From Co-Worker to Boss: Now what?

Stepping into the role of cafeteria manager after working alongside your team can feel both exciting and overwhelming, but with the right approach, you can lead with consistency, fairness, and impact. As the new leader, you will manage both people and operations. Success in this role requires that you set clear expectations, resolve conflict, use data to guide decisions, and constantly evaluate workflow for efficiency.

Start by acknowledging the position change openly and avoid pretending that everything is the same, it's not. Tell your team that you're committed to supporting them. While relationships may shift, respect and communication must stay strong.

Set clear expectations and stay fair, no favoritism. Address conflict with confidence by focusing on the employee's behavior, not their personality. As a leader, your job isn’t to avoid difficult conversations, it’s to guide them. For example, if a team member refuses to rotate stock correctly, don’t ignore it. Say, “I’ve noticed expired items on the shelf. Let’s go over proper FIFO rotation so we can keep food safe and not waste product.” Approach every issue with a problem-solving mindset, not blame. Be consistent, document concerns, and most importantly, follow through by holding the employee accountable. Your team is watching.

Crunch the Numbers

Next, make data your decision-making partner. Instead of guessing what to order, learn to forecast by reviewing production records. This becomes much easier if you are using a cycle menu. If you have nutrition analysis software, use the production record feature to generate a serving history. If you had too much of an item leftover, adjust your forecast down. If you ran out, adjust your forecast up. Using actual serving data is much more reliable than having teachers/staff take counts. After all, you order and prep the food before any counts come in. Why make everyone go to all that work for information that is rarely reliable? Be a hero and take them off the hook for meal counts. You will save time, too.

Organize the Workflow

Analyze and improve workflow regularly. Observe how staff move through the kitchen: Where are the bottlenecks? Draw a layout of your kitchen and map tasks. Then look for ways to streamline—are stations set up efficiently? Can serving lines be rearranged for better flow?

When introducing workflow changes, you may hear, “We’ve always done it this way” or “It works better for me like this.” It’s important to listen and validate their concerns. You can respond with:

“I know that this method has worked for you in the past—thank you for sharing that.” Then explain the reason for the change, “We’re making this adjustment to reduce wait times and keep service moving more efficiently.” Invite feedback during the rollout, but make it clear that consistency matters. Initiate a trial period and let results speak for themselves. Emphasize that the goal is not to disrupt their routine, but to work smarter, not harder, while better serving students. When employees feel heard but still see that you’re leading with purpose, they’re more likely to buy into the change.

Final Thoughts

When establishing your role as Manager, it's critical that you set clear expectations, address conflict respectfully and stay fair to all team members. Be consistent! Use data for ordering and review workflow for improvement. This not only boosts efficiency, it boosts morale. Remember, don't try to impress employees with your super powers, show them theirs.