What Staff Do You Need To Run A Restaurant?
More than just a chef…
The restaurant business is tough. You only have to go for a quick walk down your local high street to see restaurants disappearing or being renamed every week. These is partly due to the financial situation in the UK, but also thanks to the tricky job of getting a restaurant to stay afloat long enough to become popular and to make a profit. <br/><br/> One of the biggest issues is with staff. To run a restaurant with more than a couple of tables you need to have enough staff to make sure the place can run smoothly. Here are a few of the areas where you need to make staffing a priority: <br/><br/> Waiters <br/><br/> Your waiting staff is the face of your restaurant and your restaurant needs to have a nice face to present to every single customer. Ideally each waiter should have no more than 6 tables under their control at any one time as any more tables than this (unless they are tables of 2) will likely be too much to handle and customer satisfaction will drop. Your waiters will need to be friendly and smart enough to remember orders and deal with any problems arise. <br/><br/> Chefs <br/><br/> Some small kitchens can manage with just one chef as long as the place doesn't get too busy. Once a restaurant gets over a certain size your chef will need help. Normally in the shape of a couple of assistant 'aides' or maybe even a sous chef depending on what sort of kitchen it is. In a big fancy restaurant head chefs will require a 'chef de partie' to look after different sections, with a sous chef as their main assistant, commis chefs working on particular areas in the kitchen and lots of 'aides' doing chopping and other simple jobs. Big kitchens may even have an executive chef who is in charge of everyone. <br/><br/> Managers and Maître d'hôtel <br/><br/> Every restaurant needs a manager. They are in charge of all staff and for the overall experience of the customers. A manager needs to be able to fill the role of every member of staff and step in if anything goes wrong. They are also in charge of money, be it the amount spent on staff or on refunding bills if need be. In larger restaurants and hotels, the maître d'hôtel, also known as the 'maître d', is in charge of the smooth running of the restaurant. They allocate people tables on the phone and in person and are tasked with maintaining the atmosphere all night. In the example of the Ginger Pig Hove restaurant one of the best restaurants in Brighton and Hove, they were able to get the balance of quality staff and overhead costs just right. <br/><br/> If you get all these staff and can keep your wages down in the beginning, your restaurant should do OK. <br/><br/> <br/><br/>
About the Author
Sam Qam is a head chef. He has worked in some of the Best Restaurants in Brighton and even worked in the famous Ginger Pig Hove
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