Fast food, or quick service restaurants, deliver meals to customers needing a quick breakfast before work or a dinner following a long day at the office and on ball fields. Crews of cooks, cashiers and others help their restaurants meet the needs of these time-strapped customers. The task of equipping crews with the knowledge and model for quality customer service falls on the crew trainer. The crew trainer job description below explains that these workers rely on their own work experiences and leadership skills to educate the crew, including the newer members.

What Does a Crew Trainer Do?

Crew trainers act as mentors and guides in fast food restaurants. They impart their knowledge and experience to crew members, many of whom may be holding their first jobs. The crew trainer job description includes instructor, evaluator, helper and fellow team members, in addition to leader and mentor. Crew trainers must exhibit skills in leadership and the customer service which they hope to see in the crew members.

Crew Trainer Job Description for Resume – Responsibilities

  • Orient new crew members to uniform, attendance and safety policies of restaurant
  • Describe features and function of each station, such as kitchen, drive-through, order and payment counters, and dining area
  • Demonstrate preparation of new menu items
  • Evaluate and offer feedback on crew member performance
  • Explain principles behind and reasons for restaurant policies, procedures, brand and menus
  • Document incidents, such as falls, injuries, fires and equipment failures to managers
  • Prepare or assist preparation of food, beverages and deserts as ordered by customers
  • Clean dining areas
  • Keep ice and beverage dispensers and containers consistently filled
  • Advise managers or supervisors of problems with performance of crew members

Crew Trainer Required/Essential Skills

Communication. Crew trainers must speak clearly and audibly as the circumstances and environment dictate. The delivery of instructions, particularly in the presence of patrons, should not appear to embarrass the crew members. Communication skills include listening to the instructions of the store manager or on-duty supervisors, as well as questions from the crew members.

Customer Service. The job description of crew trainers involves modeling high standards of customer service. Thus, the trainers themselves must exhibit listening, patience, attention to customer requests and concerns and prompt responses.

Leadership. Crew trainers lead the members through modeling the successful and proper completion of tasks and customer service. Leadership skills also include giving clear instructions, constructive feedback and assistance to crew members.

Patience. The exercise of patience also constitutes part of the crew trainer job description. Many crew members have not previously been in the workforce and may need constant instructions and assistance. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, fast-food restaurants and other food and beverage outlets employ a larger number of 16 to 19-year old workers than in other sectors.

Physical. Shifts at fast food restaurants can last up to eight hours at a time, with trainers spending much of that time standing, moving and reaching for items and tools. As trainers perform some of the work of and with crew members, they must be able to lift canisters and boxes, pull recepticles, sweep and mop. Hand coordination allows trainers to demonstrate food assembly and preparation.

Becoming a Crew Trainer

For crew trainers, prior experience on crews or restaurant settings affords the primary path to the position. Otherwise, crew trainers do not have formal education in the specific job. Familiarity with the restaurant also helps applicants become crew trainers.

Education and Training

A high school education or equivalent will normally prove sufficient to meet the educational requirements to become a crew trainer.

Crew trainers may themselves participate in company-sponsored or company-run training programs. There, trainers may learn concepts of leading and directing restaurant workers and ensuring the safe and sanitary preparation of food. Training sessions also cover specific menus, specials and operations of the particular company or brand. This may prove especially helpful to crew trainers who may have worked for another restaurant.

Training can help crew trainers become “ServSafe” food safety workers, becoming certified in the principles of safe and healthy kitchens and food operations.

Work Experience

Crew trainers usually start as crew members in fast food restaurants. Experience as a crew member exposes would-be trainers to running cooking equipment, keeping drink dispensers supplied and working, taking orders and payments and drive-through work. Trainers normally should have some experience in all of these stations of a fast-food restaurant.

For crew trainers, prior work with the company demonstrates familiarity with the procedures and standards for preparing foods and running stores. Where a trainer comes from outside the company or franchise, experience as a cook, server, dishwasher, cashier or in other aspects of the kitchen can prove helpful in finding crew training work.

Work Schedules

Quick service restaurants usually open early in the mornings, sometimes at predawn hours, and remain open on a late-night basis. Some restaurants operate on a twenty-four hour basis, at least with “drive-thru” service. As a result, crew trainers are subject to working at early hours or late evenings. Weekend work is common.

Career Prospects

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an 11-percent growth in the employment of “Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food” through 2024. This means 343,500 additional positions through that time. In 2014, there were an estimated 3,159,700 workers in these occupations. A fair proportion of these workers will hold crew trainer positions.

The busy schedule of families and individuals will continue to support demand for fast-food restaurants, crew members and crew trainers. A continual increase of two-parent workers, commute times and after-work and after-school schedules translate to less time for families to prepare meals at home.

However, customers increasing prefer fresher and healthier ingredients in their foods. Fast-food restaurants trend toward salads, grilled foods, fruits and other non-fried or non-sugar menus. Crew trainers may need to demonstrate experience in or knowledge of these types of foods to land jobs with these types of quick service restaurants. Crew trainers seeking a career in the restaurant industry may advance to roles as shift or store managers.

Conclusion

Crew trainers have opportunities to display their own leadership and management skills through guiding, instructing and mentoring crew members and new hires to the restaurant. Customers’ busy schedules and the need for quick food should sustain demand for fast food establishments and hiring of crew trainers.