UNILEVER PROFESSIONAL
HOW TO BE A PROFESSIONAL DISHWASHER

Being a professional dishwasher is not as simple as filling a sink with water and going for it. It is a highly underrated profession, that takes a lot of essential skills and knowledge to be done properly.

If you’re in the foodservice and hospitality industry and wondering about how to become a professional dishwasher, then this article is just for you. We unpack what this profession entails and discuss the skills, knowledge, and responsibilities needed to work as a professional dishwasher in the foodservice industry.

WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL DISHWASHER?

A professional dishwasher is someone who is employed in the food industry, like in a restaurant, hotel, or fine dining experience, to wash the dirty dishes in the kitchen. It may sound mundane, but businesses in the food industry put a great deal of trust in their dishwashers because of the vital role they play in the business.

HOW IMPORTANT ARE PRO DISHWASHERS IN THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY ?

When you are a professional at something, it means you have either studied a specific topic or have worked in the profession long enough to be extremely knowledgeable about it. In commercial kitchens, having a professional dishwasher could mean saving both time and money for a business, and ensuring the health and safety of your customers.

DO DISHWASHERS GET TRAINING?

Whilst you don’t need a formal degree or certificate to get a dishwashing job, you will need to spend a few hours learning what the job entails and getting on-hand training before you can become one. Dishwasher training usually means shadowing another dishwasher for a few hours to learn the ropes, and to learn how the business wants things done. You would begin as a junior and then work your way up into a more senior position with more responsibility, in most cases.

5 SKILLS EVERY PROFESSIONAL DISHWASHER NEEDS

At Unilever Professional, we deal with many different kinds of businesses in the foodservice industry. All of our customers have a high standard of hygiene, professionalism, and service delivery as their core values. To work in this industry as a pro dishwasher, here are the five most important skills to have:

Professionalism - even though you are based in the kitchen, you still need to maintain a high level of professionalism because your job is essential to the overall professionalism of the business.
Attention to detail - this is key because your role is vital in ensuring the dishes of a restaurant or hotel are immaculately clean and that every scrap of dirt is gone.
Physical stamina - being a dishwasher is a physically taxing job because you are required to work on your feet and move around constantly for your entire shift - which can last up to 8 hours.
Verbal communication - good communication skills are essential in any professional position. You need to be able to communicate easily about what you are doing, how others need to assist you, and what expectations are of you and your team.
Customer service - although you may not be customer-facing in this role, you still need excellent communication skills because you are a part of delivery an excellent service to patrons from start to finish.

TOP TIPS FOR PROFESSIONAL DISHWASHERS

Never use your phone or text while washing dishes - it's unprofessional and you risk dropping your device into a sink full of water.
Always wear appropriate and professional clothing, to adhere to health and safety standards and to keep yourself safe too.
Make sure your personal hygiene and hand hygiene is immaculate.
Wear your profession with pride, it is an essential and valuable job and you should be proud to do it.

Trust Unilever Professional to offer you the best quality professional cleaning products for every kind of business. From hygiene and surface cleaning to laundry and hand sanitising products, we offer it all.