Hard Rock Cafe – Niagara Falls, NY

Niagara Falls, a city situated on the Niagara River in New York State, is renowned for its magnificent waterfalls that span the Canadian border. The city offers a wealth of cultural activities for work and travel participants, even those on a tight budget. The Niagara Falls State Park is a central hub of natural beauty, where visitors can take in stunning views from the Observation Tower at Prospect Point, or explore various trails leading to different viewpoints of the three waterfalls. The park also hosts numerous free events and festivals, providing ample opportunities for cultural immersion. The Niagara Arts and Cultural Center offers affordable art exhibits and performances, while the Aquarium of Niagara, home to Humboldt penguins, seals, and sea lions, provides an educational experience about local aquatic life.

Weekly working hours: avg. 32h per week

Start Date/End Date: June 10th –  June 27th until September 30th

Conditions: 

• Advanced English level is required;
• Server – The Server plays a vital role in creating a positive dining experience for guests at Hard Rock by delivering exceptional customer service and ensuring all guests feel welcome and valued. Responsibilities include warmly greeting guests, providing menus, and explaining daily specials to enhance the dining experience. Servers accurately take food and drink orders using the point-of-sale system, ensuring that special requests and dietary restrictions are properly noted and communicated to the kitchen staff. Servers deliver food and beverages to tables promptly and efficiently, checking in with guests to ensure their satisfaction and addressing any concerns. A thorough knowledge of the menu—including ingredients, preparation methods, and pairing suggestions—enables servers to assist guests in making informed choices. Maintaining clean and organized tables by clearing dishes and resetting them for the next guests is essential. Servers work closely with kitchen staff and other team members to ensure smooth service flow, communicating effectively to coordinate food delivery and timing. They are also responsible for presenting checks, processing payments, and accurately handling cash and credit transactions. Adhering to health and safety regulations, servers ensure that food is served at the correct temperature and that cleanliness is maintained throughout the dining area. While this job can be rewarding, it also presents challenges, and those who do not excel in their role may be offered another position within the restaurant. Servers should understand that tipping is customary in the U.S., but not guaranteed, and asking for tips is strictly prohibited and could lead to termination/ $10.00 plus tips
• Host – As the first point of contact, the Host plays a vital role in creating a positive guest experience. Responsibilities include greeting and seating guests professionally, answering questions, handling phone inquiries, and directing complaints to management. Hosts ensure tables are properly set, menus are clean, and stations are maintained. Duties also include rolling silverware, cleaning tables, and evenly distributing tables to servers, while managing servers who may request more guests for their sections to ensure fairness. Hosts must handle impatient customers waiting to be seated with calm professionalism, balancing the needs of both guests and staff. Additionally, they assist servers and bussers with food and beverage delivery, perform tasks such as cleaning and maintaining restrooms, and may be cross-trained with Retail Sales Associates. Maintaining guest satisfaction and creating memorable experiences are key aspects of the role, along with fulfilling any additional tasks assigned by management/ $18.00 per hour
• Retail Sales Associate – The Retail Sales Associate (RSA) creates memorable shopping experiences for guests at Hard Rock. In this role, you greet guests, answer inquiries, and handle phone calls while using a point-of-sale system to process transactions and maintain accurate cash drawer balances. Responsibilities include engaging guests to assess their needs, suggesting products with proven sales techniques, and demonstrating strong product knowledge, including learning about collector pins and their appeal to customers. You ensure the store remains clean and organized, manage stock levels, and set up displays per Hard Rock’s visual standards. This position requires significant upselling, lifting boxes weighing up to 50 pounds (approximately 23 kilograms), and constant folding of merchandise to keep the store immaculate. Ultimately, you focus on delivering exceptional customer service to ensure complete guest satisfaction and create unforgettable experiences/ $18.00 per hour
• Food Runner – As a food runner, your primary responsibility is to ensure that food is delivered quickly and accurately from the kitchen to guests at their tables. You will work closely with the kitchen staff and servers, acting as a key link between both teams to ensure orders are served promptly. Duties include double-checking food orders for accuracy, ensuring the presentation meets the restaurant’s standards, and delivering dishes to the correct tables. The work is fast-paced, and you will be on your feet for the majority of your shift, often carrying heavy trays of food/ $18.00 per hour
• Expo – As an expo (expediter), your primary role is to ensure smooth coordination between the kitchen and front-of-house staff. A typical shift for an expo involves standing in the kitchen and being the key point of contact between the chefs and servers. Your main duties include checking each food order for accuracy, ensuring it matches what was ordered, and making sure that every dish meets the restaurant’s presentation standards before sending it out to the guests. You’ll also be responsible for organizing the kitchen’s output, ensuring that dishes for the same table come out together, hot, and in the correct order. Throughout the shift, you’ll be responsible for managing the flow of food coming out of the kitchen, making sure it is delivered promptly to ensure optimal food quality. You may also assist in keeping the expo station clean and stocked, organizing plates, utensils, condiments, and other necessary items. Effective communication is critical, as you’ll need to coordinate with both the kitchen and the front-of-house staff, providing updates if an order is delayed or if a dish needs to be remade/ $18.00 per hour
• Line Cook – As a line cook, your primary responsibilities include preparing and cooking dishes according to the restaurant’s recipes, ensuring consistency in taste, portion size, and presentation. You will need to set up and organize your workstation with all necessary ingredients and tools before service begins, and maintain it throughout the shift. Keeping your station clean and adhering to food safety and sanitation guidelines is essential. During busy service periods, you will manage multiple orders at once, coordinating with other line cooks and kitchen staff to ensure timely and efficient delivery of dishes. Strong communication and teamwork are critical to keep the kitchen running smoothly. At the end of your shift, you will help with cleaning, sanitizing your station, properly storing ingredients, and preparing the kitchen for the next shift/ $18.00 per hour
• Prep Cook – The Prep Cook plays a vital role in the kitchen by preparing ingredients and ensuring efficient kitchen operations. Responsibilities include washing, peeling, chopping, and slicing vegetables, fruits, and other ingredients using sharp knives and kitchen tools safely and efficiently. Prep Cooks assist in the cooking process by preparing sauces, marinades, and other components needed for menu items. Maintaining cleanliness is essential, as they keep workstations organized, sanitize surfaces, and properly store ingredients while following health and safety regulations. This includes cleaning refrigerators, large walk-in coolers, and freezers to ensure proper food storage and hygiene, which requires going in and out of cold environments. They help with inventory management by monitoring ingredient levels, reporting shortages, and assisting with stock rotation. Collaboration with chefs and other kitchen staff is crucial to ensure timely and efficient food preparation, with effective communication to coordinate tasks and support overall kitchen workflow. Following recipes and instructions accurately is necessary to ensure consistency and quality in food preparation/  $18.00 per hour
• The training is paid at an hourly rate;
• Participants in the program will be provided with two uniform shirts by their employer ( cost $20). Participants are required to bring their own black pants and appropriate footwear to complement the provided uniform shirts. For personal safety, especially in environments where sharp objects are handled, it is crucial to wear closed-toed, slip-resistant athletic shoes. Participants are advised against wearing sweatpants or any tight-fitting clothing for work;

Housing and Transportation

• Housing will be provided by the employer, at a cost of $350.00 per month, per student (dormitory style). A deposit of  $350.00 will be paid to the employer upon arrival, There is also a $100.00 cleaning and maintenance fee.The deposit will only be returned at the end of each participant’s work and travel program, provided that no damages have been done to the property, all provisions of the lease have been followed, no occupant left early, and all payments are current. Any violations by one or more occupants may affect everyone’s return of the deposit.;
• Walking distance.