Departmental Organisation and Staffing | F&B
top of page

Departmental Organisation and Staffing | F&B


Click on the topic below to jump to the notes directly:

F. Inter-departmental relationships (Within F&B and other department)


 

Organisation of F&B Department of Hotel

 

Principal Staff of Various Types of F&B Operations/ French Terms related to F&B Staff

American

English

French

Restaurant Manager

Restaurant Manager

Directeur Du Restaurant

Senior Captain

Restaurant Supervisor

Maitre de Hotel

Captain

Head Waiter

Chef de Rang

Steward

Waiter

Commis de Rang

Busboy

Assistant Waiter

Commis de Barasseur

Carver

Carver

Trancheur

Wine Waiter

Wine Butler

Sommelier

 

Duties & Responsibilities of F&B Staff

Defined duties and responsibilities for every profile in the industry helps people to understand their role and provides clarity about the aims and expectations of the industry and how to reach them. It is important to run the industry properly and systematically as each person can’t do everything. It also helps in the growth of the industry.

Duties and Responsibilities of Various F & B staff are as under:


Restaurant Manager

Reports To:

• Food and Beverage Manager

• General Manager

Job Summary:

To recommend and meet budgets and goals by leading a service “I” with personalized guest attention.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Recommend and monitor a budget and plan for the year.

• Lead, train and motivate a service team.

• Conduct daily briefings ensuring two-way communication, training and policy information

• Check mise-en-scène and mise-en-place done by the team.

• Control expenses of the restaurant.

• Develop innovative ways to create sales of the restaurant by up-selling menu items, food promotion merchandising, etc.

• Meet and greet guests and develop a personal guest database to ensure continued patronage.

• Schedule staff rotations and duties and organize extra hands when required.

• Ensure the safety and hygiene of the restaurant.

• Maintain discipline and conduct staff appraisals

• Coordinate with the chef for menu offers and operational coordination.

• Coordinate with other departments for the smooth supply of operational supplies.

• Responsible for proper billing and cash recovery for services rendered.

• Resolve guest and staff complaints and grievances

• Represent the restaurant in Food and Beverage meetings.

• Conduct periodic competition analysis

• Coordinates with

Kitchen: on food preparation matters.

Kitchen Stewarding: for the supply of clean service-ware.

Housekeeping: for cleanliness and supply of linen and flowers.

Accounts: for budgets and depositing daily sales.

Engineering: on matters of maintenance and safety.

Security: on matters of security and safety.

Marketing: on matters of sales and promotions.

Stores: for the supply of alcoholic beverages, operational supplies.

• Supervises: Senior captain, captain, hostess, Servers, and apprentices


Senior Captain (Restaurant Supervisor)

Reports To:

• Restaurant Manager

• Food and Beverage Manager

Job Summary:

To organize, supervise and train all service personnel in the restaurant with a view to providing quick and personalized food and beverage service to guests.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Deputize in the absence of the Restaurant Manager and ensure the smooth functioning of the restaurant.

• Schedule weekly/fortnightly staff duty shifts with the approval of the Restaurant Manager ensuring that work exigencies are met and the staff is rotated fairly.

• Allot daily duties to subordinate staff to meet work exigencies ensuring equity of work.

• Conduct daily briefing using it as a vehicle for two-way communication, training and corrective action.

• Attend to guest complaints and ensure guest satisfaction through immediate action.

• Inspect the mise-en-scene and mise-en-place to ensure the smooth flow of operations.

• Ensure the maintenance and aesthetic upkeep of the restaurant in close coordination with engineering and housekeeping.

• Organize the training of staff for meeting the standards of service.

• Develop restaurant sales through upselling, guest contacts and ensuring good service.

• Ensure that the restaurant is free from work hazards.

• Supervise food service with a view to ensuring speed, quality of service and personalization

• Appraise staff performance and recommend rewards to the restaurant

• Control costs by applying food control principles.

• Serve wines and beverages according to international practice.

• Motivate staff through fair leadership.

• Prepare flambe items, if applicable to the restaurant, with showmanship and authenticity.

• Maintain and control the par stocks of cutlery, crockery, linen, supplies, and equipment.

• Assist the accounts department in stocktaking.

• Hand over lost and found properties to the Housekeeping as per rules.

• Supervises: Restaurant Captains, Hostess, Servers and Apprentices.


Captain (Head Waiter)

Reports To:

• Senior Captain

• Restaurant Manager

Job Summary:

To organize and supervise an assigned restaurant station with a view to providing fast and efficient food and beverage service.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Train and supervise restaurant servers to give high standards of service in terms of time, quality and personalization.

• Supervises the mise-en-place of the assigned station to ensure a smooth service during operation.

• Inspect table layouts in the station ensuring that they meet the standards set.

• Check and ensure the serviceability of equipment and furniture.

• Sell food and beverage so as to meet restaurant budgets.

• Take food and beverage orders correctly.

• Give wine service according to international practices.

• Prepare flambe items, if offered by the restaurant, with showmanship and authenticity in preparation

• Control the inventory of cutlery and service equipment allotted to the station.

• Assign duties ensuring equity of work.

• Ensure that staff meets hygiene and discipline standards.

• Ensure that the station is free from dust.


Steward (Waiter)

Reports to:

• Captain

• Senior Captain

Job Summary:

To provide quick and personalized food and beverage service to guests at allotted tables as per standards service laid down and according to guest satisfaction.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Attend briefings prior to the restaurant opening, well-groomed and equipped with the basic aids of operations

• such as bottle openers, pens, pads, and matches.

• Learn the du jour items, not-available items, menu preparations, and their presentation.

• Complete mise en scène and mise-en-place before the restaurant opens.

• Check all the equipment and furniture at the station for their serviceability and maintenance requirements.

• Clean and polish allotted silverware, cutlery, glassware, and chinaware.

• Stock the sideboard with proprietary sauces, jams, salt and pepper shakers, butter dishes, linen, and other service ware.

• Lay table covers as per standards set.

• Fold napkins as per prescribed attractive styles.

• Requisition fresh linen and flowers from housekeeping.

• Air the restaurant and ensure that the station is clean.

• Receive, greet, and seat guests.

• Present wine-lists and menu cards and take orders.

• Serve food and beverage by the standards of the restaurant.

• Upsell food and beverages.

• Present the bills and receive payment correctly.

• Supervises: Assistant Waiters, Busboys and Trainees


Restaurant Hostess

Reports To:

• Senior Captain

• Restaurant Manager

Job Summary:

To receive and record table reservations requested for the restaurant. To extend warm and courteous welcome and hospitality to guests visiting the restaurant and allot them a table.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collect the restaurant reservation register from the overnight caretaker and mail from Food and Beverage Office.

• Receive and post table reservations in the register ensuring equity of load between stations.

• Clean and arrange the hostess desk and menus cards.

• Attend briefings before the restaurant opening.

• Attend to all telephone calls of the restaurant in the shift.

• Receive guests and lead them to their reserved tables.

• Handout Wine Lists/Menu Cards to the guests.

• Take orders from guests if required.

• Provide guests with hotel information.

• Go to the guest and enquire whether the food and service are up to their satisfaction. Handle any complaints

• Wish greetings to every guest when leaving and invite them to come again.

• Record the names of guests in the daily cover register.

• Page guests if phone calls or messages come for them.

• Maintain guest history


Wine Butler (Sommelier)

Reports To:

• Senior Captain

• Restaurant Manager

Job Summary:

To present and serve wine and spirits to guests as per the standards of the establishment

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Requisition of the wines and spirits from the bar.

• Display wines and spirits on the trolley.

• Stock the trolley with the accessories

• Present trolley to the seated guests and upsell the wines and

• Prepare and serve ordered beverages as per international

• Replenish orders and remember guest preferences.

• Raise Order Tickets for the cashier


 

Attributes of a Waiter

The restaurant staff is the front-line staff expected to manage, serve and satisfy clients walking in for food and beverage dining experience at a price. The restaurant staff should be extremely well-groomed projecting high standards of hygiene, sanitation, professionalism and style while handling clients.


With combination of soft skills (verbal and non-verbal) the F&B staff is expected to meet with all customer needs starting from taking order for choice of food and beverages, to serving them with joy, clearing the table and settling the bill to taking improvement feedback and seeing off them.


The etiquette that a waiter exhibits in a restaurant should comprise the following:

1. Receiving guest promptly with warm smile and wishing them.

2. Announce your name and welcome them with the name of the F&B outlet.

3. Call guest by name if regular to the outlet.

4. Offer assistance.

5. Be polite and courteous through the conversation.

6. Walk the guest to the table and help the lady’s seat first.

7. Provide extra cushions or special chairs for children.

8. When speaking to a guest do not interrupt him/her if he/she is speaking to another guest.

9. Do not overhear conversations.

10. Avoid mannerisms such as touching hair, scratching, nose picking, etc.

11. Stand straight and at all times.

12. Gentle bow at the time of service is permissible.

13. Never slouch or lean.

14. Remember the preference of guest such as the favorite dish and remind them that you know; ascertain whether he/ she would like to order it again.

15. Be attentive to guest call and attend enthusiastically.

16. Offer to light a cigarette for a guest.

17. Avoid arguments with guest or staff in the restaurant.

18. Always carry pen in the pocket.

19. Desist chewing gums, beetle leaves (paan) or smoking.

20. Never talk with colleagues unnecessarily or group around the sideboard.

21. Avoid soliciting for tips.


 

Inter-Department Relationships

The Food and beverage service department is seen to possess a very vigorous intra and inter departmental interactions in prospect of accomplishing works. This has also made the functioning of the organisation very suave. Positive mutual aid and harmonisation can be found in between the intra departmental staffs, as they are willing to lend a helping hand during busy operation hours and favourably exchange their ideas and views with each other.


Inter-department Relationship


With F and B Production i.e. Kitchens:

It coordinates with kitchen department for the preparation of various food and beverage items as per the orders. The kitchen also coordinates with food and beverage service department regarding the functions, outdoor caterings, and promotional activities.


With housekeeping:

It coordinates with housekeeping department regarding the cleanliness of the outlets, different F&B sections and regarding the regular supply of staff uniforms and soil linens. The coordination of housekeeping department with the restaurants and banquet halls is mainly concerned with the provision of linen and uniforms. The linen room supervisor, under the supervision of the executive housekeeper, needs to have sufficient stock of clean napkins to meet the demands of the F & B department’s restaurant and banquet function. On his/her part, the restaurant manager should ensure that the time set for the exchange of linen is respected; that linen is not lost or misused; and that intimation of forthcoming banquet function is conveyed to housekeeping department well in advance. Beside extra/special linen, housekeeping may also have to arrange for flower decorations for banquet.


Coordinating between two departments becomes particularly necessary in the case of room service, so that friction does not arise over matters such as waiters not collecting trays from guestrooms or room service staff leaving soiled trays in the corridors or causing extra work through careless spills on the carpet. In many hotels, housekeeping department also looks after pest control in restaurants, kitchens, and store attached to them. Special cleaning of this areas calls for coordination with the housekeeping department. Restaurant staff required clean uniforms on a daily basis, for which they need to communicate with housekeeping department.


With front office department:

Communication between the food and beverage department and the front office is also essential. Some of this communication is conveyed by relaying messages and providing accurate information on transfers, which are forms used to communicate a charge to a guest’s account. Communication activities also include reporting predicted house counts, an estimate of the number of guests expected to register based on previous occupancy activities, and processing requests for paid-outs, forms used to indicate the amounts of monies paid out of the cashier’s drawer on behalf of a guest or an employee of the hotel. These vital services help an overworked food and beverage manager, restaurant manager, or banquet captain meet the demands of the public. Incoming messages for the food and beverage manager and executive chef from vendors and other industry representatives are important to the business operation of the food and beverage department. If the switchboard operator is given instructions on screening callers (such as times when the executive chef cannot be disturbed because of a busy workload or staff meetings, or vendors in whom the chef is not interested), the important messages will receive top priority.


In a hotel that has point-of-sale terminals, computerized cash registers that interface with a property management system, information on guest charges is automatically posted to a guest’s folio, his or her record of charges and payments. When a hotel does not have point-of-sale terminals that interface with PMS point-of-sale terminals, the desk clerk is responsible for posting accurate charges on the guest folio and relies on transfer slips. Also, the night auditor’s job is made easier if the transfer slip is accurately prepared and posted. The front office manager should work with the food and beverage director in developing standard operating procedures and methods to complete the transfer of charges.


The supervisors in the food and beverage department rely on the predicted house count prepared by the front office manager to schedule employees and predict sales. For ex- ample, the restaurant supervisor working the breakfast shift will want to know how many guests will be in the hotel so he or she can determine how many servers to schedule for breakfast service. Timely and accurate preparation of this communication tool assists in staffing control and sales predictions.


Authorized members of the food and beverage department will occasionally ask the front office for cash, in the form of a paid-out, to purchase last-minute items for a banquet, the lounge, or the restaurant or to take advantage of other unplanned opportunities to promote hospitality. Specific guidelines concerning cash limits, turnaround time, prior approval, authorized signatures, and the general manager and front office manager develop purchase receipts. These guidelines help to maintain control of paid-outs. The banquet department, which often combines the functions of a marketing and sales department and a food and beverage department, requires the front office to relay information to guests about scheduled events and bill payment.

The front desk staff may also provide labour to prepare the daily announcement board, an inside listing of the daily activities of the hotel (time, group, and room assignment), and marquee, the curb-side message board, which includes the logo of the hotel and space for a message. Since the majority of banquet guests may not be registered guests in the hotel, the front office provides a logical communications centre.


The daily posting of scheduled events on a felt board or an electronic bulletin board provides all guests and employees with information on group events. The preparation of the marquee may include congratulatory, welcome, sales promotion, or other important messages. In some hotels, an employee in the front office contacts the marketing and sales department for the message.

The banquet guest who is unfamiliar with the hotel property will ask at the front office for directions. This service might seem minor in the overall delivery of service, but it is essential to the lost or confused guest. The front office staff must know both how to direct guests to particular meeting rooms or reception areas and which functions are being held in which rooms. Front desk clerks, must be ready to provide information for all departmental activities in the hotel. The person responsible for paying the bills for a special event will also find his or her way to the front office to settle the city ledger accounts. If the banquet captain is not able to present the bill for the function, the front desk clerk should be informed about the specifics of food and beverage charges, gratuities, rental charges, method of payment, and the like.


With Human resources department:

The human resources management department may rely on the F and B service staff to act as an initial point of contact for potential employees in all departments. It may even ask the F and B service to screen job candidates. If so, guidelines for and training in screening methods must be provided.


Some directors of human resources management depend on the F and B service to distribute application forms and other personnel-related information to job applicants. The potential employee may ask for directions to the personnel office at the F and B service. The human resources management department may also develop guidelines for the F and B service use in initially screening candidates. For example, the guidelines may include concerns about personal hygiene, completion of an application, education requirements, experience, and citizenship status. This information will help the executives in the human resources management department interview potential job candidates. Each situation will describe some communication problems between departments, trace the source of miscommunication, analyse the communication system, and present methods that will help improve communications. The purpose of this method of presentation is to help future professionals to develop a systematic way of continually improving communications.


With Security department:

It coordinates with security department to create a safer environment for the guests, hotel personnel and the assets to control them properly.

It coordinates with engineering department for repairs, maintenance, and installation of various equipment and physical features required during operation hours and special functions.

Information system


It coordinates with information system department regarding the updating and installing of different electronic information system. Every personal are provide with the password as access into the computer system of the hotel by the IS department. Similarly, the micros cards are also issued to the F&B staffs and the degree of accessibility is governed by the rank of the staffs.


With Stores:

It coordinates with materials department for regular supply of food, beverages, and essential stationeries for the outlet.

Sales and marketing department: It coordinates with sales and marketing department for the sales of banquet halls, fixing the menu price, and providing provisions and service as per the Banquet Event Order. F & B personnel will do the necessary arrangement for the preparation and see to guests needs. Get clients to hold functions using hotel facilities in banquets.

Finance department: It coordinates with finance department for payment of salary and budget development.


--

764 views

Recent Posts

Fuels

Gas

bottom of page