1. Journal Entry
If you had to apply for a position at a restaurant, what would it be and why?
EXPLAIN your answer

2. FRONT/BACK OF THE HOUSE RESPONSIBILITES
As a group BRAINSTORM all the duties and responsibly that fall under the two positions listed below.
1. Front-of-the-House
2. Back-of-the-House
IDENTIFY the job opportunities for each of the positions.

3. Front-and-Back-of-the-House
Chapter 6

4. Restaurant Organization
General Manager
Restaurant
Manager
Executive
Chef
Assistant
Manager
Sous-Chef
Steward
Servers
Bussers
Host or
Hostess
Cashiers
Chefs or
Cooks
Dish-
Washer

5. General Manager
The general manager is responsible for the overall operation of the restaurant.
Often, the owner of the restaurant is the general manager.
The general manager is accountable for the entire restaurant operation including the front-of-the-house and the back-of-the-house employees.
The general manager supervises the other managers in the restaurant.
The general manager will hire qualified and competent managers to assist in the operation of the restaurant.
The general manager will be responsible for communication with the corporate headquarters.

6. Front-of-the-House Functions
Front of the house refers to the area in a hospitality business that guests usually see.
In a restaurant, the front-of-the-house usually includes the lobby or entrance, the host/hostess stand, and the dining room.
Front-of-the-house employees are the employees who work directly with guests.

7. Front-of-the-House Functions
The front-of-the-house is responsible for the following six functions:
1. Seating guests
2. Selling food
3. Transmitting orders to the kitchen
4. Serving customers
5. Bussing tables
6. Obtaining payment from customers

8. Front-of-the-House Staff
Front-of-the-House staff consists of one or more managers, host or hostess, servers, bussers, and cashiers.
Restaurants that serve alcoholic beverages will have bartenders.
Large restaurants will often have trainers, workers whose major responsibility is to train new hires. (often varies from restaurant to restaurant)

9. Back-of-the-House Functions
The Back-of-the-House is the area in a hospitality business that guests usually do not see.
It is also called the heart-of-the-house. In a restaurant these areas include the kitchen, receiving and storage areas, and business offices.
Back-of-the-house employees include all of the employees whose work does not directly involve interaction with guests.

10. Back-of-the-House Functions
The back-of-the-house is responsible for the following seven functions:
1. Food production
2. Purchasing and receiving
3. marketing and ales
4. Human Resources
5. Accounting
6. Security
7. Engineering and Maintenance

11. Back-of-the-House Staff
The Back-of-the-House staff consists of one or more managers; staff responsible for cleaning and maintaining plateware, flatware, glassware, and utensils; and food production staff.
The exact job titles and responsibilities often vary from restaurant.

12. Front-of-the-House Functions Seating
SEATING is the process of finding seats for customers in a restaurant.
When customers enter a restaurant, they are seated by a host or hostess.
Customers should be seated as soon as possible after they enter the restaurant.
Many restaurants have a computerized table managements system. If there are no tables available when guests arrive, the hostess gives them a pager.
The pager is about the size of a coaster. It has the capacity to either flash or vibrate when it receives a signal from the hostess.
The hostess has a computer terminal and monitor.
The monitor shows each table in the restaurant. The computer keeps track of each table, and which tables are empty.
When the hostess finds a table for the waiting guests, she sends a signal to the pager. The pager flashes or vibrates, signaling the guests to return to the hostess stand. The hostess then seats the guests.

13. Seating Continued …
A RESERVATION is a promise to hold something for a customer until the customer needs it.
Customers call ahead to reserve a table for a specific number of people for a particular date and time.
WALK-INS are customers who arrive at a restaurant but have not made a reservation.
These customers walk in the door and expect to be seated.
Many causal restaurants do NOT take reservations. This approach is called open seating. Customers are seated on a first come, first served basis.
The process of taking a reservation is called BOOKING A RESERVATION.
To avoid losing money when guests do not show up, some restaurants make more reservations than there are tables. This is called OVERBOOKING.

14. Seating Continued …
RESIDENCE TIME is the time that it takes a party to eat a meal, pay the bill, and leave the restaurant.
Ninety minutes are usually needed for a party of four people to eat a complete meal that includes appetizers, beverages, the main course and dessert.
CALL-AHEAD SEATING is a fairly new seating method.
It is also called priority seating. Its purpose is to reduce long waits for a table.
Customer call the restaurant and have their names added to the waiting list.
Call-ahead seating does NOT guarantee that the guests will have a table at a certain time. It DOES guarantee a place in line.
With this method, the customer can wait somewhere other than in the restaurant. This system keeps the waiting time in the restaurant to a minimum.

15. Front-of-the-House Functions Sales
The sales function occurs when the server takes the customer’s food order.
Servers use a process called suggestive selling.
Suggestive selling is recommending menu items that the customer might like.
Often, customers know exactly what they want. Sometimes they cannot decide. If they have not made their minds, they may need some help.
The server can suggest menu items to these customers.
Suggestive selling also increases sales for the restaurant and usually increases tips for the server.
Some restaurants include wineglasses in the place setting to encourage customers to buy wine.
Dessert are another way servers can increase their sales.
Many restaurants display their desserts so that customers can view them before beginning their meals.
Another way to highlight desserts is to bring out a sample tray of all the desserts that are offered.

16. Front-of-the-House Functions Transmitting Orders
A critical part of the restaurant business is getting the customers’ orders to the kitchen, then getting the correct orders back to the correct customers.
Each restaurant develops its own system for the process.
The steps in this process are an important part of the training of a new server.
This process can be broken down into FIVE STEPS.
Three of the steps are done by the server. The other two are usually done by kitchen staff.
It is essential that the servers and the kitchen staff work together as a team.
The five steps are taking the order, transmitting the order, preparing the order, checking the order, and retrieving the order.

17. Taking Orders The server takes the orders from the guests.
In many restaurants each table is assigned a number.
For each new party, a new check is filled out with the date, table number, name of the server, and the number of guests in the party.
When there is more than one guest at the table, the server must note which person gets each order.
Many restaurants are using computers to improve the process of taking orders and transmitting them to the kitchen.
This computerized system is called a point-of-sales system (POS).
A POS is a computerized system for recording an order at the place where the order is taken. IN other words, the order is entered into the computer at the point where the sale is made.
Some restaurants POS systems have wireless handheld units with touch screens.
In other restaurants, there are computer terminals near the tables to enter the order.

18. Transmitting Orders to the Kitchen
Once the orders are accurately recorded, they must be transmitted into the kitchen.
There are TWO basic methods of transmission: non-computerized and computerized.
In the non-computerized method, the server goes to the kitchen.
Once there, the server placed the check on a spindle.
The person preparing the orders then picks the check from the spindle and prepared the orders.
In a computerized system, there is at least one printer in the kitchen.
The orders are sent to the proper printer.
The cook does to the printer and picks up the work order.
This system saves the server the time it takes to walk to the kitchen to deliver an order

19. Preparing Orders
Once the orders are in the kitchen, the culinary staff takes over.
Culinary means related to kitchens and cooking.
The culinary staff consists of the chefs, cooks, and other staff involved in preparing food.
While the main course is being prepared the server can serve appetizers, soups, and salads.
Timing of food preparation is a critical skill in the restaurant business.
All guests in the same party should be served their main course at the same time.

20. Checking Orders
After an order is done, but before it is picked up and served, it should be checked for accuracy and appearance.
First the order should be checked against the actual order, either on the guest check or in the POS.
Then the order must be checked to make sure it meets the restaurants standards.
The portion sizes must be correct, and the food must be properly cooked and arranged on the plate.
This is also the time when garnishes are added.

21. Retrieving Orders
Food should be served as close to the time that it is finished cooking as possible.
Most restaurants have a system for alerting servers when their orders are ready.
A noncomputerized restaurant might have a neon number board.
Each server will be assigned a number. When the server’s number is lit, his or her order is ready.
A computerized restaurant (POS) may post an alert on the terminal or handheld device.
Some restaurants have a wireless server paging system.
The chef punches the server’s code into the system. The system pages the server. The server then goes to the pass-through to pick up the order.

22. Front-of-the-House Functions Serving
SERVING food and beverages is a major function of the front-of-the-house.
Regardless of style of service, quality service is the PRIMARY responsibility of the front-of-the-house staff.
QUALITY SERVICE takes place when guest in a restaurant never has to ask for anything.
For example, when guests reach for their coffee cup, the handle is placed right where their thumb and fingers naturally go.
The water glasses are always filled
Guests do NOT have to ask for ketchup, butter, or more bread.
A second cup of coffee is poured before the customer requests it.
The server thanks the guests for coming to the restaurant. Guests often do not realize they have received excellent service until after they have left the restaurant.

23. Front-of-the-House Functions Bussing
BUSSING is setting the place setting on the table, clearing the dirty dishes from the table, and assisting the servers whenever needed.
Quality service depends on efficient work by the busser.

24. Front-of-the-House Functions Payment
After dessert and additional beverages have been served, the check (bill) should be given to the customer.
After the bill is paid, the customers should be thanked for coming to the restaurant.
Then, they should be encouraged to return to the restaurant.

25. THINK and APPLY: If It Was Your Restaurant…
IMAGINE … (PART 1)
That you are a restaurant manager in the days BEFORE computer systems.
WRITE a detailed procedure for getting the orders of a party of four to the kitchen.
Then WRITE a detailed procedure for getting the correct order to the correct customer.
IMAGINE… (PART 2)
That you are the general manager of a restaurant. You need a new executive chef.
WRITE a description of the ideal person for the job.

26. Front-and-Back-of-the-House
Chapter 6 Continued …

27. Front-of-the-House Staff Managers
The restaurant manager is responsible for everything that happens in the front-of-the-house.
A MAJOR responsibility is hiring the rest of the front-of-the-house staff, then training and supervising them.
The restaurant manager is also responsible for scheduling all staff.
Another major responsibility is guest relations and quality of service.
In addition, the manager is responsible for front-of-the-house cleanliness, cash management, and coordination with the back-of-the-house.
A successful manager MUST know the different types of service, when to use them, and how to serve properly.
All managers are responsible for insuring communication among all employees in the restaurant.

28. Host or Hostess
The MAJOR responsibility of the host or hostess is to manage the flow of customers in the dining room.
The host/hostess MUST make customers feel welcome and ensure that they are promptly seated.
He or she must also manage customers when there are not enough tables and they must wait.
The host/hostess keeps track of which tables are occupied, which ones are ready, and which ones are almost ready.

29. Servers SERVERS used to be called waiters and waitresses.
Today, SERVERS get their name based on what they do; they serve customers.
To serve the customer means to meet all his or her needs, and to anticipate the customers’ needs and respond before the customer even asks.
The responsibilities of servers usually vary only a little from restaurant to restaurant. They are responsible for three things:
They are the representative of the restaurant to the customer
They sell the dining experience to the customer, including both food and beverage items
They are responsible for delivering the dining experience to the customer

30. Bussers
One of the most important employees in a restaurant is the BUSSER.
This person is an assistant to the servers.
The BUSSER is responsible for setup of the tables, clearing of dirty dishes from tables, and resetting the tables.
The BUSSER also helps the servers in any way necessary.

31. Cashiers CASHIERS handle payments for the meals.
The CASHIER prepares a change fund.
This fund contains a certain amount of money that is used to make change.
The CASHIER also reports the receipts. Sometimes the cashier also prepares the bank deposit.

32. Back-of-the-House Functions
The kitchen is the center of all food preparation and production.
The ovens and other cooking equipment are located in the kitchen.
In the kitchen, food and other items are received, stored, prepared, and plated for service.
Servers go to the kitchen to place orders, pick up food that is ready to be served, and return dirty dishes for cleaning.
Dishes and other items are cleaned and stored in the kitchen.

33. Back-of-the-House Staff Managers
There are TWO general areas that need to be managed in the kitchen: menus and operations
The menu area includes everything involved in planning menus, developing standardized recipes, and creating new recipes.
The operations area includes kitchen safety and sanitation; house staff; food quality; food quantity; coordination with the front-of-the-house, and cost controls.
Purchasing, receiving, and inventory are often part of the kitchen operations area.

34. Executive Chef
The executive chef is the TOP manager in a restaurant or hotel kitchen.
He or she is responsible for everything related to the kitchen and food preparation.
In addition, many executive chefs participate in designing the menu, developing the look of the dining room, and designing the layout of the kitchen.

35. Executive Chef The nine responsibilities an executive chef often has:
coordinate kitchen activities
direct the kitchen staff’s training and work
plan menus
create recipes
set and enforce nutrition requirements
set and enforce safety and sanitation standards
participate in the preparation and presentation of menu items
ensure that quality standards are maintained
purchase food items and equipment

36. Sous-Chef The Sous-Chef is the second-in-command in the kitchen
The sous-chef has similar training but LESS experience than the executive chef.
The PRIMARY responsibility of the sous-chef is to make sure that the food is prepared, portioned, garnished and presented according to the executive chef’s wishes.
When the executive chef is absent or off duty, the sous-chef performs the duties of the executive chef.
The sous-chef may also be responsible for scheduling employees and may take over for other chefs as needed.
The sous-chef often serves as the expediter or announcer who accepts the orders from the dining room staff.
The sous-chef relays the orders to the station chefs and then reviews the dishes for corrections before they are served to the customers.

37. Kitchen Manager
A Kitchen Manager is the top manager in the kitchen of a unit of a chain restaurant.
Usually the kitchen manager comes into play when there are no executive or sous-chefs on staff
He or she is responsible for kitchen operations.
This manager may be called the kitchen professional or the culinary manager.

38. Steward
The steward supervises the dishwashing, pot washing, and cleanup.
The steward usually does the purchasing of the glassware, flatware, and plateware.
This includes selecting products, management of inventory, inspections, and storing of products.
This person also keeps track of the china, glassware, and flatware in the restaurant. ‘
The steward must make sure that the restaurant never runs out of clean dishes.
The steward is also responsible for the general cleanliness of the kitchen.

39. Food Preparers Food preparers include chefs, cooks and expediters.
The exact title and organization of the kitchen vary from restaurant to restaurant.

40. Chefs, Cooks and Expediters
A CHEF is a professional cook.
To become a chef requires a considerable amount of training and experience.
A COOK is a person who prepares food for eating.
These cooks may be called line cooks, station cooks, or short-order cooks.
These cooks are often organized into two groups: hot food cooks and cold food cooks.
Often there is also prep cooks.
The EXPEDITER is the member of the culinary staff who gets the orders from the servers, gives them to the station chefs or line cooks, then checks the orders before they are picked up.

41. Journal Entry: FILL-IN-THE-BLANK on the following statements:
1. The __________________ is responsible for everything that happens in the front-of-the-House
2. The _______________ is responsible for the menu and the kitchen operations.
3. The _____________ is responsible for the overall operation of the restaurant.

42. Front-and-Back-of-the-House Review
Chapter 6:
Students will turn to page 151 in their Hospitality Services Textbook to answer questions 1-12 to help review key concepts and material for their TEST.

43. Hospitality Terms Cross-Word Puzzle
Students will show their mastery over the terms to learn for chapter 6 by applying their knowledge to complete the cross-word puzzle.

44. Restaurant Organization
In a restaurant, jobs are available at many different levels. Your job is to fill in this organizational chart of restaurant employees using the job titles from the word bank.