kitchen team member

kitchen manager

nutrition services

cafeteria worker

food service manager

Opaa Food Management, Inc.

It’s was all awesome at the beginning until I took the job and I was posted to my traning center. I was treated like nobody when Infact I am superior to those who are training me. I cried every night.I took the DIT position because of my passion for Nutrition,public health ,giving back to my people and helping those lovely children eat healthy and also maintain a healthy lifestyle. 
The trainers and kitchen managers that  barely completed high school diploma makes the training hard on me.The trainer all have different types of informations so they throw you at a State of confusion because this one is saying this is how to set up a salad bar and other one is saying something else , This one is saying you make 300 buns another one is saying 250 and at the end they go behind your bad and talk bad instead of them to ask.Every Tom and  Harry wants to be the boss! As if that was not enough I wake up 4am because I have to be at the school by 5 and don’t come back home till 5pm and during this time I am on my feet. Washing dishes , baking , serving, cleaning, wiping down the tables , lifting boxes over 50pounds , get stuck in the walk in freezers, moving boxes and heavy loads from trucks , get screamed at across the hallway to come do something. It’s was Belittling for someone like me who owns 2 degrees to get treated like a baby. The Director of Nutrition doesn’t need a Bachelors degree  holder to fill the Position  they should just pick one of their training specialist  and put them in that position if someone with Education is going to get treated like they can barely write their names. I made so much sacrifice to relocate and I turned down so many job offers just to do what I love. As someone who has a Degree in Healthcare I’d wanted to make a change by helping with compliance , overseeing food and kitchen activities , hiring and training and other that was listed in a Normal DNS job description .I am hanging in there to see what happens when I get my own school. The training specialist need more training and learn a job Ethics and respect. 
I love the job it’s my passion, but I think this people needs more order and also someone has to let them know that because they are training someone doesn’t make them the person’s superior. Lastly !!! Be more open with job description let an individual know they will be train on dish washer, server, janitor, Baker, kitchen manager , work with all kitchen equipments, get stock in freezer , be on their feet for 8 to 10 hours that way individual can prepare and if they have any medical issues when it’s comes to job with serious physical demand they can let you know and maybe you can work with them.

Opaa! has a long standing motto of "Food, family, and fun!". In my first year there, this attitude seemed true. In recent years however, management has assumed more control of the company, and like so many rapidly growing companies, the shift went from the founder's mission of providing healthy food to students, while employing effectively run staff, thus leaving time to focus on family outside of work; to the way things are today. Recent growth has led the company to hastily promote internally to the point that they now have uneducated supervisors in charge of big territories. Not to sound like these individuals are unintelligent, or that they know company procedures. They are very capable workers. However, they have no professional skills, nor do they have experience in projecting the impact of micromanagement. Today the once upheld motto proves to be false. If they are to convey their true mission, it should be something like, Blood, Sweat, Tears, and Lies. 
The students are fed chemical-filled food, at high prices, with a few home cooked recipes thrown in. The recipes are forever experimental, with new downloads every month. These constant updates confuse cooks, managers, directors, and distributors. With the "approved order guides" constantly changing, suppliers simply can't keep up. As a director, I was constantly searching for ingredients that my supplier simply couldn't stock or ship in time. I was left to buy these items with my money, and wait for company reimbursement. Every aspect of my job with Opaa!, as described by the executives who hired me, turned out to be false. From pay scale, to days off, even the annual company "retreat", which is anything but. Get it together Opaa! You're running the Short family's legacy into the ground!

The biggest thing I've learned from my time at Opaa! is that success will come if work at it everyday.  When I started as Director I was new the the area, new to my district and I had a lot of ground to make up and a lot of relationships to build.  I learned to set goals for myself, and for my team and to celebrate small wins, and celebrate often.  As a director, my team and I implemented new programs and slowly we saw participation climb to where we were setting new records almost daily.  The goal to feed hungry children the best meal we can everyday has to be forefront in every staff members mind.  
 
My favorite thing about working for Opaa! is spending time with the children.  I love joking around with them, getting and giving hugs and high fives.  It is refreshing for my soul when I see a child holding their lunch tray and smiling because they are about to eat.   I see the innocence in children's eyes and smiles and I want to do everything I can for them, whether that means tying a shoe, opening a milk carton, or bringing them a fork for the 100th time because they forgot to get one going through the line.  Stockton has an enrollment of just under 1000, and I look at all of them as if they are my own.

Working with children is my heart's delight. Watching them experience new adventures and seeing their minds at work and play are the essential reward of my two main employment opportunities.
CAP/Head Start - Provided the above opportunities.
Neely Elementary - Provided a wonderful learning experience for me.
All the jobs are different and the Division of Family Services - I found to be stressful and depressing.
A typical day at work for CAP - was preparing breakfast- setting the table - and inviting the children into eat. Providing a warm/welcoming atmosphere to the dining are- making the food look and taste good - encouraging the children to try a bite, clean and sanitize tables - clean and sanitize dishes and kitchen work area -  prepare the lunch meal in the same manner as the breakfast. Clean and sanitize again. 
A typical day at Neely was greeting the children and their parents as they entered school. Offering family /school interaction events- such as, weekly luncheons and monthly Family nights. Being available to the parents and children for assistance with social issues, referrals, et.

I am a District Nutrition Supervisor, and I really enjoy my job. Its a given that any management job is challenging and stressful, but the other side of the coin is I love working with kids of all ages, I run my location like my own business, but I am responsible for hitting my numbers.If you are not fond of being around kids, I don't recommend these jobs
 
As far as positions like Kitchen Manager, Baker, Cook, Cashier or Substitute, there is no doubt these are hard work, in a hot environment. More scratch cooking is involved. The reward is seeing more kids deciding to eat breakfast and lunch, and interacting with the students and staff. 

As far as culture, the company is dedicated to feeding the children the best food within federal guidelines. I have always felt supported and appreciated for my efforts.

Finally I went from a job in retail grocery that I had grown to hate, and into a job, that I often leave work with a smile on my face.

If you have a backround in food safety, nutrition or food management, I recommend this company.

a typical work day begins short handed, malfunctioning equipment, and short timeframes to get things done. management hires people for specific roles and then does not follow through and are rarely to be seen unless they wake up in a bad mood and need someone to take it out on. the drama is unreal and generally begins from the top. the company will not stand up for employees to make good face with districts. upper management doesn't even follow the food safety guidelines or most other rules when in a kitchen but expect those below them to maintain everything with the same amount of time and people. slowly forcing employees to cut back servings and only maintain what is exactly needed on a plate leaving the tray bare and pathetic looking with minimal food for the children. the company brags about how they promote from within but pass up over qualified candidates in house for friends in the area with zero qualifications. your hours are never consistent, randomly loosing them weekly and it going back and forth because the turnover rate is so terrible, no one will stay.


Working for OPAA! has been a rollercoaster. Started out as a dishwasher/cook. A couple months later a kitchen manager, had no idea what I was getting into. Felt like I had been misled and lied to. I was basically told to step up or step aside with little training and experience. Fortunately, with the help and guidance of a great DNS's assistance, I was able to hang on and step up.  Making the day of the students and teachers was my favorite part. OPAA! has a 401k plan that I had access to, along with training videos and online classes.  Providing quality food to children that may not get to eat anywhere else. The downside is that it's definitely not something you do for the money. The pay is something to consider before deciding if you can continue this service. Other than that great staff, love working with the children, teachers, and board members.

Working for the Company itself was great, other then the Company is growing so much and so fast, that they are leaving behind the Employees and Schools that have been with them for two or more years.  The DNS - Director of Nutritional Services, is left with all employee situation and has to handle all the situations without the Regional Director assistance because they are opening other schools or at their home offices just checking E-mails.  Schools are lucking if they see their RDO - Regional Director - once or twice a year.  Regional Meetings is about all.  Sad for the Company and the schools they are trying to assist.  The DNS that deals with situation all day long has no authority and can't do what is needed to run a great Food Service Program for the Schools and students they are located at.  OPAA! is a contracted food service company.

I have been in human resources at Opaa! food management for almost 12 years. I love the amount of support that I get from my executive team. One of my goals is to always have continued training in my field, and this is the first company I have ever been with that actually encourages that. They want me to succeed personally as well as professionally. I try to model that same behavior to the people in the field that I serve. I try to picture myself in their shoes and imagine what kind of tools and support I can give them to make them the most successful. Then it is like a domino effect, because I see our kitchen staff giving that same level of care and support to the students we serve. It really tugs at my heart all the stories of our cooks and cashiers who are making sure the kids get fed each day. We have a lot of students where this is their only meal, and our people feel that and have that desire to not just feed them, but really nourish them.

I loved my job and learning how to help out within the kitchen as someone with little experience within a school cafeteria setting, being a friendly face for the students and making sure they had a great day was always lovely.

The problem I had with the job was being harassed by a coworker about 3 months into the job and management doing nothing about it to the point that I felt like I was in danger just being at work. I would later learn that this same coworker was responsible for another individual leaving just before I started and glad to know management still did nothing about him.

Pay was decent for what I was used to at other jobs but the lack of staff we would have at times was a serious detriment to how we would get the food prepared for the students.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Kitchen team member 179 salaries reported	$14.96 per hour
Kitchen manager 45 salaries reported	$16.74 per hour
Nutrition services 3 salaries reported	$48,933 per year
Cafeteria worker 1 salary reported	$11.50 per hour
Food service manager 3 salaries reported	$35,333 per year

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