Dietary Aide / Server

Dietary Aide / Server - Bellevue Post-Acute | Bellevue, WA

Join our dedicated Dietary Services team in providing safe, timely, and compassionate meal service to residents in our skilled nursing facility. The Dietary Aide / Server plays an important role in supporting resident health, dignity, comfort, and quality of life by assisting with meal preparation, tray service, dining room service, sanitation, and maintaining a clean and welcoming dining environment.

The Dietary Aide / Server assists with preparing and serving meals according to established menus, diet orders, resident preferences, and facility policies. This position works closely with the Dietary Services Supervisor, Cook, and other dietary team members to ensure meals are prepared, assembled, delivered, and served accurately and on schedule while maintaining food safety, sanitation, infection control, and regulatory requirements.

Reporting: This position reports directly to the Dietary Services Supervisor.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with preparing, portioning, assembling, and serving meals and beverages according to established menus, recipes, diet orders, and resident preferences.

• Assemble resident meal trays accurately according to tray tickets, diet cards, special instructions, and physician-ordered diets.

• Verify that resident trays contain the correct meal, food items, beverages, condiments, and necessary utensils before delivery.

• Deliver and serve meals to residents in resident rooms, dining areas, or other designated locations according to facility procedures.

• Provide courteous and respectful assistance to residents during meal service while maintaining their dignity, privacy, and independence.

• Assist residents with opening food containers, positioning trays, or other basic meal-service needs when appropriate and within the scope of the position.

• Follow special dietary instructions and immediately report questions or discrepancies regarding resident diets to the appropriate Dietary Services Supervisor or nursing staff.

• Assist with food preparation tasks such as washing, peeling, cutting, portioning, and preparing ingredients as directed by the Cook or Dietary Services Supervisor.

• Prepare beverages, snacks, desserts, salads, and other food items according to established menus and recipes.

• Maintain appropriate food temperatures and follow established procedures for hot and cold food handling.

• Clear meal trays and return dishes, utensils, and equipment to designated areas after meal service.

• Wash, sanitize, dry, and properly store dishes, utensils, trays, kitchen equipment, and other dietary service items.

• Maintain clean and sanitary food preparation, serving, dining, dishwashing, and storage areas throughout the shift.

• Assist with cleaning and sanitizing tables, chairs, countertops, food service equipment, carts, and other designated areas.

• Properly handle, label, date, store, and dispose of food and prepared meals according to facility policies and food safety requirements.

• Assist with receiving, stocking, rotating, and properly storing food and dietary supplies.

• Follow proper food rotation practices, including first-in, first-out procedures, to help minimize food waste and maintain product quality.

• Monitor food and supply levels and report shortages, damaged items, expired products, or other concerns to the Dietary Services Supervisor.

• Assist with inventory and other dietary department activities as assigned.

• Follow infection control, food safety, sanitation, universal precautions, and personal protective equipment requirements.

• Follow facility procedures for residents requiring special meal or tray handling.

• Report resident concerns, meal preferences, poor food acceptance, or changes observed during meal service to the appropriate supervisor or nursing staff.

• Maintain respectful communication with residents, families, nursing staff, dietary staff, and other members of the interdisciplinary team.

• Inspect assigned work areas for safety hazards, sanitation concerns, equipment problems, pests, or maintenance issues and report concerns promptly.

• Assist with preparation for county, state, and federal inspections and participate in required survey training.

• Attend assigned in-service education and apply training to daily job responsibilities.

• Immediately report injuries, unsafe conditions, hazardous situations, food safety concerns, or other incidents to the appropriate Supervisor or Administrator.

• Maintain work areas in a neat, organized, and clean condition.

• Respect and protect the rights, dignity, individuality, and confidentiality of every resident.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education and Certification

• High school diploma or equivalent preferred.

• Food Handler or Food Worker Card/Certification preferred, as required by applicable state or local regulations.

• ServSafe Certification is a plus.

Experience

• Previous experience in a healthcare, skilled nursing, assisted living, hospital, restaurant, cafeteria, or institutional food service environment preferred.

• Previous experience in dietary services, food preparation, tray service, or customer service is preferred.

• Experience working with older adults or individuals with physical or cognitive impairments is a plus.

• Working knowledge of basic food handling, sanitation, and food safety practices preferred.

Qualifications and Skills

• Ability to read and follow menus, tray tickets, diet cards, labels, written instructions, and verbal directions.

• Ability to accurately follow special dietary instructions and meal service procedures.

• Ability to communicate effectively with residents, families, staff, and supervisors.

• Friendly, respectful, patient, and compassionate approach to working with residents.

• Strong customer service and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to work effectively as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to maintain cleanliness and organization throughout the workday.

• Ability to prioritize tasks and complete meal service responsibilities within established timeframes.

• Ability to remain attentive to detail when assembling and delivering resident meal trays.

• Ability to follow food safety, sanitation, infection control, and workplace safety procedures.

• Ability to handle confidential resident information appropriately.

• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and take on additional responsibilities as assigned.

• Ability to follow facility policies regarding attendance, punctuality, dress code, workplace safety, infection control, and hazardous materials.

• Knowledge of emergency and disaster procedures and ability to respond appropriately to emergency instructions.

• Commitment to maintaining resident confidentiality and demonstrating honesty and integrity in all duties.

• Ability to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation without posing a current, substantial risk to the health or safety of oneself or others.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to move intermittently throughout the workday.

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.

• Ability to lift and carry food trays, dishes, supplies, and equipment as required.

• Ability to lift and carry up to 25 pounds, with heavier items handled according to facility procedures and available assistance.

• Frequent bending, squatting, twisting, reaching, pushing, pulling, and stooping.

• Ability to push and maneuver meal carts and other dietary equipment safely throughout the facility.

• Sufficient mobility and strength to safely navigate resident rooms, dining areas, kitchen areas, and other workspaces.

• Ability to see and hear adequately, with or without assistive devices, to perform essential job duties and communicate with residents and staff.

• Ability to safely handle hot food, beverages, dishes, utensils, and kitchen equipment.

• Ability to cope with the mental and emotional demands associated with a 24-hour skilled care environment.

• Must meet applicable facility health requirements, including annual TB screening and physical examination.

Work Environment

This position is primarily performed indoors in a healthcare and skilled nursing environment, including the kitchen, dining areas, resident rooms, and other designated food service areas. Working conditions may include exposure to kitchen heat, noise, fumes, odors, cleaning chemicals, wet floors, hot surfaces, and food preparation equipment.

The position involves working in an intimate, 24-hour skilled care environment serving residents who may have physical disabilities, cognitive impairments, and complex care needs. Employees may encounter emergency situations, unusual or impaired resident behaviors, family concerns, state and federal surveyors, consultants, medical staff, and the emotional aspects associated with aging, illness, death, and dying. Weekend and holiday work may be required.

What We’re Looking For

We are seeking a dependable, compassionate, and team-oriented Dietary Aide / Server who takes pride in providing excellent meal service and creating a positive dining experience for residents. The ideal candidate is attentive to detail, organized, patient, safety-conscious, and comfortable working as part of a healthcare dietary team.

A successful candidate understands that meal service is more than simply delivering food—it is an opportunity to provide comfort, dignity, and meaningful personal interaction to our residents.