2. 6
Front- and Back-of-the-House

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. Front-of-the-House Functions
Seating guests
Selling food
Transmitting orders to the kitchen
Serving customers
Bussing tables
Obtaining payment from customers

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Serving
The prime responsibility of the front-of-the-house staff is quality service
Quality service means anticipating and fulfilling guests’ needs

13. 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

14. 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

15. Front-of-the-House Staff
Managers
Host or hostess
Servers
Bussers
Cashiers
Trainers (in large restaurants)

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. Bussers Bussers assist the servers
are responsible for setup, clearing, and resetting of tables
keep the area under and around the table clean

20. Cashiers Cashiers handle the payments for the meals
prepare the change fund
report the receipts
may prepare the bank deposit

21. Back-of-the-House Functions
Food production
Purchasing and receiving
Marketing and sales
Human resources
Accounting
Security
Engineering and maintenance

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. Chapter 6 Review
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
continued

27. Chapter 6 Review
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
continued

28. Chapter 6 Review Food production is a _____ function.
back-of-the-house
Who supervises kitchen cleanup?
the steward