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Resume example

Catering assistant resume example

An employé de restauration collective works in a canteen kitchen: a primary school, a company restaurant, a hospital or a care home for the elderly (EHPAD).

The day starts early. You receive the meals from a central kitchen, check their temperature, then reheat them in the oven following the set procedure, or help the cook with on-site preparation. You set up the self-service line or the trays, serve the diners, refill dishes during the rush and keep an eye on special diets: pork-free meals, allergies, texture-modified food for residents with swallowing problems. After the meal comes the washing up, cleaning of the dining room and kitchen, and the hygiene records. With children you also help them eat; in hospitals you prepare trays labelled by room.

Resume example

[First name Last name]

Catering Assistant (Employé de restauration collective) | School and Company Canteens

[City] · [phone] · [email]

Profile

Catering assistant with [x] years in school and care home kitchens. I reheat cook-chill meals, serve [x] diners per sitting, manage special diets and texture-modified meals and keep the cleaning and temperature records up to date.

Experience

Agent de restauration, [Primary School / Care Home], [City]

[month year] to present

  • Received and checked cook-chill meals from the central kitchen and recorded temperatures
  • Reheated and served meals for [x] children per sitting over two sittings
  • Applied the individual allergy protocols for children with a PAI and checked each tray before service
  • Prepared texture-modified meals following the dietitian's instructions
  • Cleaned the kitchen and dining room according to the cleaning plan and kept test meal samples

Resume headlines

  • Catering Assistant (Employé de restauration collective) | School and Company Canteens
  • Catering Assistant | Cook-chill Reheating, Tray Service, Special Diets
  • Agent de restauration | Hospital and Care Home Catering, HACCP

Summaries for your profile

Entry level

Catering assistant with a CAP Production et service en restaurations (rapide, collective, cafétéria) and placements in a school canteen and a company restaurant in [City]. I follow hygiene procedures carefully and enjoy working with children and regular diners.

Experienced

Catering assistant with [x] years in school and care home kitchens. I reheat cook-chill meals, serve [x] diners per sitting, manage special diets and texture-modified meals and keep the cleaning and temperature records up to date.

Career change

Former childminder moving into school catering. I am used to looking after children at mealtimes, respecting allergies and keeping strict hygiene rules, and I recently completed a food hygiene course.

Tips

  • Say which settings you know: school, company, hospital, care home. Each has its own constraints.
  • Highlight your hygiene training and your knowledge of reheating and holding temperatures.
  • Mention allergies and special diets explicitly; recruiters see it as a sign of reliability.
  • Indicate whether you have worked for a catering company or directly for a town hall or hospital.
  • Point out regular hours, school holidays or weekend availability according to the job.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Presenting the job as simple serving, without the hygiene and diet side.
  • Omitting the type of service (cook-chill, hot holding, on-site cooking).
  • Using the vocabulary of commercial restaurants that does not fit a canteen.
  • Forgetting relevant non-catering experience with children or elderly people.

Working as a catering assistant in France

Search for "employé de restauration collective", "agent de restauration" or "agent de service restauration" in hospitals and care homes. No diploma is strictly required; the CAP Production et service en restaurants (rapide, collective, cafétéria) is the reference qualification, and food hygiene training is highly valued. Employers are either private catering companies that run canteens under contract, or public bodies: town halls for primary schools, regions and departments for secondary schools, hospitals. In the public sector, the job often corresponds to an "adjoint technique" post, open to contract staff or through a civil service exam. Hours are usually daytime and school canteens follow the school calendar.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need a diploma to work in a canteen?

Not always. Many catering assistants are hired without a diploma, especially by town halls on fixed-term contracts. A CAP Production et service en restaurations (rapide, collective, cafétéria) or a food hygiene course gives you an advantage, particularly with private catering companies.

Should I mention experience with children?

Yes, for school canteens. Supervising children at lunchtime, helping them cut their food or calming a noisy table is part of the job. Babysitting, holiday camp or childminding experience is worth listing.

What is the difference between school and care home catering?

In schools, the pace is set by sittings and children's needs. In care homes and hospitals, meals are adapted to each resident: diets, textures, sometimes meals served in rooms. Show you understand the setting you are applying for.

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