If your restaurant has a growing need for back-of-house (BOH) staff, such as chefs and cooks, you’re not alone. That’s a big problem for the entire restaurant industry.And you can’t run a restaurant without them, so you need to know Exactly What it takes to adopt and foster a sustainable BOH culture.
was Worsening labor shortage Despite the restaurant fighting this in its BOH role over the past few yearsMore offer higher wages There are more incentives to attract new talent, but not enough to make up for the lack of a healthy BOH culture.
The pervasive BOH staff shortage is not in your control, but you can create a sustainable BOH team. In this article, we’ll cover what you need to know to hire the right BOH employees and create a great BOH culture so you can avoid the risk of turnover and maintain a top-notch team over time.
What does back of house mean?
“Back of the House” refers to areas of a restaurant or cafe that are not visible to customers, such as kitchens, storage areas, break rooms, offices, and where all behind-the-scenes operations take place.
Back-of-house staff typically includes anyone involved in menu planning, food preparation, managing BOH staff, and cooking (kitchen manager, executive chef, sous chef, line cook, dishwasher, etc.).
back of house and front of house
The biggest difference between back of house staff and front of house staff is customer interaction. The Front of the House (FOH) area includes the waiting area, dining room, bar, and pass counter where waiters collect your food. FOH employees typically include servers, hosts, general managers, and bartenders.
There are also hybrid staff members such as food runners, bussers, and barbucks. (or barbus) I work as an intermediary between BOH and FOH staff.
Unlike backstage staff, front desk staff such as servers and bartenders are usually chips And — as tipped workers — often only paid the standard minimum wage $2.13 As such, they rely on tips as their primary form of reward.
If your restaurant uses a tip pooling system and distributes tips evenly among staff, back-of-house workers such as line cooks and dishwashers can also receive tips, rather than managers and supervisors. In this case, the employer cannot take tip her credit from the employee and must pay all employees the hourly minimum wage. $7.25.
How to hire the right staff for BOH operations
Although not customer-facing, kitchen staff are essential to providing customers with a great dining experience. But the BOH can be a stressful environment that requires quick decision-making and collaboration, so it’s important to think about the qualities you want in your team members. employment.
Your BOH needs also depend on the type of restaurant you run. A fine dining restaurant may need a sauce chef and a sommelier. But a small, casual bistro or café may only need a head chef and a few cooks to manage a small number of diners.
chef and manager
At the top of the BOH food chain are those who execute the restaurant owner’s vision, handle restaurant operations, plan and price dishes and menus, manage inventory and the daily food preparation that takes place in the kitchen. and the chef and manager who oversee the cooking.
When hiring for these positions, it’s best to find a candidate with at least five years of restaurant experience and a culinary degree or certification, if applicable. These roles are:
- executive chef
- sous chef
- General manager
- kitchen manager
- Food and Beverage (F&B) Manager responsible for inventory management and pricing
- Sommelier in fine dining restaurants
line cook
In the French brigade system, cooks prepare food at a series of stations, making the whole process as efficient as possible.
A line cook is a BOH staff who actually prepares the dishes ordered at the restaurant under the guidance and supervision of the executive chef and sous chef. Depending on the restaurant, each line he cook may be responsible for different aspects of the cuisine. Examples of line cook roles include:
- Fried food
- sauce chef
- A prep cook who prepares food for the cook’s use
- pantry chef, or Chef Garde Mange, someone who prepares cold dishes such as salads and cold soups
- pastry chef
- A short order cook who usually works in a fast food or quick service kitchen and prepares simple dishes such as eggs and French fries
cleaning and maintenance
Restaurant kitchens are messy and restaurant fixtures require regular deep cleaning and repair. As such, it makes sense to have staff dedicated to tasks such as deep cleaning and routine maintenance.
Prior to the health checkup, it is recommended to bring in administrative staff and maintenance technicians with background knowledge of restaurant appliances and how to keep things like exhaust hoods and freezers clean.
entry level role
Ultimately, you or your restaurant’s hiring manager will decide which roles require less experience (or none at all). For example, you can hire an inexperienced chef and train him on the job so that he knows how to follow the executive chef’s specific workflow.
Entry-level BOH positions are often:
- dishwasher
- Bussers (hybrid BOH-FOH staff)
- Food runner (also a hybrid BOH-FOH staff)
- line cook
will need you Comprehensive training process New hires will have a good first experience with you as an employer and will feel well prepared to meet your standards. We recommend that your training includes:
- Thorough onboarding and training on your restaurant and the basics of their work before making them work.
- Complete food handling, food safety and cleanliness training Don’t run into health code violations.
- Opportunity to overshadow people in the same or similar position.
- Regular monthly or bi-monthly performance reviews Not only offer praise and feedback, but also talk about improvements.
How to maintain professionalism in the BOH team
The BOH culture is widely known for its chaotic, fast-paced atmosphere and the clash of different personalities and experience levels, yet the professionalism of everyone working together and recognizing themselves as part of a team. It is possible to maintain the environment. team.
Building and maintaining a professional BOH team includes:
- Encourage teamwork with extra breaks and bonuses
- Host a team building activity outside restaurant hours Nurture relationships and communication
- Collect input and feedback regularly See how the team can improve
- Involve everyone in the brainstorming process For team activity and better engagement
How to create a sustainable BOH culture
If part of the BOH culture (or team culture) is not working, team members, FOH staff members, and even customers feel almost instantlyIt’s not enough to build a team of people who love what they do. It takes intention and effort to build a sustainable his BOH culture. dos When Something you can not do Please keep that in mind when doing so.
conduct Evaluate team culture
You can start by asking your manager or supervisor to think about the state of your BOH culture.Consider topics such as how often you prioritize employee well-beingthe amount invested in professional development, and how to take care of staff more generally.
please do not Too much time spent sharing employee schedules
Did you know that taking too long to share an employee’s schedule can lead to high turnover?
a Base survey We found that among 6,000+ teams, when companies publish their staff schedules with 1-2 days’ notice, they are more likely to have turnover rates of 42{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} or more. This rate dropped to 26{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c}, she said, when employees received schedules with more than eight days’ notice so that they could make plans for childcare arrangements, health care appointments, leisure activities, and more. .
Unfortunately, last-minute scheduling is a common aspect of working in the restaurant industry, so having a prearranged and reliable schedule can also enhance your reputation as a great employer in your community. Become.
conduct Develop a plan for managing conflict
Conflicts are inevitable in a restaurant kitchen, so don’t wait for a problem to occur before you or the restaurant manager find a way to fix it.
Some conflicts simply test the employee’s feelings about the issue. So let new hires know from day one that you and management are always available to hear their complaints and concerns.
If a dispute cannot be resolved through transparent communication alone, facts and evidence should be gathered from the parties involved, if possible. Ultimately, employees should be able to move forward professionally, even when disputes between employees cannot be fully resolved.
Other considerations for managing behind-the-scenes employees
Similar to the front of house, you need a reliable system for managing BOH onboarding, rewards, and scheduling. Let’s take a look at some practical solutions you can implement to effectively manage your BOH team.
Onboarding for back of house positions
Because the turnover rate in the restaurant industry is very high, on board New employees are used more often than other small business owners. Also, don’t forget that you may be hiring employees who have never worked before.
One of the best things you can do for a painless onboarding process is error Wait until the new employee’s first day to read the employee welcome packet and fill out important paperwork.
Instead, send all required readings and paperwork as soon as they accept their position. home-based onboarding By having new hires e-sign a direct deposit, W-4, W-9, or 1099 form, they’ll be ahead of the curve and well prepared on day one.
chip split
chips It can complicate compensation for restaurant employees. Also, tipping laws vary from state to state. As the pandemic has changed the way many restaurants operate, some owners and managers are choosing to implement tip splitting systems to account for employees such as delivery drivers and curbside workers. .
Remember, if you require FOH employees to share tips behind the house, you’ll have to pay minimum wage. hint trackingyou can use this custom tip division template.>
Scheduling back office workers
We’ve already discussed the importance of posting employee schedules at least eight days in advance, but the best way to do this is restaurant scheduling software.
Both FOH and BOH employees can be scheduled challenge Given how different their job descriptions are. BOH employees often have to show up fairly early to prepare meals and plan meals before restaurants open, but when the kitchen closes, they leave earlier than FOH employees. You may.
Homebase’s free scheduling tool Customize and automate employee shifts using auto-scheduling or templates, and add shift reminders and notes for all team members. It can also notify employees when their shifts are approaching, avoiding absences, confusion and excuses.
Run an efficient BOH team at Homebase
There aren’t many work environments in the world that work like a restaurant BOH. If you are a growing restaurant owner, With all your attention on the guest experience, you might feel like you don’t have time to streamline your daily BOH operations.
that’s why home base exists. We don’t just provide scheduling tools. It provides small business owners and hourly workers with an all-in-one solution for team management. Homebase has all the tools small businesses need: time tracking and timesheets, payroll, recruiting and onboarding, communications, employee happiness, HR and compliance.
