Dining Services Manager

Recognized by Newsweek in 2024 and 2025 as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity.

About Us

Brookdale is a nationwide company with 589 communities as of November 30, 2025, offering many opportunities to grow and learn as a professional. We provide:

• Gracious hospitality and neighborliness for our residents and families.
• Home-like feel and all-around comfort for residents and visiting family members.
• Entertaining events and gatherings so our residents can find connections in groups and 1:1 settings.
• Industry leadership in clinical care.
• Extensive corporate support including a robust training program.

Responsibilities

• Plans, manages, and coordinates activities of the dining services department at one or more locations, providing food services for residents and employees.
• Develops standards for organization and supervision of dining services.
• Maintains quality dining services within the prescribed budget.
• Determines quality and quantity of food required; plans menus and controls food costs; may be scheduled to prepare meals.
• Oversees the food preparation and cooking to ensure meals are prepared per company procedures.
• Makes frequent inspections of all work, storage, and serving areas to ensure compliance with regulations governing food safety and sanitation.
• Prepares cleaning schedule, production worksheet, and staff schedules.
• Maintains inventory of food and nonfood items.
• Selects, orients, and trains new employees in the department; effectively delegates authority to dining services staff.
• Develops and directs cost control systems; prepares and submits department budget to director.
• Provides nutrition education and counseling for residents; presents dining services education programs to staff as needed.
• Ensures safe work procedures are developed and followed, including those relating to employee injuries, prevention, and infection control.
• Ensures a continuous quality improvement program is in place with appropriate follow-up.

Requirements

• High school diploma or general education degree (GED) required.
• Two to four years of experience in commercial kitchen, operation and line cooking, and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Current ServSafe Certification required.
• State food service certification required, if applicable.
• ACF Certified Sous Chef (CSC) preferred.
• Familiarity with Microsoft software preferred.
• Basic typing skills are essential.
• Thorough knowledge of food safety and sanitation, culinary nutrition, and supervisory management is required.

Skills

• Applies existing guidelines and procedures to make varied decisions within a department.
• Uses sound judgment and experience to solve moderately complex problems based on precedent, example, or reasonableness.
• Possesses extensive knowledge of a distinct skill or function and a thorough understanding of the organization and work environment.
• Has working knowledge of a functional discipline.

Benefits

• Full suite of health insurance, life insurance, and retirement plans (varies by employment status).
• Medical, Dental, Vision insurance.
• 401(k).
• Associate assistance program.
• Employee discounts.
• Referral program.
• Early access to earned wages for hourly associates (outside of CA).
• Optional voluntary benefits including ID theft protection and pet insurance.

Full Time Only Benefits

• Paid Time Off.
• Paid holidays.
• Company-provided life insurance.
• Adoption benefit.
• Disability (short and long term).
• Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Health Savings Account.
• Optional life and dependent life insurance.
• Optional voluntary benefits including accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity insurance, and legal plan.
• Tuition reimbursement.

To support our associates in their journey to become a U.S. citizen, Brookdale offers to advance fees for naturalization (Form N-400) application costs, up to $725, less applicable taxes and withholding, for qualified associates who have been with us for at least a year. Veterans, transitioning active duty military personnel, and military spouses are encouraged to apply.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Standing.
• Walking.
• Sitting.
• Use hands and fingers to handle or feel.
• On-call on an as-needed basis.
• Reach with hands and arms.
• Possible exposure to communicable diseases and infections.
• Stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Talk or hear.
• Exposure to latex.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds.
• Possible exposure to blood-borne pathogens.
• Possible exposure to various drugs, chemical, infectious, or biological hazards.
• Requires travel occasionally.
• Vision.