Catering Supervisor

Department:	Food Services	Effective Date:	January 2011
Grade:	USG 7	Reports to:	Catering Manager

General Accountability

Reporting to the Catering Manager, the Catering Supervisor is an integral member of the UW Catering team. The incumbent is primarily responsible for assisting in sales, organization and coordination of various catering and bar services for the University of Waterloo.

Nature and Scope

UW Catering is part of the Department of Food Services, and plays an important role in ensuring the provision of exceptional catering and bar services to the University community. The Catering unit is also responsible for overseeing the University’s Liquor License and manages most of the bar services to the campus community. Our catering service ranges from small coffee deliveries to large events to high-end VIP events, and our clients include students, faculty, staff, conferences, visitors and many others.

It is absolutely vital that the incumbent work with a high degree of professionalism and courtesy when dealing with people. The Catering Supervisor is one of the primary contacts for the unit and as such is expected to handle everyone with excellent customer service, as well as be a role model for the student and other employees who work in the unit.

Statistical Data

In addition to the Catering unit, UW Food Services operates 20 outlets across campus and co-ordinates all administrative tasks through a centralized office. The Department’s budget is estimated at $17,000,000.00. The two major expenses are food cost ($6,800,000) and wage and benefits cost ($7,200,000). UW Catering’s annual revenue is approximately $1.5 million.

UW Food Services employs 97 full-time hourly paid staff, 33 full-time salaried staff and approximately 300+ part-time hourly paid and full-time temporary staff.

Specific Accountabilities

The Catering Supervisor is responsible to:

Assists in sales, organization and coordination of catered and bar events, including the supervision and distribution of food, beverages and other related supplies from South Campus Hall to other areas on and off campus
Work with clients and events from start to finish, including original inquiry, coordination and supervision of event, post-event follow-up and billing.
Ensure standards of quality and service are consistently met, as well as those related to sanitation, health, and safety; also ensures the unit properly manages the University’s Liquor License.
Assist with controlling labour costs through proper scheduling of staff. The incumbent is expected to establish work schedules and operate suitable training programs for staff to ensure an organized level of service, staffed by well-motivated employees which are necessary to ensure maximum efficiency of operation
Promote and provide growth in sales through direct customer contact, marketing initiatives, up-selling, preparing catering contracts and final billings, as well as by providing exceptional service and attractive merchandising of products
Work with clients to ensure “one-stop shopping” as much as possible, including coordination of supplemental services such as space, equipment, flowers, linen and various other supplies and services
Hire, train, terminate, and discipline all part-time staff. The incumbent may also oversee the work of cooks, porters, and food service assistants.
Assist in menu development, promotion and marketing of new and existing products, sales calls and other direct customer contact both on and off campus
Assist with managing inventory for products and supplies related to the operation
Oversee the Office Coffee Program and Delivered Catering areas to ensure a smooth, supportive and efficient operation. May also assist with coordination of deliveries to other areas of the department (such as ML, LA and other areas of production by SCH)
Oversee the planning and coordination of equipment lists, off-site kits, vehicle fleet schedules, and other areas that relate to and support the UW Catering unit
Maintain a flexible schedule to facilitate supervision of daily operations and catering events as assigned
Oversee and coordinate all bar-related orders for campus, including University Club, Fed Hall, Bomb Shelter and UW Catering, including the management of cheque rests, invoicing, payments, inventory management, etc.
oversee and manage all day-to day operations in the absence of the Catering Manager
Perform other duties as assigned

Working Conditions

The variety of tasks and interruptions are high and it is expected that the incumbent will remain calm and polite at all times, be able to multi-task, show initiative, and accomplish results. The incumbent must have a flexible schedule and be willing to sometimes work early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and longer hours to accommodate event schedules or busier periods for the operation.