The staff arrangement in the restaurant and their number depends on the type and standard of the establishment. In every restaurant, whether belonging to a hotel, non-residential establishment or in the form of canteen there must be one person charge under whom there will be principal assistance in charge of sections of the room and under each of them there will be general assistants.
- F & B Manager
Depending on the size of the establishment the F&B Manager is either responsible for implementation of agreed policies or for contributing to the setting of catering policies. He is responsible for –
- i) Ensuring that the required profit margins are achieved for each F&B Service area in a specified financial period.
- ii) Updating and compiling new wine lists according to availability of stock, current trends and customer needs.
iii) For compiling, in liaison with the kitchen, menus for the various food service areas and for special occasions.
- iv) The purchasing of all materials required in the department.
- v) Ensuring that quality in relation to the price paid is maintained.
- vi) Determining portion size in relation to selling price in consultation with the Exec. .
Chef.
vii) Departmental training and promotions and maintaining high professional standards.
viii) Employing and dismissing staff.
- ix) Holding regular meetings with section heads to ensure all areas are working effectively efficiently in a well-coordinated manner.
- Assistant F&B Manager
In absence of F&B Manager, the Asst. F&B Manager acts as the departmental head. In general, he helps the F&B Manager in running the department smoothly and acts as his deputy.
- The Restaurant Manager (Directeur de restaurant)
He has over all responsibility for the organization and administration of the food and beverage service areas. This includes the lounges, floor grillrooms, restaurants and possibly some of the banqueting suits. It is the restaurant manager who sets standards for service and he is responsible for any staff training that may have to be carried out on or off the job. With the assistance of reception headwaiter or headwaiter he may make out duty rotas, holiday lists and hours of duty so that all the service areas run efficiently and smoothly. All staff would be engaged after interviews with the personnel manager and the restaurant manager. He is responsible for the restaurant service and is in-charge persons concerned with it. He fixes the price of the menu and also plans the menu in consulting with the executive chef and food and beverage controller.
- The Reception Head Waiter (MAITRE d’ hotel de RECEPTION)
He is responsible for accepting any bookings and maintaining the booking diary up to date. He will reserve tables and allot their reservation to particular stations. He greets the guests up on arrival and takes them to the table and seats them, leaving them in charge of the station headwaiter. The reception headwaiter should have a good knowledge of food and beverage and be able to instruct the trainees where necessary. He would relieve the restaurant manager or headwaiter on their day off.
- The Head Waiter/ Senior Captain (MAITRE d’ hotel)
He has over all charge of the staff team in the dining room and is responsible for seeing that all the duties necessary for the preparation for service are well and efficiently carried out, and nothing forgotten. He will aid the reception headwaiter during the service and possibly take some orders if the station headwaiter is very busy. He helps the restaurant manager or the reception headwaiter on their day off. (He is in direct charge of either the whole of a small restaurant or a part of a big restaurant). He supervises service, directly receives the guests or through the restaurant manager in case of certain VIP’s seats them. He should be a good organizer and diplomat. He must look after all the complaints and put things rightly. But he must not upset the smooth flow of kitchen disrupt harmony of pantry. He is responsible for the “mise en place”. In large hotels in restaurants there may be more than one head waiter, namely: a) second head waiter b) third head waiter.
- Station Head Waiter/ Captain (Maitre d’ hotel de curre)
He has the overall responsibility of the team staff working under him and serving a set number of tables could be anything from four to eight in numbers. The set of tables under the station headwaiters control is called a station. He must have a very good knowledge of food and wine and its correct services, and be able to instruct these under him. He would take the order usually from the host and carry out the services at the table with the help of his assistants.
- The Station waiter/ senior steward (Chef de rang)
He must be able to carry out the same as a station headwaiter and relieve him on his day off. Both he and the station head waiter work together as a team to provide efficient and speedy service.
- Junior Station waiter / steward (Demi chef de rang)
This is a post, which is usually found in Europe and in the American hotels. As the term implies he is next in seniority to chef de rang and aids him in his work.
- Assistant Station Waiter/ Assistant Steward (Commis de rang)
He acts by instruction from the chef de rang. He is responsible for giving the KOT’s to the kitchen, bring dishes to the sideboard, removing plates from the guests table and returning used plates to the washing up area. During the mise en place he would carry out some cleaning and preparatory tasks.
- Apprentice (Debarraseur or Piccolo)
He is the learner, having just joined the food and beverage service staff and possibly wishing to take up waiting as a career. During the service he will keep the sideboard well filled with equipment and he may help to fetch and carry items as required. He would carry out certain cleaning tasks during the preparation periods.
- Carver (TRANCHEUR)
He is responsible for the carving trolley and the curving of joints at the table as required. He will plate up each portion with the appropriate accompaniment. He has to be very skilled to get maximum number of portion from each joint with as little wastage as possible.
- Floor waiter (Chef d’ etage)
He is responsible for the service of meals in the apartments. When working in this position the waiters has to serve both food and drinks and therefore have a through knowledge of each and their correct service involved.
- Trolley assistant waiter (COMMIS de WAGON)
He is a commis, junior assistant assigned to a trolley usually of hors d oeuvre, pastries, assorted cheese, salads etc.
- Wine waiter or wine butler (Chef de vin)
He is responsible for the service of all alcoholic drinks during the service of meals. He must have a thorough knowledge of best wines to go with certain foods and of the licensing laws in respect of his particular establishment and areas.
- Restaurant cashier (CASSIER de RESTAURANT)
Sometimes it is the responsibility of the restaurant staff i.e. the waiters to make the bill in small establishment, but in sophisticated restaurants, the restaurant cashier does it. In any case, the waiter will present the bill to the guest.