Picture this, it’s a Friday evening, and you’re dining at your local eatery. The place is packed. Good thing you made a reservation. You witness waiters, food runners, and bussers quickly and efficiently making their way around the restaurant. Taking orders, running food, cleaning up tables, and of course remembering that refill and extra side of ketchup you asked for. You think to yourself, “how do they do it?”
Front of House
The front of house consists of hosts, waiters, food runners, and bussers. Each job has unique tasks. However, when brought together they help the chaos that is a bustling restaurant. They all have a common goal; give each guest a great experience. Each job furthers the dinner experience. The welcoming host guides you to your seat. The sociable waitress recommends the carbonara. The observant food runner is on top of your refills. The bussers that make sure the table is clean after your visit. Sometimes, a busser will notice a waiter is busy and will take an appetizer order for a waiting table. Sometimes a waiter will notice a busser is busy and will tidy up a table. Furthermore, the front of house shares a common language; the menu. Each worker knows the ins and outs of the menu. They are able to answer any question a guest has about an item.
Back of House
The back of house consists of the cooks, prep cooks and dish washers. Just like the front of house, each job has a unique task. Again, when brought together they are there to achieve a common goal; make delicious dishes. Each cook has their respective position. Some are fry cooks, others are in charge of the grill, etc. As for prep cooks, they are responsible for prepping the ingredients, also known as mise en place. Lastly, the dishwashers make sure the kitchen is clean. Jobs tend to overlap like front of house. For example, if a dishwasher is done with their tasks and notices a prep cook is behind on their work, they may step in to help as much as possible. Just like front of house, their common language is the menu. Back of house needs to know the menu like the back of their hand.
The Restaurant
The front and back of house are their own respective discourse communities. However, in order for a restaurant to run efficiently, both communities need to come together. Each community needs an understanding of the other. Patience is very important when working in a restaurant. People make mistakes. Sometimes, the kitchen will over cook a steak and a guest will complain. Other times, a waiter will make a mistake while taking an order and the kitchen will have to remake the dish. At the end of the day, each community needs to join forces in order for the restaurant to operate.
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