Concessions and Catering Lead

San Mateo County Event Center; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

San Mateo County Event Center is seeking a Concessions & Catering Lead to oversee food and beverage operations across events and the county fair. This hands-on leadership role coordinates catering, setup, prep, and vendor communications to ensure high-quality service for guests and clients.

The ideal candidate has supervisory experience in kitchen or operations, strong communication skills, and a customer-focused approach; proficiency with Toast POS and MS Office is preferred, with flexibility

Qualifications

• Associate's degree or equivalent in a related field or culinary emphasis.
• Five years’ kitchen/culinary experience with at least two years in supervision.
• Ability to obtain CA Food Handlers and CA ABC training within 30 days.

Responsibilities

• Oversee concession and catering operations across events and the county fair.
• Stay hands-on and assist with production, setup, and prep when needed.
• Assign tasks, monitor progress, and ensure quality execution by staff.
• Coordinate with vendors on inventory and ordering for events.
• Create daily prep lists and production plans; maintain FIFO inventory.
• Ensure safety and sanitation in line with regulations; provide admin support.

Skills

Leadership experience

Communication skills

Guest satisfaction focus

Organization & attention to detail

Ability to work independently and in a

Team collaboration

POS experience (Toast preferred)

MS Word / Excel / Outlook

Education

Associate's degree or equivalent

Culinary degree preferred

Tools

Toast POS

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

Job description

Job Summary

The San Mateo County Event Center is a public assembly facility that hosts a wide variety of events and produces the San Mateo County Fair, and operates the Jockey Club - a satellite wagering facility for horse racing, as well as a full-service catering and food service operation. The Concessions & Catering Lead will help to facilitate the operations of food and beverage service throughout the facility.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Stay hands-on: take on tasks directly rather than just delegating, and help other departments (catering, setup, prep) when needed
• Assist with the production and execution of all concession and catering operations
• Assign tasks, monitor progress, and ensure satisfactory execution by the Culinary department staff
• Communicate with vendors on inventory and ordering needs to keep in-stock conditions ready for service for all events and concessions operations
• Create daily prep lists and production plans, making sure cooks meet quality standards
• Support inventory control by keeping stock organized and following FIFO rotation practices
• Maintain safety, sanitation, and cleanliness in the kitchen and work areas in compliance with ANSI, OSHA, and local health department regulations
• Provide administrative support, as directed by the Supervisor and Manager
• Pitch in wherever needed, as directed by the Supervisor and Manager

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience managing teams or projects; prior roles in operations, management, or supervisory positions

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Proficiency with Restaurant POS (Preferred Toast experience) and basic computer applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Strong focus on guest satisfaction and client retention
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and follow-through
• Strong business acumen and professionalism
• Ability to work independently and collaborate as part of a team
• A positive attitude, with the ability to build good working relationships with managers, co‑workers, and guests
• Reliability and accountability in meeting job responsibilities
• Flexibility to work irregular hours, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime as needed

Minimum Requirements

• Associate's degree or equivalent from a two-year college or technical school (culinary degree preferred); and/or five years’ experience in a kitchen/culinary environment with no less than 2 years in a supervisory role; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Ability to obtain valid CA Food Handlers and CA ABC Responsible Beverage Server Training certifications within 30 days of employment.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, and walk. The employee is frequently required to make repetitive hand movements to perform daily duties. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. May be exposed to grease, smoke, fumes, solvents, chemicals, heat, and sharp objects. Must be able to speak, hear, and see. Vision requirements are close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus. Work may be outdoors, and employees may be subject to various weather-related environments.