The Responsibilities at the Front of the House in a Restaurant

In classical European restaurants, the maitre d'hotel conducts the daily and nightly logistics of the business.

In the restaurant business, jobs are generally divided between two broad categories: front of the house and the back of the house. Harmony between the two is necessary to ensure the restaurant runs smoothly, from serving hot food to busing tables after diners have finished their meals. These responsibilities change and blend depending on the size, composition and needs of the work environment, but are a good rule of thumb to consider when working in the food service industry.

Reservations

The front of the house begins with reservations, which in popular restaurants can be dauntingly complex and planned. The manager, hostess or maitre d's responsibility is to coordinate a nightly roster of guests in afternoon meetings to navigate the logistics of greeting guests, as well as seating them. A big part of this task is improvising around late reservations and cancellations.

Serving

Wait staff comprise the most visible part of the evening at a restaurant, seating guests, taking their food and drink orders and handling issues with the meal. Servers spend roughly equal amounts of time in the kitchen and at the tables, and as such, have extensive knowledge of the menu to recommend items for picky or indecisive guests. Occasionally, the manager or maitre'd will assist in recommending menu items, particularly wines.

Bartending

Many restaurants have separate bar areas, that may or may not serve food. Depending on the focus of the restaurant, a restaurant manager may hire bartenders or wine specialists to enhance the atmosphere with personality and knowledge about drinks, cocktails and other spirits. Some restaurants may have supplemental drink menus that are even more-extensive than the dining menu itself.

Dining Experience

The combination of wait staff, busboys, bartenders and managers is planned and arranged to ensure a memorable, exciting and consistent experience for guests. The ultimate responsibility of the front of the house is to make the customer feel welcome and properly served. Some restaurants use different techniques to make the experience more exciting by showcasing the kitchen staff hard at work, but the front of the house is the customer service portion, making sure this experience is seamless.

References

• Restaurant Jobs in Front and Back: David Leonhardt
• Front-of-House Staff: How the Food Gets to the Table