weighing 30 to 50 pounds. Sweeping, mopping, twisting, turning, reaching, bending, stooping, pushing and pulling.
• Working Conditions: Works in noisy kitchen with fluctuating temperatures, exposure to steam, fumes, cooking odors and chemicals. Danger of slips, trips, falls, burns and cuts. Exposure to extreme temperature changes when entering walk-in refrigerators/freezers.
• Equipment Operation: Responsible for operating dangerous pieces of equipment -- meat slicers, food choppers, garbage disposals, etc. Responsible for the breakdown and cleaning of all equipment, including the inside, outside and filters of the kitchen hood and dishwasher hood.
• The Horry County School District Dress Code must be followed. For cafeteria workers, approved uniforms, approved hair restraints and slip resistant, closed toed shoes much be worn daily.

Other Duties

Performs other duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the Cafeteria Management.

Job Specifications

Performance of this position will be evaluated in accordance with provisions of the Board's policy on the evaluation of Support Personnel.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required)

• Previous school food service experience preferred.

Physical Requirements

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 stand and reach with hands and arms; walk; sit; stoop or kneel; crouch or crawl.

Additional physical requirements include the following:

• Physically capable of frequently lifting or moving up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision requirements include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to focus.
• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time.
• Manual dexterity for the purpose of using a telephone and data entry.
• Read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids.
• Hear and understand speech at normal levels and on the telephone; and
• Speak in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in person and on the telephone.

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 the essential functions.

Pay Grade

101

Revised 8/22/2023

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. The employee will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other related duties as assigned by the appropriate administrator or supervisor. Horry County Schools reserves the right to update, revise or change this job description and related duties at any time without prior notice.