Loretta Swain
Fargo,ND
Summary
Talented kitchen leader for over 30 years of experience in preparing and serving diverse foods. Motivates employees to exceed customer expectations in high-volume settings while maintaining strong quality and cost controls. Service-oriented with good multitasking, safety management and decision-making skills.
Reputation for resolving problems, improving customer satisfaction, and driving overall operational improvements. Consistently saved costs while increasing profits. Managed food service staff to prepare, handle and deliver over 350 meals catering. Advanced knowledge of business practices, nutritional guidelines and strategies for maintaining guest satisfaction. Diplomatic and persuasive communicator with decisive leadership style and strategic approach.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Dining Services Director
Edgewood Assisted Living
Fargo, ND
06.2023 - Current
- Developed and implemented a comprehensive dining services program to meet the needs of Residents.
- Organized staff schedules, oversaw training and development programs, and provided feedback on performance.
- Coordinated food production, service, sanitation, and safety procedures in accordance with health regulations.
- Monitored inventory levels of supplies and food products to ensure sufficient stock for daily operations.
- Established policies for menu selection, portion size, recipe standards, garnishes, presentation techniques, and plating arrangements.
- Maintained accurate records of all transactions related to purchasing supplies and equipment.
- Negotiated pricing contracts with vendors to secure competitive prices for food items while ensuring quality standards were met.
- Ensured compliance with local health codes by regularly inspecting kitchen areas and storage facilities.
- Provided leadership support to team members during peak periods of operation or when additional resources were needed.
- Advised management on current industry trends related to dining services operations.
- Resolved any resident complaints regarding dining services in a timely manner.
- Trained new employees to perform duties.
- Assisted staff by serving food and beverages or bussing tables.
- Coached staff on strategies to enhance performance and improve customer relations.
Food & Beverage Manager, Event Cordinator
Loyal Order of Moose
Minot, ND
06.2021 - 05.2023
- Supervised kitchen quality standards
- Sanitized kitchen, work station, equipment and dishware
- Supervised all kitchen procedure
- Stocked production cooler
- Operated deep fryer
- Prepared meals in accordance with customer dietary requests
- Washed, peeled and prepared ingredients for commercial kitchen
- Ensured cooked food was correct temperature according to compliance guidelines
- Maintained recipe quality
- Set prep station
- Catered events, set up and tear down
- In charge of scheduling events
- Created and deployed successful strategies to boost restaurant performance, streamline food prep processes and reduce waste
- Scheduled and received food and beverage deliveries, adhering to food cost and budget
- Conducted daily checks of refrigerators and freezers to verify proper food storage, container labeling, and surface cleaning
- Developed kitchen staff through training, disciplinary action, and performance reviews
- Developed and maintained professional relationships with suppliers to acquire high-quality ingredients and products with reasonable prices
- Implemented and maintained food safety and sanitation standards to establish safe handling and preparation of food
- Trained staff on proper cooking procedures as well as safety regulations and productivity strategies
- Maintained kitchen cleanliness and sanitation through correct procedures and scheduled cleaning of surfaces and equipment
- Analyzed sales data to identify trends and adjust purchasing decisions accordingly
- Managed staff schedules and maintained adequate coverage for all shifts
- Coached, mentored and trained team members in order to improve their job performance.
- Conducted regular meetings with staff to discuss progress and identify areas of improvement.
- Resolved conflicts between employees by providing guidance on company policies and procedures.
- Trained employees on additional job positions to maintain coverage of roles.
Caregiver
FirstLight Home Care
Minot, ND
07.2020 - 05.2021
- Assisted clients with mobility
- Assisted clients with mobility
- Assisted with clients' personal supervision
- Transported clients to scheduled appointments
- Assisted clients in running errands
- Monitored vital signs
- Monitored client nutritional requirements
CookWellington Senior
Living
Minot, ND
08.2019 - 02.2020
- Supervised kitchen quality standards
- Followed proper safe handling policies
- Supervised all kitchen procedures
- Prepared meals and took into account customer food allergies
- Prepared beverages orders
- Prepped ingredients
- Stocked production cooler
- Operated deep fryer
- Managed kitchen
- Prepared meals in accordance with customer dietary requests
- Washed, peeled and prepared ingredients for commercial kitchen
- Ensured cooked food was correct temperature according to compliance guidelines
- Maintained recipe quality
- Set prep station
- Operated kitchen appliances, such as Deep Fryer, Grill, Ovens
- Responsible for cleaning kitchen
Daycare Provider/Teacher
Little Lambs Daycare
Williston, ND
09.2018 - 07.2019
- Cared for children ages 6 weeks to 1 in nurturing and age-appropriate way
- Developed lessons and activities to promote children's physical and emotional development
- Managed safety and security of all children under care
- Observed children to proactively identify issues with emotional or physical development and worked with parents and supervisors to address concerns
- Consulted with families to discuss activities
- Used positive reinforcement techniques to promote patience and other good behaviors in children
- Kept notes of behavior issues, food served and medications administered to children
- Met with parents about daily activities, positive developments and issues
- Monitored entrances and exits to maintain safety and organized environments and behaviors of each child
- Sanitized dishes, tabletops, toys and frequently touched surfaces to prevent spreading of germs.
Manager
Wildcat Pizzeria
Williston, ND
02.2018 - 08.2018
- Achieved or exceeded financial goals on regular basis by controlling expenses, optimizing schedules and regulating inventory usage
- Set and managed schedules to give proper coverage to required areas and meet customer service demands.
- Adjusted job assignments and schedules to keep pace with dynamic business needs, factoring in processes, employee knowledge and customer demands
- Conducted scheduled and impromptu evaluations to assess work performance
- Handled day-to-day operations
- Recorded inventory sales into organization's weekly income reports
- Trained new employees in specific job requirements
- Complete weekly payroll for 25 employees using Quick books
- Demonstrated new products, procedures and techniques to employees
- Reconciled daily sales transactions to balance and log day-to-day revenue with Lavu
- Interviewed and hired strong candidates for team openings
- Increased customer retention and satisfaction by closely monitored team member performance and assessing problematic practices
- Controlled costs and optimized spending via restructuring of budgets for labor, capital assets, inventory purchasing, and technology upgrades
- Applied strong leadership talents and problem-solving skills to maintain team efficiency and organize workflow
- Resolved staff member conflicts, actively listening to concerns and finding appropriate middle ground
- Onboarded new employees with training and new hire documentation
Cook
Little Lambs Daycare
Williston, ND
10.2016 - 02.2018
- Prepare and serve breakfast, lunch and snack for children
- Plan monthly menu, purchase groceries according to menu
- Log temps daily, check food temps, log in food portions into State CCAP handbook
- Use cooking utensils, prepared cooking supplies, ingredients and workstations during opening and closing procedures to maximize efficiency
- Sanitized kitchen surfaces and equipment by cleaning grills, griddles, ovens and fryers
- Inspected kitchen equipment and appliances to verify proper working order.
- Prepared food items in compliance with recipes and portioning control guidelines
- Checked for quality, kept track of old and new items and rotated stock to confirm freshness of food and ingredients
- Changed and sanitized cutting boards, benches, and surfaces between tasks to avoid cross-contamination
- Managed time by organizing and prioritizing kitchen duties to prepare and serve food quickly
- Coordinated checklists to keep kitchen clean, stocked and sanitary
Cashier
Leevers Supermarkets Inc
Rolla, ND
05.2015 - 02.2016
- Handle payments from customers purchasing goods, greet customers, use scanner, cash register, and calculators for items purchased by customers
- Accept payments from customers and give change and receipt, bag or wrap purchases
- Process returns and exchanges of merchandise, inspecting returned items
- Reviewed and resolved differences between accounting information and cash drawer
- Requested official identification for tobacco purchases and verified details, consistently meeting strict legal standards of underage sales
- Answered questions about store policies and concerns to support positive customer experiences
- Checked bills with counterfeit pens and examined coins to spot and refuse foreign currency
- Replenished sales floor merchandise and organized shelves, racks and bins for optimal appearance
- Used cash registers and POS systems to request and record customer orders and compute bills.
- Worked flexible schedule and extra shifts to meet business needs
- Welcomed customers and helped determine their needs
- Tallied cash drawer at beginning and end of each work shift
- Stocked, tagged and displayed merchandise as required
Education
GED -
Turtle Mountain Community College
Belcourt, ND03.1994
Some College (No Degree) - Liberal Arts And General Studies
Turtle Mountain Community College
Belcourt, NDSkills
- SKILLS
- Knowledge of cooking
- Food Presentation
- Supply Ordering
- Food Production
- Sales
- Food Safety
- QuickBooks
- Recruiting
- Restaurant Management
- Menu Development
- Schedule Management
- Catering Proficiency
Certification
Servsave Certificate
Timeline
Dining Services Director
Edgewood Assisted Living
06.2023 - Current
Food & Beverage Manager, Event Cordinator
Loyal Order of Moose
06.2021 - 05.2023
Caregiver
FirstLight Home Care
07.2020 - 05.2021
CookWellington Senior
Living
08.2019 - 02.2020
Daycare Provider/Teacher
Little Lambs Daycare
09.2018 - 07.2019
Manager
Wildcat Pizzeria
02.2018 - 08.2018
Cook
Little Lambs Daycare
10.2016 - 02.2018
Cashier
Leevers Supermarkets Inc
05.2015 - 02.2016
GED -
Turtle Mountain Community College
Some College (No Degree) - Liberal Arts And General Studies
Turtle Mountain Community College