Hiring staff that’s good and efficient is vital for your restaurant setup. But do you know what are the various restaurant staff roles? What’s the process of building a superb team at your restaurant? How to hire all the right people for your new restaurant?
These are just a few questions that you may be struggling with. A restaurant can be fully functional only when you have a proper dedicated team in place. So let’s figure this out for you.
How many people do you need to recruit?
There are two main areas of operation – Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH). FOH represents areas that your restaurant customers are directly in contact with and can access. It comprises of the main dining area, the bar, etc. BOH is the back end of the restaurant. The kitchen, all storage spaces, etc fall under the back of house of a restaurant. Only staff is permitted in these areas.
Your Front House staff faces all your guests. They need to be attentive, responsive and sharp at communication. They need to be quick to solve any problems.
Restaurant Manager–
When it is about checking incoming orders, hiring and managing employees, keeping a check on billing, being aware of table reservations, etc, the restaurant manager is the one to look for.
Bar Manager–
As the name suggests, bar managers take care of all the orders at the bar. They manage drinks and take care of food orders placed at the bar. Bar managers need to be experts on all kinds of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Bartender–
They need to be quick and creative with all their preparations. Knowledge is important as a lot of people like to know more about their drinks. The bartender should be able to tell the guests everything they might ask about the drink.
Host–
When any guest enters your restaurant, they need to be greeted by hosts. Table reservations, coordination, etc is done by hosts of a restaurant.
Server–
Servers lead the guests to their tables, provide them the menu and take down their orders. Customers reach out to servers whenever they need something. Servers need to be very attentive in order to take care of them.
Busser–
Table clearing is done by restaurant bussers. They also need to make sure the table is laid out properly with all the necessary cutlery. They take care of the cleanliness of the tables.
Runner–
Runners work hand in hand with servers. They are the ones who bring food from the kitchen and serve the customer’s tables. They need to take care of the food sequence coming from the kitchen.
Cashier–
Cashier’s update and print orders. All bills are generated at the cash counter. Their duty is to ensure that the bills are punched in correctly and are maintained properly.
That’s it for the front of the house. Now let’s see who’s working at the back of the house in a restaurant.
Head Chef–
Leading the entire kitchen is your head chef. She/he manages the restaurant’s menu and prepares meals for customers. They have a team that assists them in cooking the meals. They review and approve meals before they’re served to the guests. They also train new cooks who join the restaurant kitchen. They also take care of the restaurant’s inventory.
Line Cooks–
Line cooks are responsible for all the initial cooking for the head chef. They take care of different stations.
Prep Cooks–
Prep cooks, prepare everything needed for a meal. They wash, chop, slice and grind vegetables and meat for the main chefs. They also get all the ingredients ready and in place.
Maintenance and cleaning staff–
As the name suggests, this staff is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness and hygiene of a restaurant.
These are all the basic people your restaurant needs. They all have their own roles and each one is important to give your customers and guests a seamless and satisfactory experience. If you haven’t hired your staff already, it’s time to look at fresh talent from reputed hospitality institutes like NIHM for the same. It’s time to build a team that will build you!
