Scholarships and Mentoring > Career Paths

Career Corner...one step closer to success!

A Career in the Restaurant and Foodservice Industry? What's that about?
The Restaurant and Foodservice Industry is looking for the country's best young people to be its future stars. That could be you! Restaurant and foodservice, now a $440-billion industry, is growing so quickly that it creates 180,000new jobs each year and enormous opportunity for advancement if you have the right skills and attitude.

Ever wonder what type of career and benefits you can achieve in the Restaurant and Foodservice Industry? Click the links below to learn more!

Restaurant and Foodservice Job Descriptions

Passport to Higher Education

Pursuing a degree related to the Restaurant and Foodservice Industry? Get information from the ProStart National Passport to find schools that will give academic credit hours to students with the ProStart National Certificate of Achievement.

What is the Restaurant and Foodservice Industry?
Where are the Restaurant and Foodservice Jobs?
How do you get ahead in Restaurant and Foodservice?
Testimonials

WHAT IS THE RESTAURANT AND FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY?

The Bottom Line
By 2014, the industry will need 45,000 more managers each year, just to keep pace. That translates into enormous opportunities for you if you start learning the restaurant and foodservice business today.

The Restaurant and Foodservice Industry covers many areas including:

• Fine dining restaurants
• Catering
• Hotel and motel foodservice
• Casual family restaurants
• Chef-owned bistros
• Quick-service dining
• National chains
• National parks
• Resorts and casinos
• Stadiums and theme parks
• Cruise lines
• On-site foodservice operations such as hospital, collegiate and company cafeterias

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WHERE ARE THE RESTAURANT AND FOODSERVICE JOBS?

Check out Job Descriptions

Search for Jobs - Powered by The Employment Guide

They're everywhere! There are nearly 12 million jobs in restaurant and foodservice industry. Restaurant and foodservice jobs exist in every state, region and type of community. Managers can stay close to home or move to other parts of the world for employment.

Salaries start with entry-level hourly wages and go to seven figures. Many restaurant and foodservice businesses offer the same health and vacation benefits as large corporations, in addition to reduced rates on food.

Make food that's fun. Advance quickly. Every day is different! Sound good to you? It's what restaurant and foodservice is all about. If you don't like to stand still, this fast-paced industry is for you.

Professional: A career in the restaurant and foodservice industry is a profession. Programs include courses in business management, finance, accounting, human resources, customer relations, marketing, public speaking, food science and technology. Those who acquire professional credentials distinguish themselves as being highly skilled, trained, motivated and career-minded and are immediate candidates for better pay.

Corporate: You could join a corporate team. There are top jobs in marketing, business development, human resources, training, quality assurance, security, real estate, accounting and more in dozens of restaurant and foodservice corporations and the Fortune 500 firms that serve them.

Entrepreneurial:Imagine yourself the owner/operator of your own restaurant. The American Dream is alive and well in restaurant and foodservice! This industry has unique traditions of promoting from within and rewarding entrepreneurs. Plan to go as high as your ambition allows.

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HOW DO YOU GET AHEAD IN RESTAURANT AND FOODSERVICE?

1. Get Down to Business It's critical to get a head start while still in high school by joining a ProStart-affiliated program. ProStart programs get down to business to help you move from a paid high school internship into a college restaurant and foodservice program, on to management positions in the restaurant and foodservice industry.

2.Structured Learning That's Practical and Lively Our high school ProStart program for the restaurant and foodservice industry meets high standards and provides industry approved curricula. And most importantly, your class work is combined with a practical and lively paid internship, with mentoring by an enthusiastic hospitality professional. This on-the-job experience often leads to full-time jobs for graduates.

3. The Human Touch Plus High Tech To succeed, you'll need good work habits, a positive attitude and lots of people skills, but you'll be rewarded with nearly limitless career opportunities. Computers and the Web play a huge role in the Restaurant and Foodservice Industry.

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PROSTART TESTIMONIALS

"Working in a ProStart internship is wonderful. I've had a great experience. I'm improving both my culinary skills and my people skills. Scott is a great mentor. He really shows you the ropes. This internship is anything but dull! I get to see something new every day."
- Shenee Pearson, Crane High School student, Chicago, Illinois

"My future means everything to me, and ProStart is helping me prepare for it. ProStart has helped me pay the way for my tuition at Johnson & Wales University. I would not be able to go to Johnson & Wales if it weren't for the preparation that ProStart has given me and the scholarship opportunities...The opportunities such as the culinary competition and knowledge bowl at the National ProStart Student Invitational have allowed me to broaden my views on the culinary field and learn a tremendous amount about myself and about the foodservice industry. My self-confidence has grown knowing that I can succeed in the culinary field."

-Jackie Lemman, High School Student, Oregon

"When I entered my ProStart class I knew next to nothing about hospitality and restaurant management. My skills ended with understanding how to turn a recipe into a finished product. As I leave my first year of the ProStart program, I feel I am taking more with me than I have from any class or team throughout my entire time in high school. From the first day I felt a keen appreciation for everything I was learning - from running my own restaurant to hand washing."

-Hayley Farr, High School student, Oregon

"This program has helped my daughter realize her own abilities and talents. The business-focused curriculum sets a foundation for both career-bound and college-bound students, and provides practical experience. Mary continues to work at her internship site as she maintains straight A's in Georgia State's School of Hospitality. I just know she'll be a CEO someday!"
- Glenda Wills, parent in Marietta, Georgia

"As an educator, I have seen ProStart change lives. Through internships and mentoring, I have seen students go above and beyond what was expected of them. A whole world of opportunities has arisen by being involved in this program."
- Debbie Page, educator in Portland, Oregon

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