Finding the best people to fill job openings in your restaurant can be a difficult task. Whether you own a small bakery or a large family restaurant, one of the most important aspects to consider is hiring excellent employees. Keep in mind that each restaurant job position has unique duties and responsibilities that are critical to the overall success of the business. That is why you should only delegate them to the appropriate people.
But, before you start looking for employees, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with all of the different job positions available in a restaurant. Many owners can’t tell the difference between a head chef and a kitchen manager and wonder why their business isn’t doing well. Knowing about the various restaurant job positions will help you find the right people.
The purpose of this article is to familiarize you with all of the working positions in a restaurant, as well as their duties and responsibilities. That way, you’ll know what to expect from each member of your team, resulting in more efficient working processes and higher customer satisfaction.
14 Restaurant Job Positions and Their Duties
Some restaurants are able to operate with a very small staff by utilizing efficient self-ordering infrastructure. However, depending on your business model and the type of restaurant you run, you may need to hire more than 80 people for roughly 20 different positions. That is why, in order to make sound decisions about the personnel required for the smooth operation of your business, you should first learn what people in various restaurant job positions are responsible for:
1.General Manager
When it comes to the operational side of your business, this is the most important position. General Managers are in charge of employee hiring and firing, training programmes, public relations and marketing, process optimization, and so on. Consider them to be the head of your restaurant.
Skills & Competence:
- Excellent communication skills
- Excellent organizational skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Problem-solving skills
- Solid experience
Median hourly wage: $18.00 – 23.00
2.Assistant Manager
Assistant managers, as the title suggests, assist the general manager in carrying out his responsibilities. They are frequently in charge of dealing with paperwork, managing training programmes, participating in brainstorming activities, assisting with decision-making processes, and so on. When the general manager takes a day off, the position is filled by the Assistant.
Skills & Competence
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Experience (or in other words, the Assistant Manager is a less experienced General manager)
Median hourly wage: $18.00 – 20.00
3.Executive Chef
If you want to provide the best cuisine in town, focus on finding the best executive chef available. A good executive chef creates the meals on your menu. The excellent one assists you in improving your overall service and tailoring the food concept to the needs of your restaurant. He is also in charge of all aspects of the cooking process, from preparation to presentation.
Skills & Competence:
- Appropriate culinary education or degree
- Solid experience
- Excellent organizational skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Proactiveness
Median hourly wage: $35.00 – $55.00
4.Pastry Chef
Pastry chefs are in charge of the sweet treats on your menu. They create recipes and make desserts such as cookies, cakes, souffles, crepes, mousses, and so on. Consider hiring one if you own a large, casual restaurant. Otherwise, if your other chefs are pastry-experienced, you can delegate these tasks to them.
Skills & Competence:
- Appropriate pastry education
- Excellent organizational skills
- Ability to work under pressure
Median hourly wage: $25.00 – $36.00
5.Sous Chef
After the executive chef, this is the second most important restaurant job position in the kitchen. Consider sous chefs to be the main man’s assistants. If the executive chef is absent, the sous chef is in charge of the kitchen. Sous chefs must be experienced and have comparable skill sets to executive chefs.
Skills & Competence:
- Appropriate culinary education or degree
- Excellent organizational skills
- Ability to work under pressure
Median hourly wage: $24.00 – $40.00
6.Kitchen Manager
This is essentially the kitchen’s general manager. This restaurant job position’s responsibilities include hiring and firing employees, process management and optimization, inventory management, and so on. The kitchen manager should be able to form a cohesive unit that works as a team with one main goal in mind – high customer satisfaction.
Skills & Competence:
- Excellent communication skills
- Excellent organizational skills
- Problem-solving skills
- Previous management experience
Median hourly wage: $20.00 – $29.00
7.Food & Beverage Manager
This restaurant job position is not as common in most restaurants as it is in the largest ones. Food and beverage managers are in charge of inventory management (both for bar and kitchen products and supplies), ensuring that the kitchen and bar are in compliance with local health requirements and codes, as well as defining menu items and overall restaurant working processes (creating schedules for example).
Skills & Competence:
- Excellent organizational skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Team player
- Problem-solving skills
- Previous management experience
Median hourly wage: $28.00 – $39.00
8.Line Cook
If you own a larger restaurant, this restaurant job position is crucial. The line cook is in charge of a variety of tasks that are designed to simplify the work of other cooks and chefs. A line cook’s responsibilities include overseeing one or more areas of the kitchen, ensuring a smooth and efficient work organization.
Skills & Competence:
- Team player
- Dynamic and efficient working habits
- Organized and focused
- Some experience in a professional kitchen
Median hourly wage: $10.00 – 14.00
9.Fast Food Cook
If you own a quick-service restaurant, this is one of the most important positions for the overall success of your company. Cooks in fast-food restaurants must work under pressure and prepare orders as quickly as possible. They typically use kitchen equipment such as grills, deep fryers, sandwich makers, ovens, and so on.
Skills & Competence:
- Team player
- Excellent communication skills
- Quick and efficient working manners
Median hourly wage: $9.00 – $11.00
10.Prep cook
The prep cook is the foundation of a well-run restaurant kitchen. Although employees in this position are not directly involved in the cooking processes, they are one of the main reasons why your dish is served so quickly. The prep cook position is common in fine dining restaurants, and its duties are related to the initial preparation of the ingredients needed for the menu items. Prep cooks are important when there is a high volume of orders and chefs need to deal with them as quickly as possible. Meals are cooked quickly and easily when each ingredient is pre-prepared.
Skills & Competence:
- Quick and efficient working manners
- Excellent communication skills
- Fast learners
Median hourly wage: $12.00 – $15.00
11.Runner
Some restaurants prefer to hire runners to make the server’s job easier and more efficient. The runner’s primary responsibility is to retrieve the meal from the kitchen once it is ready and serve it to the customer as soon as possible. As a result, the food arrives on time and at the proper temperature.
Skills & Competence:
- Quick and efficient working manners
- Ability to work under pressure
Median hourly wage: $9.00 – $11.00
12.Restaurant job fountain position
The restaurant job Fountain position, as the primary point of contact for guests, is in charge of selling, preparing, and serving coffee, tea, beverages, and food. Overseeing bar maintenance, making menu suggestions, delivering food and drinks, describing dishes to guests, recommending selections, monitoring guest satisfaction, and managing inventory are all part of the job. Must be pleasant, conscientious, and professional, with a thorough understanding of food and beverage selections. Ability to work effectively as part of a team, communicate clearly, and ensure smooth service operations and quality service is required.
Skills & Competence:
- Active Listening – Giving complete attention to what others are saying, taking the time to understand the points being made, asking questions as needed, and refraining from interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking – Speaking with others to effectively convey information.
- Service Orientation – Actively looking for ways to help people.
Read also about: Retail Job Position
13.Restaurant receptionist job position
A restaurant receptionist is frequently the first person a customer encounters when entering a restaurant.
He/she must be very friendly and professional in his/her approach because he/she is the first person customers see when they enter the restaurant.
The manner in which the receptionist greets customers and visitors can have an impact on their opinion of the restaurant.
The receptionist’s job description includes ensuring that customers receive the best services possible in the restaurant, from the moment they walk into the moment they leave.
Skills & Competence:
- Excellent phone etiquette
- Excellent communication skills
- Multitasking ability
- Possess retentive memory to remember bookings
- Ability to pay attention to details
- Ability to maintain orderliness.
14.Dishwasher
Most people who want to make their first steps in a restaurant kitchen begin their careers in this restaurant job position. That is all because there is no experience required and it is a fantastic opportunity to enter a restaurant kitchen and gradually but steadily learn about cooking from the main chefs. Dishwashers, in addition to being in charge of dish hygiene, are also in charge of garbage disposal and kitchen cleaning.
Skills & Competence:
- Ability to work quickly and efficiently
Conclusion
Consider the following when hiring for one of the above-mentioned restaurant job positions: for the majority of them (except bartenders, chefs, and management-oriented ones), motivation and willingness to learn and adapt can determine whether a candidate is your best choice. Try to put together the ideal team, which should include a mix of younger, motivated people who can be educated and tailored to the needs of your restaurant, as well as professionals who have been in the industry for a long time.
