Tamara Tolefree
Kansas City,MO
Summary
Dynamic Kitchen Manager with extensive experience at Casey's General, skilled in menu development and team leadership. Proven track record in enhancing food safety compliance and achieving operational excellence. Adept at staff training and inventory management, fostering a collaborative environment that boosts productivity and customer satisfaction.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
Kitchen Manager
Casey's General
11.2023 - Current
- Checked and tested foods to verify quality and temperature.
- Conducted daily checks of refrigerators and freezers to verify proper food storage, container labeling, and surface cleaning.
- Scheduled and received food and beverage deliveries, adhering to food cost and budget.
- Delivered in-depth training to workers in food preparation and customer-facing roles to promote strong team performance.
- Implemented and maintained food safety and sanitation standards to establish safe handling and preparation of food.
- Reviewed and analyzed kitchen performance to verify gaps and observe continuous improvement.
- Developed and implemented kitchen policies and procedures to establish clear guidelines for kitchen operations and comply with regulations.
- Handled escalated customer concerns with speed and knowledgeable support to achieve optimal satisfaction and maintain long-term loyalty.
Kitchen Staff Member
Kum and Go
05.2021 - 11.2022
- Sanitized dining ware and kitchen equipment according to health code standards.
- Prevented food spoilage by monitoring dates, rotating stock, and following proper storage procedures.
- Learned other teammates' work tasks to train as backup.
- Restocked supplies and prepared additional ingredients during downtime for expected busy periods.
- Cleaned and sanitized dishes and utensils, consistently keeping adequate supplies on hand for expected customer loads.
- Made food according to standard recipes with requested changes for customer satisfaction.
Assistant Manager
HyVee Foods
08.2016 - 02.2017
- Monitored cash intake and deposit records, increasing accuracy, and reducing discrepancies.
- Generated repeat business through exceptional customer service.
- Offered hands-on assistance to customers, assessing needs, and maintaining current knowledge of consumer preferences.
- Supervised day-to-day operations to meet performance, quality and service expectations.
- Assisted in organizing and overseeing assignments to drive operational excellence.
General Store Manager
Family Dollar
06.2014 - 11.2016
- Set effective store schedules based on forecasted customer levels, individual employee knowledge, and service requirements.
- Provided excellent customer service, promoting membership loyalty and increasing customer satisfaction rates.
- Achieved consistent budget targets with optimal expense controls and elimination of unnecessary waste.
- Supervised and effectively trained Number employees to decrease process lags and boost productivity.
- Kept inventories accurate with daily cycle counts and regular audits to identify and resolve variances.
- Maintained proper product levels and inventory controls for merchandise and organized backroom to facilitate effective ordering and stock rotation.
- Supervised guests at front counter, answering questions regarding products.
- Approved regular payroll submissions for employees.
- Promoted team collaboration, performance, and efficiency by fostering healthy environments focused on mutual success.
- Completed point of sale opening and closing procedures.
- Managed store employees successfully in fast-paced environment through proactive communication and positive feedback.
- Coached sales associates in product specifications, sales incentives, and selling techniques, significantly increasing customer satisfaction ratings.
- Rotated merchandise and displays to feature new products and promotions.
- Managed inventory control, cash control, and store opening and closing procedures.
- Maximized sales and minimized shrinkage through excellent customer service and adherence to standard practices.
- Assisted with hiring, training and mentoring new staff members.
- Scheduled employees for shifts, taking into account customer traffic and employee strengths.
- Recruited, hired, and trained initial personnel, working to establish key internal functions and outline scope of positions for new organization.
- Reduced operational risks while organizing data to forecast performance trends.
- Handled problematic customers and clients to assist lower-level employees and maintain excellent customer service.
- Supervised creation of exciting merchandise displays to catch attention of store customers.
Department Manager
Dahls Foods Inc.
05.2010 - 06.2014
- Set aggressive targets for employees to drive company success and strengthen motivation.
- Trained personnel in equipment maintenance and enforced participation in exercises focused on developing key skills.
- Planned, created, tested and deployed system life cycle methodology to produce high quality systems to meet and exceed customer expectations.
- Recruited, interviewed and hired employees and implemented mentoring program to promote positive feedback and engagement.
- Identified and communicated customer needs to supply chain capacity and quality teams.
- Controlled resources and assets for department activities to comply with industry standards and government regulations.
- Leveraged data and analytics to make informed decisions and drive business improvements.
- Defined clear targets and objectives and communicated to other team members.
- Established team priorities, maintained schedules and monitored performance.
- Reduced waste and pursued revenue development strategies to keep department aligned with sales and profit targets.
- Assisted in organizing and overseeing assignments to drive operational excellence.
Customer Care Representative
Albertsons
01.2003 - 04.2005
- Helped large volume of customers every day with positive attitude and focus on customer satisfaction.
- Responded to customer needs through competent customer service and prompt problem-solving.
- Addressed customer complaints and mitigated dissatisfaction by employing timely and on-point solutions.
- Logged call information and solutions provided into internal database.
- Assisted call-in customers with questions and orders.
- Navigated multiple computer systems and applications to find information.
- Delivered exceptional customer service to every customer by leveraging extensive knowledge of products and services and creating welcoming, positive experiences.
- Implemented and developed customer service training processes.
- Recommended, selected and helped locate and obtain out-of-stock product based on customer requests.
- Exhibited high energy and professionalism when dealing with clients and staff.
- Identified and resolved discrepancies and errors in customer accounts.
- Calculated correct order totals, updated accounts, and maintained detailed records for inventory management.
- Responded to customer requests, offering excellent support and tailored recommendations to address needs.
- Trained new personnel regarding company operations, policies and services.
- Delivered prompt service to prioritize customer needs.
Education
Certificate - Health Care Administration
Montgomery College
Conroe, TX01.2011
Skills
- Menu development
- Scheduling
- Employee monitoring
- Recruitment
- Purchasing
- Inventory management
- ServSafe certification
- Food and beverage management
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Equipment maintenance
- Goal setting
- Food preparation management
- Ordering supplies
- Portion control
- Operations management
- Shift coverage
- Supply ordering
- Recruitment and hiring
- Customer service
- Team collaboration and leadership
- Staff training and development
- Staff management
- Inventory control
- Multitasking and organization
- Food safety compliance
- Sales projections
- Menu preparation
- Order accuracy
- Verbal and written communication
- Problem-solving
- Safe food handling
Timeline
Kitchen Manager
Casey's General
11.2023 - Current
Kitchen Staff Member
Kum and Go
05.2021 - 11.2022
Assistant Manager
HyVee Foods
08.2016 - 02.2017
General Store Manager
Family Dollar
06.2014 - 11.2016
Department Manager
Dahls Foods Inc.
05.2010 - 06.2014
Customer Care Representative
Albertsons
01.2003 - 04.2005
Certificate - Health Care Administration
Montgomery College
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