Hospitality Supply Chain (Intern)

Food City (K-VA-T Food Stores Inc)•Abingdon, VA

10d•$16 - $18•Hybrid

About The Position

At K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc., we are on a mission to “run the best store in town!” and we know our associates are our greatest asset. Kickstart your career with Food City with on-the-job experience through our Summer Internship Program! Food City Interns work on meaningful projects spanning all solutions and services throughout the company. Created for upcoming Junior and Senior college students, our full-time (40 hours/week), 12-week programs are designed to provide hands-on experience within your area of interest. As an Intern, you will join over 19,000 talented individuals across five states who are leaders, critical thinkers, accountable, innovative, flexible, and results-minded with the same goal – to better serve our communities. Location: Food Service Internships are open to any of our geographic areas in KY, VA, TN, GA, or AL Description: We are seeking a passionate and driven intern to join our Culinary Food Services team, supporting a dynamic blend of culinary leadership, food service operations, and category strategy. This internship offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in both the creative and business aspects of food service within a large retail organization. The intern will work alongside the Director of Culinary Food Services, the Corporate Executive Chef, and the Food Service Category Manager to help develop, implement, and support programs that drive quality, efficiency, and profitability across Bakery, Deli, and prepared food departments. The intern will assist in training initiatives, learning how to instruct associates in food preparation, production techniques, and culinary fundamentals. They will help support the development of training materials and job aids, participate in menu forecasting, and contribute to the research and development of new food products and services. Exposure to HACCP and food safety guidelines will be a key part of the experience, along with learning inventory management practices and loss prevention procedures. On the business side, the intern will collaborate with the Category Manager to analyze sales data, support promotional planning, and assist in vendor communications. They will gain insight into pricing strategies, planogram development, and category performance metrics. This role also includes supporting special events and corporate catering initiatives, providing a well-rounded view of food service operations from both a culinary and strategic perspective. Ideal candidates are pursuing degrees in culinary arts, hospitality management, business, or food science, and are eager to learn in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment. Strong communication skills, attention to detail, and a willingness to take initiative are essential. This internship provides a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of culinary excellence and business strategy, preparing candidates for future roles in food service leadership or category management. In addition, interns are assigned a project and expected to complete a final presentation summarizing their work and share their insights with company leaders at the conclusion of the internship.

Requirements

Currently enrolled in a college or university as a Junior or Senior, majoring in a relevant field of study.
Recently graduated with an undergraduate degree in a relevant field of study.
Minimum 3.0 GPA, cumulative.
Strong communication, interpersonal, and time management skills.
Ability to preserve confidentiality of company information.
Ability to work with own initiative, and desire to participate in and learn from the program’s experience.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience in a professional work environment
Participation in leadership roles
Community involvement and volunteerism

Responsibilities

Support culinary leadership, food service operations, and category strategy.
Gain hands-on experience in the creative and business aspects of food service.
Work alongside the Director of Culinary Food Services, the Corporate Executive Chef, and the Food Service Category Manager.
Help develop, implement, and support programs that drive quality, efficiency, and profitability across Bakery, Deli, and prepared food departments.
Assist in training initiatives, instructing associates in food preparation, production techniques, and culinary fundamentals.
Support the development of training materials and job aids.
Participate in menu forecasting.
Contribute to the research and development of new food products and services.
Gain exposure to HACCP and food safety guidelines.
Learn inventory management practices and loss prevention procedures.
Collaborate with the Category Manager to analyze sales data.
Support promotional planning.
Assist in vendor communications.
Gain insight into pricing strategies, planogram development, and category performance metrics.
Support special events and corporate catering initiatives.
Complete a final presentation summarizing work and insights.