Just like every organization, the hospitality and food & beverage industry has many divisions and teams, each with its respective tasks and responsibilities..

The front-of-the-house department holds significant importance as it serves as the primary point of interaction for guests during their stay or visit. The term ‘front of house' refers to the area where customers sit, dine, or if at hotels, check in or check out. Some elements that make up the front of the house are the following: the reception, bar or lounge, dining area, and any area where customers could roam around and get in contact with the staff.

Most businesses in the hospitality industry pride themselves on providing the best customer service possible, to elevate the guest experience in hope the that customers will return in the future and leave with pleasant memories. Receiving good guest feedback will be a bonus. Hence, typically the staff will receive intensive training and preparation for this duty.

Customer service in restaurants: the role of the front-of-house

In a restaurant, even when the food and drinks are excellent, poor or discourteous service can significantly reduce the likelihood of customers returning. The same applies to hotel restaurants – when the service is slow and inattentive, guests could always look for alternative options. Imagine finishing on a perfectly cooked steak but the staff did not even smile when you complimented their dish, or even worse, just huffed and rolled their eyes. One or two wrong gestures could turn around the entire testimony drastically.

That's why the front-of-the-house in the hospitality and food & beverage industry plays a crucial role in creating a seamless guest experience. After all, humans are social creatures who crave meaningful interactions. These personalized services from the front-of-house staff not only meet guest expectations but also satisfy their desire for real connection. This combined with having unique dining experiences at a restaurant will leave guests eager to return to revisit the establishment.

Here are the common front-of-house team members and the important roles they play in a restaurant:

1. Restaurant or Duty Manager

Job description: The restaurant or duty manager is the leader of the front-of-house staff and oversees the business operations. This role may supervise or work with a few other managers on duty, depending on the property's capacity and occupancy rate. Their duties may also include hiring new staff, reporting to stakeholders, and taking part in budgeting or strategic planning for the business, including innovating with promos and offers to boost revenue.

Skills required: This role requires attentiveness to small details and top-notch problem-solving, as well as effective communication and a hospitable attitude to ensure both the operational parts and the guest experience are smooth and flawless.

2. Host or Receptionist

Job description: A host/hostess or receptionist is the first point of contact for a customer when they enter the restaurant or hotel. They greet the guests, arrange their seating or reservation, ensure they feel comfortable and nurtured, and overall make the guests feel extra special.

Skills needed: Staff in this role should have superb interpersonal skills and the ability to create a pleasant guest experience, as they interact with hundreds daily and shape the property's first impression for each guest.
This job also requires one to be knowledgeable about the premises and the neighborhood around, as guests will most likely go to the host or reception to ask if they need any help or recommendations.

3. Waiting staff

Job description: Aside from the host or receptionist, one of the important roles in a restaurant or hotel that could leave a memorable impression on a guest is the waiting staff. After a guest is escorted to the seat by the host, the waiting staff will assist the customers with the menu, explain or recommend any special menu options, and communicate with the kitchen staff if there are any special dietary requirements or allergies.

Skills required: Hence this role also requires excellent interpersonal skills, clear communication, and solid knowledge of the menus offered.

Additional responsibilities: The waiting staff also assists patrons with payments and processes food and drink orders on the ePOS system. Although their responsibilities and code of conduct differ depending on where they work, usually they will be given a training program to learn about the establishment.

4. Bartender or Barista

Job description: A bartender or barista’s main responsibility is to provide customers with beverages throughout their stay in the restaurant. Typically, a small restaurant would employ only one or two bartenders and baristas, who also maintain and control the stock of key ingredients and beverages.

Skills required: Larger establishments may hire a senior and even head bartender who will go further to create signature drinks and special offers. If a restaurant or hotel has a separate dedicated bar or lounge area, the bartender and barista may also entertain customers, which will require good interpersonal skills. Bartenders tend to keep their space organized to prevent clutter and wash glassware or other dishes to meet the needs of the service, as well as to ensure the effectiveness of their serving time since some drinks may require complex steps or ingredients.

RELATED: 5 key skills to become an outstanding restaurant bar manager

5. Housekeeper or Busser

Job description: The housekeeper at a hotel or busser at a restaurant is part of the team that ensures the cleanliness of the premises. They are responsible for cleaning tables, clearing up empty plates, and may also engage in other cleaning activities around the property.

Why this role is important: They're a key addition to the staff as they clean tables and the surroundings to maintain orderly operations and they assist the kitchen by providing them with a steady cycle of clean dishes. Hence this role requires attentiveness and agility. The housekeeper or Busser is also a focal part to ensure the guest experience is seamless and comfortable.

Now after building a solid team, the next step that hospitality business owners have to do is to make sure the front-of-house members have the skills and do the points below to provide good service:

Upskilling the front-of-house

The next step that hospitality business owners have to do is to make sure the front-of-house members have the skills and make the points below to provide good service. By doing so, not only will the restaurant benefit from improved service quality and efficiency, but guests will also enjoy a more memorable and satisfying visit. Here are the top six steps to improve the overall skills of the restaurant staff:

1. Elevate customer service

When it comes to hospitality careers, mastering customer service skills is fundamental. These skills are exercised through answering inquiries over the phone greeting guests in person or going through training programs and role-playing situations. Aside from having product knowledge and expertise, restaurant and hotel staff need to refine this particular ability on top of having a problem-solving mindset, patience, resilience, empathy, and effective communication skills.

Soliciting guest feedback is also a necessary tool to improve customer service. Use a platform like TableCheck which helps hospitality operators create and customize guest surveys.

RELATED: Top 10 restaurant survey questions to improve guest satisfaction

2. Refine communication skills

Effective communication, whether in person or via email, impacts customer perception. Key communication skills include active listening, problem-solving, and empathy. These skills can have a significant impact on how customers feel, ultimately influencing the overall guest experience.

When working in hospitality, it’s crucial to acknowledge that people are different from one another. So the communication style used with one customer might not be suitable to use with another. By practicing excellent listening skills, evaluating circumstances, and body language if possible, staff will be able to personalize the responses and provide effective communication. This way, customer satisfaction may increase as they feel heard and get what they need.

3. Boost upselling and cross-selling competence

Providing great products and excellent service are two important things a business must do to remain competitive but the end goal of a business is to achieve its targeted revenue. One of the strategic ways to earn this is through “upselling”, which means subtly yet attractively getting a customer to purchase more products or upgrades, which eventually cost more than what they were planning to buy. The primary intent is to raise the average order value of each customer.

However, this strategy must not be executed too aggressively or pushy as it may damage customer relationships. Staff must be trained to do this as subtly and genuinely as possible, which could be in a way of personalized recommendations, giving personal favorites, or storytelling that builds an emotional connection. This way, guests would possibly be tempted to purchase more without feeling overwhelmed. When implemented correctly, this strategy could improve the guest experience as well. Find out more about the do’s and don'ts of upselling on this post by TableCheck.

RELATED: Restaurant upselling: Strategies, tactics, dos and don'ts

4. Strengthen digital skills

With great products, well-trained staff with excellent service, and proper periodical training, a hospitality business would be confident to reach a wider market and audience with social media campaigns, EDM (Electronic Direct Mail) marketing, and more. Along with those marketing tools, most restaurants and hotels also use TMS (Table Management System); a software that organizes the venue seating area so the host can organize the table seating, manage reservations & walk-ins, and apply a seating rotation.

To ensure that payments are recorded properly, these businesses would also use POS (Point of Sales) – a system that allows the processing and recording of transactions between a company and its consumers, when goods and/or services are purchased.

The front-of-house team, especially the host and the waiting staff, will need to not only learn how to use the system but also adapt to it seamlessly to enhance the guest experience and boost operational efficiency.

TableCheck boasts numerous features designed to make it more intuitive and user-friendly for front-of-house staff. For example, the TableCheck Door Waitlist feature simplifies the task of managing walk-in guests. Guests can conveniently book a table using their own devices and they will be notified by SMS or email once their tables are ready, making it a more seamless experience for both staff and diners.

5. Optimize restaurant inventory management expertise

Another key to success in maximizing revenue is managing the inventory well, especially food and beverages which make up the majority of the inventory. Inventory management helps companies figure out how much stock to order and when to order it. A restaurant or hotel should provide enough stock to meet customer demand, but not excessively that they take up too much space.

The F&B industry also faces the challenge of selling perishable food items that need to be turned over quickly, before they spoil. Restaurant inventory management tracks food coming in from suppliers as it’s used, lost, or left over.

Inventory management can be accomplished with spreadsheets and manual counting, and nowadays some modern businesses also install software to help ease the process and be more accurate in tracking the products and financial matters.

6. Improve restaurant cleanliness standards

Maintaining food safety and general cleanliness is crucial for restaurants’ and hotels’ long-term performance. Beyond the eye-pleasing aesthetics of a squeaky clean space, cleanliness also helps to ensure guests’ safety when dining at a venue. Operational-wise, making sure of hygiene and food safety is also a way to avoid any financial loss and reputation harm that may occur from guest’s dissatisfaction or complaints. These are some of the reasons why cleanliness is one of the key strategies to success for every F&B and hospitality business.

Learn more: Ensuring food safety in your restaurant: Key strategies for success

TableCheck helps restaurants and hotels maximize online reservations, optimize outlet operations, and elevate guest hospitality and loyalty through features like TableCheck EDM, Customer Survey, and TableCheck Insight. TableCheck is used by more than 10,000+ hospitality operators worldwide to offer their guests award-winning experiences.