JOB DESCRIPTION
Manager – Cafeteria Operations
Company: Green Foods
Client Location: HCL, Lucknow
Department: Cafeteria / Food Operations
Position: Manager – Cafeteria Operations
Reporting To: Head of Operations / Operations Manager
Employment Type: Full-Time
1. About the Role
Green Foods is looking for an experienced, responsible and result-oriented Manager – Cafeteria Operations to independently manage the day-to-day cafeteria operations at HCL, Lucknow.
The Manager will be responsible for ensuring smooth food production and service, food quality, hygiene and food safety, manpower management, inventory control, food-cost control, customer satisfaction, vendor coordination, documentation and compliance.
The ideal candidate should have hands-on experience in corporate cafeterias, institutional catering, QSRs, hotels or high-volume food-service operations and should be capable of leading a team while maintaining consistent operational and food-safety standards.
2. Key Responsibilities
A. Cafeteria Operations
Manage complete day-to-day operations of the HCL cafeteria.
Ensure timely preparation and service of breakfast, lunch, snacks, beverages and other approved food items.
Ensure smooth operations during peak meal hours.
Maintain consistency in food quality, taste, portion size and presentation.
Ensure availability of approved menu items during service.
Monitor kitchen and cafeteria operations throughout the day.
Identify operational gaps and implement corrective actions.
Ensure cleanliness and organization of kitchen, service and dining areas.
Coordinate with the Chef and operational team for smooth service.
B. Food Safety & Hygiene
Ensure strict compliance with FSSAI, food-safety and company standards.
Implement and monitor food-safety SOPs.
Ensure proper personal hygiene and grooming of all food handlers.
Monitor use of uniforms, hairnets, gloves and other required PPE.
Monitor cooking, holding and storage temperatures.
Prevent cross-contamination and unsafe food-handling practices.
Ensure proper storage and segregation of raw and cooked food.
Ensure proper cleaning and sanitation of all operational areas.
Monitor pest-control activities.
Ensure proper waste segregation and disposal.
Ensure food labelling and applicable shelf-life/expiry controls.
Maintain food-safety and hygiene records.
C. Manpower Management
Manage kitchen, service, housekeeping and cafeteria staff.
Prepare duty rosters and manpower deployment plans.
Ensure adequate manpower during peak hours.
Monitor attendance, punctuality, grooming and discipline.
Conduct daily staff briefings.
Allocate duties according to operational requirements.
Train staff on SOPs, food safety, hygiene, customer service and food handling.
Identify performance gaps and implement improvement plans.
Maintain team discipline and productivity.
D. Inventory & Store Management
Monitor daily receiving, storage and issue of raw materials.
Ensure proper FIFO/FEFO practices.
Maintain appropriate stock levels.
Monitor daily consumption.
Conduct regular physical stock verification.
Control stock variance, wastage and pilferage.
Ensure proper storage of dry, chilled and frozen products.
Monitor expiry and near-expiry products.
Coordinate with procurement for timely replenishment.
Maintain accurate stock and inventory records.
E. Food Cost & Wastage Control
Monitor daily food consumption and food cost.
Maintain food cost within the approved budget.
Control overproduction and unnecessary wastage.
Monitor preparation, production and plate wastage.
Ensure standardized recipes and portion sizes.
Analyze reasons for food-cost deviations.
Implement measures to reduce food and material wastage.
Monitor high-cost ingredients and menu items.
Prepare and review food-cost and wastage reports.
F. Menu & Recipe Standardization
Implement approved cafeteria menus.
Ensure standardized recipes and portion sizes.
Maintain consistency in taste and quality across shifts.
Coordinate with the Chef for menu execution.
Monitor customer preferences and feedback.
Suggest practical menu improvements.
Ensure menu changes are operationally and financially feasible.
Coordinate with procurement for standardized raw materials.
G. Food Quality Control
Conduct daily quality checks before food service.
Monitor taste, appearance, texture, temperature and portion size.
Ensure food is served within the required holding period.
Monitor quality of raw materials received.
Ensure rejected or substandard materials are not used.
Investigate food-quality complaints.
Take immediate corrective action for quality deviations.
H. Customer & Client Management
Maintain a professional working relationship with HCL representatives.
Monitor customer feedback and complaints.
Ensure complaints are addressed promptly.
Identify recurring complaints and conduct root-cause analysis.
Monitor customer satisfaction.
Ensure professional behaviour of cafeteria staff.
Implement improvement measures based on customer feedback.
I. Audit & Compliance
Conduct daily operational inspections.
Support scheduled and surprise audits.
Ensure cafeteria operations remain audit-ready.
Monitor compliance with company and client requirements.
Record and report non-conformities.
Prepare and implement CAPA for major/critical observations.
Ensure timely closure of audit observations.
Verify effectiveness of corrective actions.
J. Documentation & MIS
Ensure accurate and timely maintenance of:
Attendance Register
Duty Roster
Receiving Register
Stock Register
Consumption Register
Indent Register
FIFO/FEFO Records
Temperature Monitoring Records
Cooking/Holding Temperature Records
Cleaning & Sanitation Checklists
Pest Control Records
Deep Cleaning Records
Wastage Records
Complaint & Feedback Register
Training Records
Equipment Maintenance Records
Daily Cafeteria Checklist
Food Safety Records
Other client/company/statutory records
Prepare and submit daily, weekly and monthly operational reports to management.
3. Daily Operational Responsibilities
Before Service
Check staff attendance and manpower deployment.
Conduct staff briefing.
Inspect kitchen and cafeteria cleanliness.
Check raw-material availability.
Review production requirements.
Check equipment functionality.
Verify staff hygiene and grooming.
Review expected meal volume.
During Service
Monitor food production and quality.
Check cooking and holding temperatures.
Monitor portion control.
Ensure timely replenishment.
Monitor service speed and customer flow.
Address customer complaints.
Ensure food availability and presentation.
Monitor staff performance.
After Service
Review consumption and wastage.
Check stock movement.
Verify cleaning and sanitation.
Review complaints and feedback.
Verify operational records.
Plan requirements for the next service/day.
Submit the required daily report.
4. Required Qualification
Bachelor's Degree / Diploma in:
Hotel Management
Hospitality Management
Catering Technology
Food Production
Food Service Management
or related field.
FoSTaC / HACCP / Food Safety certification will be an advantage.
5. Experience Required
Preferred: 5–10 years of relevant experience in one or more of the following:
Corporate Cafeteria
Institutional Catering
Hospital Food Services
QSR Operations
Hotel Food & Beverage Operations
Central Kitchen
Large-Scale Catering
High-Volume Food-Service Operations
Experience in independently managing large cafeteria operations and teams will be preferred.
6. Essential Skills
Cafeteria Operations Management
Kitchen Operations
Food Safety & Hygiene
FSSAI Compliance
HACCP Knowledge
Manpower Management
Inventory & Store Management
Food Cost Control
Waste Reduction
Menu & Recipe Standardization
Quality Control
Customer Service
Vendor Coordination
Audit & CAPA Management
Documentation & MIS
MS Excel, Word & Reporting
Problem Solving
Decision Making
Leadership & Communication
7. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
KPI
Performance Objective
Food Quality
Consistent taste, quality and presentation
Food Safety
Zero critical food-safety violations
Hygiene
High audit and hygiene compliance
Customer Satisfaction
Reduction in complaints
Food Cost
Maintain within approved budget
Wastage
Continuous reduction in avoidable wastage
Inventory
Minimum stock variance
Manpower
Optimum productivity and attendance
SOP Compliance
Consistent implementation of SOPs
Audit Score
Continuous improvement
CAPA Closure
Timely closure of observations
Documentation
Accurate and audit-ready records
Service
Timely and smooth meal service
Client Satisfaction
Positive HCL feedback
8. Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate should be:
Hands-on Food-Safety Focused Disciplined Customer-Oriented Commercially Aware Strong in Team Management
The Manager must be capable of identifying operational problems, conducting root-cause analysis, implementing corrective actions and measuring results.
This is a hands-on operational role and requires the candidate to be present on the floor and actively monitor kitchen, service, staff, food quality, hygiene, inventory and customer experience.
9. Salary & Employment
Monthly CTC: ₹40,000
Annual CTC: ₹4.80 LPA
Employment Type: Full-Time
Location: HCL, Lucknow
Company: Green Foods