Empact Group – Food Services Assistant

Food service assistant roles can help applicants build practical experience in hospitality operations, food production support, front-of-house service, back-of-house support, hygiene, customer service and food-safety standards. Empact Group is recruiting a Food Services Assistant in Cape Town, Western Cape.

This is a fixed-term contract opportunity within Empact Group Food Solutions. The successful candidate will perform a variety of tasks connected to food production, front-of-house services and general support while following Health and Safety and Food Safety regulations.

At a glance

What this opportunity is

This is a Food Services Assistant opportunity with Empact Group Food Solutions in Cape Town.

The main purpose of the role is to perform a variety of tasks associated with food production, front-of-house services and general support while complying with Health and Safety and Food Safety regulations.

The role is suitable for applicants who already have working experience in the hospitality industry and who understand the importance of cleanliness, personal hygiene, customer service and safe food-handling practices.

The position is advertised as a fixed-term contract. The official vacancy does not state the exact contract duration, salary, benefits, working hours, shift pattern or whether weekend and public-holiday work may be required.

Applicants should confirm all contract conditions directly with Empact Group if shortlisted.

Who this opportunity may suit

This opportunity may suit an applicant who has completed Matric and has working experience in the hospitality industry.

It may be especially suitable for someone who has worked in catering, food service, restaurants, canteens, hotels, kitchens, front-of-house service or another hospitality-related environment.

The role may also suit applicants who enjoy practical food-service work, interacting with clients and customers, supporting kitchen or service teams and maintaining hygiene standards.

Customer-service experience is listed as an advantage, so applicants who have assisted customers, served food, worked at counters, handled front-of-house queries or supported service areas should show this clearly on their CV.

Because the role is based in Cape Town, candidates should consider whether they can travel reliably to the workplace for the full fixed-term contract period and any schedule required by Empact Group.

What you will do and learn

The official vacancy confirms the following key responsibility areas:

Food production support

• Perform a variety of tasks associated with food production.
• Apply knowledge of basic food preparation.
• Support food-service operations according to workplace requirements.
• Follow instructions from supervisors and food-service team members.
• Maintain suitable hygiene and personal appearance standards while working with food.

Front-of-house support

• Assist with front-of-house services.
• Support a professional service experience for clients and customers.
• Communicate clearly and respectfully with customers, colleagues and supervisors.
• Help maintain service standards in customer-facing areas.
• Show pride in personal presentation and hygiene when dealing with customers.

Back-of-house and general support

• Provide general support required in front-of-house and back-of-house areas.
• Assist the food-service team with operational tasks where required.
• Support the smooth running of daily food-service activities.
• Follow workplace procedures and instructions consistently.
• Work as part of a team to deliver service to clients and customers.

Health, safety and food safety

• Follow Health and Safety regulations.
• Follow Food Safety regulations.
• Maintain personal hygiene standards required in a food-service environment.
• Work safely and responsibly around food, equipment and service areas.
• Support a clean, safe and professional food-service environment.

Important: The duties above are based on the official vacancy. Empact Group may allocate additional reasonable food-production, front-of-house, back-of-house, hygiene, cleaning, service or general-support duties according to operational requirements.

Eligibility requirements

Applicant requirements

• Matric is essential.
• Working experience in the hospitality industry is essential.
• Customer-service experience is an advantage.
• A Food and Beverage or Culinary Arts qualification would be an advantage.
• Must have knowledge of basic food preparation.
• Must have communication skills.
• Must take pride in personal appearance and hygiene.
• Should be passionate about delivering world-class service to clients and customers.
• Must be willing to follow Health and Safety and Food Safety regulations.
• Must provide complete, accurate and truthful information during the recruitment process.

Matric requirement explained

The official vacancy states that Matric is essential.

Applicants should state their Matric qualification clearly on their CV and should be prepared to provide proof if requested by the recruitment platform or employer.

Candidates who do not have Matric should not assume that they meet the minimum requirement unless Empact Group confirms otherwise.

Hospitality experience requirement explained

The official vacancy states that working experience in the hospitality industry is essential.

This means applicants should already have some practical work exposure in a hospitality-related environment.

Relevant experience may include catering, food service, restaurant work, hotel support, canteen work, kitchen assistance, front-of-house service, back-of-house support, food preparation or customer-service work in a hospitality setting.

Applicants should describe their actual hospitality duties on the CV instead of listing only previous job titles.

Customer-service experience explained

The official vacancy states that customer-service experience is an advantage.

This may include experience assisting customers, serving food, answering customer questions, working at counters, supporting front-of-house services or handling customer-facing tasks in a professional manner.

Applicants with customer-service experience should include specific examples, especially where they served clients or customers in a food-service or hospitality environment.

Food and Beverage or Culinary Arts qualification explained

The official vacancy states that a Food and Beverage or Culinary Arts qualification would be an advantage.

This means the qualification may strengthen an application, but the advert does not describe it as compulsory.

Applicants with this type of qualification should list the exact qualification name, institution and completion status on their CV.

Personal appearance and hygiene explained

The official vacancy states that applicants should take pride in personal appearance and hygiene.

This is important because the role involves food production, front-of-house services and contact with clients or customers.

Successful candidates should expect to follow workplace hygiene, grooming, uniform and food-safety standards if appointed.

Skills and personal attributes that may help

• Basic food-preparation knowledge.
• Good communication skills.
• Strong personal hygiene.
• Professional appearance.
• Customer-service focus.
• Passion for delivering quality service.
• Ability to follow instructions.
• Teamwork and cooperation.
• Reliability and punctuality.
• Awareness of Health and Safety requirements.
• Awareness of Food Safety requirements.
• Ability to work in front-of-house and back-of-house areas.
• Willingness to perform general support tasks.
• Professional conduct around clients and customers.

What this opportunity really means

This is a practical food-service support role in a hospitality and catering environment.

The successful candidate should expect to support food production, front-of-house services and general operational tasks as required.

The role is not only about preparing or serving food. It also requires attention to hygiene, safety, customer service, communication and teamwork.

Because Health and Safety and Food Safety regulations are specifically mentioned in the advert, the successful candidate must take rules, hygiene and safe working practices seriously.

The opportunity is fixed term, so applicants should not assume that it is permanent employment unless Empact Group confirms this separately in writing.

The role may be valuable for applicants who want to grow their food-service, catering, hospitality or customer-service experience within a larger facilities and food-solutions environment.

Application checklist

Prepare the following information and documents before starting the application:

• Updated CV.
• Clear copy of your South African identity document, if requested.
• Copy of your Matric certificate.
• Details of your hospitality work experience.
• Examples of food-production, food-service, catering, restaurant, canteen, kitchen or hotel experience.
• Examples of front-of-house or customer-service experience, where relevant.
• Details of any Food and Beverage or Culinary Arts qualification.
• Examples showing basic food-preparation knowledge.
• Examples showing hygiene, cleanliness and safe food-handling awareness.
• Correct employment dates and previous employer details.
• Contactable references, where available.
• Reliable cellphone number and professional email address.
• Any additional documents requested through the Empact Group Simplify application platform.

Need assistance with CVs, certified documents and application preparation? Visit our Learnership Resources and Guides.

Important note for applicants

This is a fixed-term contract opportunity. It is not advertised as a permanent role, learnership, internship or YES youth programme.

The official vacancy does not state the salary, employee benefits, exact working hours, shift pattern, contract duration or whether weekend and public-holiday work may be required.

Matric and working experience in the hospitality industry are listed as essential requirements.

Customer-service experience and a Food and Beverage or Culinary Arts qualification are listed as advantages.

Empact Group is committed to Employment Equity in line with legislation and states that first preference will be given to candidates as per Equity requirements.

By applying for a role within Empact Group, applicants provide personal information that may be held or stored securely for recruitment purposes in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act.

Applicants should read the official recruitment terms and POPI declaration carefully before submitting personal information or documents.

About the sponsor

Empact Group is a South African food-services and support-solutions company with more than 30 years of experience in South Africa.

The company specialises in providing food services and support solutions in areas such as catering, cleaning, hygiene and pest control.

Empact Group Food Solutions forms part of the broader group and is linked to service delivery in catering and food-service environments.Learn more through the official Empact Group website.

Quick tips for applicants

• Place your Matric qualification clearly on your CV.
• Show hospitality work experience clearly because it is essential for this vacancy.
• Describe your actual food-service, kitchen, catering, restaurant or front-of-house duties.
• Mention customer-service experience if you have it.
• Include any Food and Beverage or Culinary Arts qualification if relevant.
• Use examples that show hygiene, cleanliness and safety awareness.
• Show that you can communicate well with clients, customers and team members.
• Do not exaggerate hospitality or food-preparation experience.
• Check that your employment dates are accurate.
• Check that your cellphone number and email address are correct.
• Submit by 19 July 2026 to reduce the risk of missing the deadline.

Common mistakes that get applicants rejected

• Applying without Matric.
• Applying without working experience in the hospitality industry.
• Submitting a generic CV that does not show food-service or hospitality duties.
• Failing to mention customer-service experience where relevant.
• Leaving food-preparation, front-of-house or back-of-house duties off the CV.
• Not showing hygiene and Food Safety awareness.
• Claiming a Food and Beverage or Culinary Arts qualification that cannot be supported.
• Providing incorrect employment dates.
• Using an incorrect cellphone number or email address.
• Uploading an outdated or incomplete CV.
• Submitting the application after 20 July 2026.

Scam warning (important)

Applicants should apply only through the official Empact Group Simplify recruitment page or another vacancy page clearly linked from an official Empact Group website.

Do not pay anyone for registration, an application, an interview, a background check, training, uniform, equipment or placement. Legitimate employers do not require applicants to pay money to secure a job.

Do not share banking PINs, passwords, one-time PINs or unnecessary financial information with anyone claiming that they can guarantee an Empact Group position.

Be cautious of recruitment messages sent from unofficial email addresses, private social-media accounts or cellphone numbers that request payment or confidential banking information.

Upload identity documents, qualification documents and other sensitive documents only through the official and secure recruitment process.

Always return to the official vacancy page to confirm that the opportunity and application link remain genuine and available.

How this opportunity was verified

This opportunity was verified from the official Empact Group Simplify recruitment listing for Food Services Assistant.

The official listing confirmed Empact Group as the employer, Cape Town in the Western Cape as the location, contract employment type, Empact Group Food Solutions division, entry-level classification, Food and Beverages industry, fixed-term contract term, posting date, closing date and official application route.

The official listing also confirmed the role purpose, food-production responsibilities, front-of-house service responsibility, general support requirement, Health and Safety and Food Safety focus, Matric requirement, hospitality experience requirement, customer-service experience advantage, Food and Beverage or Culinary Arts qualification advantage and required knowledge, skills and competencies.

The official vacancy did not state the salary, employee benefits, exact working hours, shift schedule, exact contract duration or whether weekend and public-holiday work may be required when last checked.

Read more about our verification process on the How We Verify Listings page.

How to apply

1. Open the official Empact Group application link below.
2. Read the complete Food Services Assistant vacancy carefully.
3. Confirm that you meet the Matric and hospitality-experience requirements.
4. Select the Apply option on the official vacancy page.
5. Create a candidate profile or sign in if you already have one.
6. Complete all personal, qualification and employment questions honestly.
7. Enter your hospitality, food-service, front-of-house, back-of-house and customer-service experience accurately.
8. Upload your updated CV and any supporting documents requested by the platform.
9. Read the POPI and recruitment terms carefully before submitting personal information.
10. Check that your cellphone number, email address, employment dates and uploaded documents are correct.
11. Submit the application by 19 July 2026 where possible.
12. Keep the application confirmation or proof of submission.

Application Closing Date

The official closing date is 20 July 2026.

The official vacancy does not state the exact closing time. Applicants should submit by 19 July 2026 to reduce the risk of missing the deadline because of technical issues, missing documents or an incomplete online profile.

Application Notes

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If no response is received within 2 weeks, consider your application unsuccessful. Empact Group is committed to Employment Equity in line with legislation and will give first preference to candidates as per Equity requirements. Applicants must ensure that all qualification, experience and personal information submitted through the official recruitment platform is complete, accurate and truthful.