front- and back-of-the-house

Chapter6Front- and Back-of-the-House

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Objectives

• Describe the responsibilities of the general manager.

• List the six functions of the front-of-the-house.

• Contrast the members of the front-of-the-house staff and the back-of-the-house staff.

• Describe the responsibilities of the restaurant manager. continued


Objectives

• List the seven functions of the back-of-the-house.

• Describe the responsibilities of the executive chef.

• Assess the importance of the work of the steward and dishwashing crew.


Restaurant Areas

• Front-of-the-house: areas guests usually see– entrance– host/hostess stand– dining room

• Back-of-the-house: areas guests usually do not see– kitchen– receiving and storage areas– business offices


The General Manager

• Has overall responsibility for front-of-the-house and back-of-the house operations

• Hires and supervises managers• May also be the restaurant owner• In a chain restaurant, is responsible for

communications with corporate headquarters


Front-of-the-House Functions

• Seating guests• Selling food• Transmitting orders to the kitchen• Serving customers• Bussing tables• Obtaining payment from customers


Seating

• Reservations are the promise of a table in a restaurant– Customers book a reservation when they call

ahead to reserve a table for a specific number of people at a particular date and time

– Walk-ins are customers who do not have a reservation

– To make up for guests who make reservations but don’t show up, many restaurants overbook

continued


Seating

• Open seating is used when restaurants seat customers on a first come, first served basis

• Residence time is the time it takes to eat a meal, pay the bill, and leave the restaurant

• Call-ahead seating is used when customers call ahead to have their names placed on a waiting list


Sales

• Selling occurs when the server takes the customer’s food order

• Sales may be increased by suggestive selling such as– server’s recommendations– unopened bottle of wine left at the table– samples for sale– displays of desserts


Transmitting Orders

• The server takes the order from the customer• The server transmits the order to the kitchen,

sometimes using a point-of-sales system• The culinary staff prepares the food• The completed food order is checked for

accuracy and appearance• The server picks up the order from the pass-

through and brings it to the customer


Serving

• The prime responsibility of the front-of-the-house staff is quality service

• Quality service means anticipating and fulfilling guests’ needs


Bussing

• Tasks include– setting place settings on the table– clearing dirty dishes from the table– sweeping under and around the table– assisting the servers as needed


Payment

• The check should be presented after dessert and additional beverages have been served

• The payment may be handled by the server or by a cashier

• Some restaurants accept only cash; others accept credit and debit cards


Front-of-the-House Staff

• Managers• Host or hostess• Servers• Bussers• Cashiers• Trainers (in large restaurants)


Managers

• The restaurant manager– is responsible for hiring, training, and supervising

front-of-the-house staff– schedules staff– handles guest relations– oversees quality of service– is responsible for front-of-the-house cleanliness,

cash management, and coordination with the back-of-the-house


Host or Hostess

• Most tasks involve managing the flow of customers in the dining room, such as– welcoming and seating customers– keeping track of which tables are occupied,

ready, or almost ready– making sure customers are distributed so no one

server is overloaded• Additional duties may include serving

beverages and bread


Servers

• Servers– are representatives of the restaurant to the

customer– sell the dining experience to the customer– deliver the dining experience to the customer– may be responsible for collecting payment from

the customer


Bussers

• Bussers– assist the servers– are responsible for setup, clearing, and resetting

of tables– keep the area under and around the table clean


Cashiers

• Cashiers– handle the payments for the meals– prepare the change fund– report the receipts– may prepare the bank deposit


Back-of-the-House Functions

• Food production• Purchasing and receiving• Marketing and sales• Human resources• Accounting• Security• Engineering and maintenance


Back-of-the-House Staff

• Back-of-the-house functions related to the kitchen and food production require– one or more managers– staff responsible for cleaning and maintaining

plateware, flatware, glassware, and utensils– food production staff


Managers

• In independent restaurants, an executive chef manages menus and operations

• The executive chef may have an assistant, called a sous-chef

• Chain restaurants have a corporate executive chef to manage menus

• Each unit of a chain restaurant has a kitchen manager to oversee operations


Steward

• The steward– supervises dishwashing, pot washing, and

cleanup– purchases and keeps track of glassware,

flatware, and plateware– is responsible for the general cleanliness of the

kitchen• The dishwasher operates the dishwashing

machine and washes large items


Food Preparers

• A chef is a professional cook• A cook is someone who prepares food for

eating• An expediter transmits the orders from the

servers to the chefs or cooks, organizes and monitors timing of the orders, and checks the orders before they are picked up


• What is the distinction between front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house?– Front-of-the-house includes areas guests

usually see. Back-of-the-house includes areas guests usually do not see.

• Who has overall responsibility for front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house operations?– the general manager

Chapter 6 Review

continued


• Front-of-the-house functions include seating guests, selling food, transmitting orders, serving customers, bussing tables, and _____.– obtaining payment from customers

• Who has responsibility for managing the flow of customers in the dining room?– the host or hostess

Chapter 6 Review

continued


• Food production is a _____ function.– back-of-the-house

• Who supervises kitchen cleanup?– the steward

Chapter 6 Review

front- and back-of-the-house

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