Volunteering at Everybody Eats is fun, flexible and a great way to get to know your local community. It also provides an extremely important service - we simply couldn't open our doors each day without our fantastic volunteers.
No experience necessary or long-term commitment required. All you need to do is sign up via the link below, then you can start requesting for shifts of your choice.
Join the 9000+ people who are already part of our volunteer community.
Register to volunteerAt each restaurant, we offer two main shifts for every evening we are open. Volunteer shifts are typically posted one month in advance and can be requested through your profile. If you want to commit to regular volunteering, request a fixed shift from your restaurant manager after you've completed a few shifts.
Once you have signed up, don't forget to join our Auckland or Wellington Volunteer Facebook page! It's a great place to hear about last minute shift opportunities, volunteer events and activities and be a part of our thriving volunteer communities.
Afternoon Kitchen Prep Shift: 12pm - 4pm
Join a small group of 4-6 volunteers working alongside our Head Chefs to prepare food for the evening menu. Tasks include sorting vegetables, chopping, peeling and assisting with cooking and baking. It’s a relaxed and social environment, with plenty of opportunities to learn new cooking skills, as well as how to reduce waste in the kitchen.
Evening Service Shift: 5:30pm- 8:30pm (one 4:30pm start also available)
This shift is split into two teams: Front of House (FOH) and Kitchen Service. It can get busy, especially at the start, so be ready to work hard and stay on your feet. FOH Team: Greet diners, serve food, water and chat with diners. Kitchen Team: Run the pass, plate meals or wash dishes (be part of the infamous Splash Crew!). Everyone enjoys a meal together during the evening and helps tidy up at the end.
We’ll start the evening with a quick briefing to set you up for success, and new volunteers will be paired with seasoned ones whenever possible. Wear comfy, closed-toe shoes and tie long hair back. Kitchen volunteers, bring an apron if you have one; FOH servers, please wear black if possible—we'll provide a branded apron for the night.
Young Volunteers
Young people aged 15 and 16 can volunteer independently with a completed Parental Consent Form as part of their application process.
Each of our restaurants have slightly different criteria:
In Auckland, limited numbers of youngsters from 8 to 14 can volunteer,. They must be supervised by a parent/guardian for their entire shift. Both the young person and parent/guardian need to register and apply for the same shift.
Friends and casual groups who would like to volunteer together can register as individuals and request the same shift. As part of the shift request process, add a note in the "add a message" option provided in the sign up pop-up box, to say you are part of a group (include a matching group name) and would like to be accepted all together. When the shift request is reviewed by our team, if possible we will accept everyone onto the same shift. If we can't fit everyone in, none of the group will be accepted, and you can try a different shift or split into smaller groups (a great option is for part of the group to volunteer and the others to come in for dinner!).
We are generally only able to accept groups of up to 2-3 on an afternoon prep shift, and up to 4-6 on an evening shift to ensure there is a mix of lesser and more experienced people together.
If you are part of a registered community group you can reach out to volunteer@everybodyeats.nz for assistance.
Corporate groups
We have four great options available and bespoke evening restaurant takeover opportunities, giving corporate groups the opportunity to do something fun, hands-on and meaningful for the local community. Contact jack@everybodyeats.nz for more info.rmation.
Employees from the same company looking to volunteer informally together can use the individual or group booking method shown above.
Look out for our new Social Media Volunteer roles. If you've got an eye for photography or have a way with words, these hands-on opportunities let you capture candid moments and compelling stories in our restaurants, so that we can shout about the awesome things that happen every day!
We are proud to be launching Save a Bite! our new weekly food waste pop-up taking place at Glen Innes every Monday. We're looking for enthusiastic, friendly volunteers to help share information with interested diners about food waste reduction and sustainability. All training will bo provided. See here for more information and to register your interest.
There are sometimes other volunteering opportunities at Everybody Eats. For example, to help with fundraising, professional services or technical skills. If you have a particular skill or service you can offer the organisation pro bono, please get in touch via volunteer@everybodyeats.nz.
