Job Description of a Restaurant Meat Cutter
Butcher knives, meat cleavers, power saws, cubing machines and deli slicers are among the arsenal of equipment used by restaurant meat cutters. The position is essential to fine dining restaurants, especially, as the primary function of a restaurant butcher is to clean, cut and display meat to customer specifications. Shaping, deboning, and managing entire carcasses are among sought-after skills, prized among meat cutters and restaurant owners alike.
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Education
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Minimum employability requirements include a high school diploma or GED. Demonstrated coursework in hospitality, cooking, sanitation and food-borne pathogens, inventory control, curing meat, general nutrition, machine operation safety and customer service may also be necessary to obtain a restaurant meat cutter position.
Required Work Experience
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Required work experience will vary per position but you can gain meat cutting knowledge from working in a supermarket, local grocery store, meat processing plant or a butcher shop. According to Education Portal, it takes two years of on-the-job training to become a highly skilled meat cutter. On-the-job training allows meat cutters to master tasks such as bone removal and fat trimming.
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Salary
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008 the average annual wage across the United States for a meat cutter was $29,700.
Work Conditions
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Meat cutters tend to work in the coldest, wettest parts of the kitchen, if not the entire restaurant. Cold rooms keep meat from rotting and there is dampness generated by the spilling of blood from cutting raw meat. These conditions combined with standing for many hours at a time can make for an unsafe and fatiguing work environment.
Common Workplace Injuries
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According to the University of Missouri, St. Louis, common meat cutter injuries include slip and fall accidents, disabling, traumatic injuries such as cuts and amputations, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
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References
- Photo Credit meat image by michael langley from Fotolia.com