Careers
Welcome! My name is Kurt Linneman, Owner & Executive Chef of Crocodile Cafe & Catering.
We have 10 full time and several part time positions so we are always on the lookout for potential superstars (catering coordinators, sous chefs, drivers, event planners, deli, executive assistant)
You can apply in a number of ways:
- E-mail your resume to: [email protected]
- Apply in person weekdays at above address between 6:30am and 11:00am
- Call 610-971-9993 weekdays between 6:30am and 11:00am
From my experience, successful candidates must have:
- Extreme passion for food
- Interest in working hard to learn the inner workings of a very successful restaurant
- The guts, discipline, and fight to make sure the systems, food prep, and menus get done the right way on a daily basis
With Crocodile, you will learn how to deliver our catered buffets, but you will also be trained in the food. My detailed training program will teach you how to quickly and efficiently prepare large volumes of homemade food with lots of color and strong flavor profiles (barbeque, salsas, soups, all kinds of salads, pasta dishes, Latin, Chinese, Indian, Mediterranean, vegetarian, and regional American specialties).
Speed and quality will be measured in our kitchen and you must first pass my Chef’s Test to work in our kitchen.
Depending on your ability to learn and study, you will also be trained in:
- Receiving/Ordering/Inventory
- Knife Skills – we train and measure for speed/accuracy (for example: 1 minute to dice an onion 1/4″)
- Prepared-from-scratch hot buffets (Mexican, Mediterranean, Chinese, Indian, American, Latin, Italian, etc.)
- 50 different homemade soups and sauces
- Menu writing & recipe development
- Off-premise catering buffet set up
- Off-premise Barbeques
- Expediting- checking catering orders for accuracy and loading the trucks
- Cold buffet arrangement (sandwiches, salad bars, desserts, gift baskets)
- Food cost management- we average 17%
- Scheduling and labor cost management- we average 30%
- Marketing- prospecting, sampling, lead generation
- Office Management- order input, website maintenance, closing the store
My employee training is thorough, so you should be tough enough to handle the challenge.
You will be required to study our catering menus and systems and will be tested on this info. Down the road, if you are interested, we want you to learn how to manage and build our business (product development, recruiting, marketing, training and performance management).
We have the best team around (no boast!). Here is how we do it:
We look for extraordinary personal skills during the interview process, then, once hired, 66% of your performance review is based on how effectively you interact with your coworkers, customers, and management. We will help you with this, but you must be willing to meet us half way.
Superstars love this system; mediocre workers hate it. If we ever do make a mistake and hire some miserable cuss, we get rid of them using the “fast” method (drama queens, high-maintenance prima donnas, skeptics, slackers, and negative-nellies can’t survive here.)
We also require:
- A high sense of urgency – please show up on time
- That you leave your “baggage” at home
- Willingness to learn new ways of doing things
- A self-starter so we can trust you to do quality work all the time (you see, we don’t believe in being out there “cracking the whip” all the time.)
- Natural enthusiasm for meeting new people
Now, here are the nuts and bolts of the catering job (34% of your performance review):
Here at the Croc, you will do lots of different things during the day. You might prep food in the kitchen, load catering trucks, deliver four catered lunches in an hour, build a couple hundred hoagies, slice fruit wedge trays and lots more – all in the same day.
We aren’t like most office caterers and foodservice operations in general. We don’t believe in getting “slammed” or “going into the weeds.”
Corporate catering experience is not absolutely necessary, but often helpful. It is physical, sometimes dirty work. so we need physically fit people who can hustle and lift 50 pounds. We have a totally smoke-free workplace. Totally.
Above all, we need people with personality and intelligence who believe that work should be interesting and challenging- not just something to be endured. All applicants must have a valid driver’s license with no more than 4 points.
Here are the 19 ways we do it different than the other guys:
BENEFIT #1: MONEY
Here at the Croc, we know that you are our most important resource, so we pay 30% above the industry average.
BENEFIT #2: RAISES COME SOONER AND LATER
You want a raise and not some dinky cost-of-living increases. At The Croc, raises don’t come automatically but, if you do your job well, they’ll come frequently. Your first chance comes after 90 days of hire. At your review, we’ll assess your performance and you will, too. You will tell us if the job is working for you and, if not, how we can help. After that, we give formal reviews annually – informal ones sooner if you request it. Each review is an opportunity for you to get a raise.
BENEFIT #3: HEALTH INSURANCE? WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED
We may not be a Fortune 500 Company, but we value our employees like one. Our health insurance and prescription drug plans are among the best in the business. This plan is available for full time employees (average 32+ hours per week). We pay 70% of coverage costs.
BENEFIT #4: NO NIGHTS. NO WEEKENDS.
What more need we say? It’s near impossible to find catering opportunities like this in our industry. We also won’t work you to the bone. The last thing we want is a burnt-out, frazzled caterer. We work at an efficient, progressive pace in order to eliminate long hours, stress and the irritability that too much work can create. Occasionally weekend and night catering is available for those interested in earning extra bucks.
BENEFIT #5: VACATION TIME
Vacation privileges begin on your one-year anniversary for full time employees. One week after one year; two weeks after three years; three weeks after five years.
BENEFIT #6: INDIVIDUAL SALES INCENTIVE BONUSES
We want new customers and you’ll be rewarded for getting them. While making catering deliveries or doing catering prep—actually whenever, wherever, whatever—always be on the lookout for potential new customers. Introduce yourself. Pass out your business card. Offer a potential new customer a free café lunch. If you bring in a new catering customer, you’ll get a nice bonus incentive – 15% of sales for the first year!
BENEFIT #7: TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM
If you want classroom learning that applies to what you do here at Crocodile, we’ll help you find the curriculum to meet your needs. We’ll reimburse the cost for pre-approved coursework 100% when you receive a grade of B or better.
BENEFIT #8: NO WORK ON THE HOLIDAYS
We are always closed on the five major holidays. We feel it’s very important for you to enjoy the holidays with your loved ones. And after you celebrate your one-year anniversary with us, you can stay home and get paid for these holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
BENEFIT #9: A GREAT TEAM OF SUPPORTIVE COWORKERS
There are no surly malcontents around here. If we ever do make a mistake and hire some miserable cuss, we get rid of them fast. You will become part of a cohesive group that respects and trusts each other. Our catering team members are required to be extremely punctual and maintain excellent attendance records. We have found that good people don’t want to put up with the usual nonsense that most corporate caterers tolerate.
BENEFIT #10: PERFECT PEOPLE COACHING PROGRAM
When you sign on with us, you are automatically enrolled (for free) in this coaching program (see haveperfectpeople.com). Other small business owners pay $6999 to enroll in this program for just 6 weeks. This program will teach you skills in leadership, marketing, recruiting, training, performance management, and more).
BENEFIT #11: GREAT WORKING CONDITIONS
We buy only the best food and equipment (and we are careful how we use it). You know, we have a motto around here: “Never Buy Cheap Shit.” This applies to our equipment, our food, and our people.
BENEFIT #12: WORK IN A GREAT ATMOSPHERE
We’re located in a beautiful, safe business complex in the suburbs (near Malvern, King of Prussia, Chesterbrook) with lots of free parking.
BENEFIT #13: FREE FOOD SHOWS & COOKING CLASSES
We are happy to pick up the tab for any local food shows or cooking classes you wish to attend. Keep abreast of the latest catering trends and opportunities. If you see anything that you are interested in, let us know. We would love to help.
BENEFIT #14: FREE YOGA CLASSES
Learn a new way to exercise, relieve stress and concentrate with our free yoga program. Give it a shot. You will be glad you did.
BENEFIT #15: BECOME AN EMPLOYEE COMPANIES FIGHT FOR
The time you spend at The Crocodile will be an investment in yourself because learning opportunities abound here. You’ll discover your hidden talents using our Strengths Assessment Analysis and then we will you put those talents to use to make your own dreams a reality.
BENEFIT # 16: CROCODILE LIBRARY
You can learn about leadership, management, psychology, yoga, the culinary arts and morefrom books (remember them?) in our lending library.
BENEFIT #17: GREAT MANAGEMENT TEAM
Since we aren’t some national chain, we can afford to keep our managers around a long time. They are experienced and committed.
BENEFIT #18: GYM MEMBERSHIP
We are strong believers in physical fitness. You have to work out to get in shape and you need to work out to stay in shape. At Crocodile, we keep a supply of gym memberships available. These are issued depending on seniority. The only requirement is that you go to the gym at least 8 times per month.
BENEFIT #19: EARN WHILE YOU LEARN
We value personal growth and learning. So much so, that we will pay you to learn something new. With our Earn While You Learn self-study program, you pick the business topic, get it approved, and then do a little research on it. Share what you’ve learned with our catering staff in an informal presentation and you’ll give your paycheck a big time boost. Plus, since you’ve gotten smarter, you’ll be more valuable to us when review time comes around.
Who We Are
We are the largest, off-premise office caterer in the western Philadelphia suburbs with multiple businesses branching off this success. So this is a real business with lots of opportunity for people who are willing to learn the skills necessary to succeed in a business environment. We aren’t some mom and pop store and we aren’t a corporate catering chain.
We grow with people who want to learn and grow as business people.
You see, it’s really not our food that makes us unique – although our food is great. What makes us special is the investment we make teaching others how to make work that is more profitable with less drama and great working conditions.
Come on in and see. You will feel the difference the second you walk through our doors. “WORK” is not a four-letter word around here. If you’re interested in joining our team, it’s your turn to tell us what you’ve got to offer.
We’re ready to listen!
You can apply in a number of ways:
- E-mail your resume to: [email protected]
- Mail your resume to: Crocodile Catering, Suite 2001, 940 West Valley Road, West Valley Corporate Center, Wayne, PA 19087
- Apply in person weekdays at above address between 6:30am and 11:00am
Successful candidates typically live within 25 minutes of our address. These areas include:
- Wayne,19087
- Radnor 19087
- Audubon, 19401
- Chesterbrook, 19312
- Malvern, 19355
- Berwyn, 19312
- King of Prussia,19406
- Trooper, 19403
- Exton, 19341
- Oaks, 19456
- Norristown,19401, 19404
- Paoli, 19301
- Valley Forge, 19484, 19482, 19485, 19493, 19494, 19495, 19496
- Frazer, 19355
- Conshohocken, 19428
- Saint Davids, Strafford, Daylesford
- Villanova, 19085
- Bryn Mawr, 19010
- Gulph Mills, 19428
- Rosemont, Lionville, 19353
- Downingtown, 19335
- Great Valley 19355
- Chester County, Upper Merion, Montgomery County,
- Berwyn, 19312
- West Chester, 19380.