Table of Contents
What does BOH Mean?
BOH stands for Back of House. In a restaurant this means the kitchen and all the areas behind the scenes where food is prepared and other stuff happens.
The back of house (BOH) staff in a restaurant do everything that happens behind the scenes. This includes food prep, cooking, dishwashing and general cleaning. BOH staff are the backbone of the restaurant and make sure everything runs smoothly and the guest has a good time.
Types of BOH staff
Here are a few of them:
1. Head chef
2. Sous chefs
3. Line cooks
4. Dishwashers
5. Prep cook
6. Busser
7. Food runner
Each of the BOH staff has a specific role to play in making sure the guest has a good time.
BOH staff responsibilities
Sample BOH Tasks:
1. Cooking
2. Food safety
3. Accuracy
4. Expedite orders
5. Order supplies and stock shelves
6. Overseeing dishwashing
8. Support the front of house staff as needed
Why Back of House Staff Matter
The back of house staff in a restaurant are the backbone of the business. They do food prep, cooking and cleaning. Without them the front-of-house (FOH) staff can’t provide the level of service the guest expects.
To make sure the back of house staff can do their job properly restaurant management needs to provide them with tools and resources. This means quality ingredients, proper equipment and a clean environment.
Also make sure the back of house staff are trained. This way they can do their job safely and efficiently. By investing in the back of house staff the business will ensure the guest has the best experience.
To measure BOH and food quality a restaurant owner may ask for customer feedback with a survey to rate the overall experience.
BOH vs FOH staff
Back of house staff in a restaurant prepare the food, front of house staff serves the food. Both are important in making sure the guest has a good time at the restaurant.
One big difference between back of house and front-of-house staff is the amount of guest contact. Back of house staff don’t have guest contact, front of house staff have lots of guest contact.
This means front of house staff need to be outgoing and good at customer service, back of house staff need to be good at following instructions and working fast.
Another difference is the hours they work. Front of house staff work during the day when the restaurant is open, back of house staff work in the evening before the restaurant opens to prep for the next day.
Both back of house and front of house staff are important to the restaurant. They each have different roles to make sure the guest has a good time.
Teamwork between BOH and FOH staff
Teamwork is key to any restaurant. The back of house staff (kitchen and dishwashers) need to work together to prep the food orders.
The front of house staff (waitstaff and hostesses) need to work together to serve the food to the guest on time. If either of the staff don’t work together it can cause delays and unhappy guests.
Back of house staff need to communicate with front of house staff to avoid any order mix ups. The kitchen staff need to let the waitstaff know as soon as an order is ready so it can be sent out to the guest.
Also, the dishwashing staff need to keep front of house staff updated so dirty dishes aren’t left in the dining room.
Working together requires everyone to do their part and be aware of what others are doing. For example, the chef needs to make sure each food order is cooked right and to the guest’s spec. And the front of house staff needs to double check each order before it goes out to the guest.
How POS helps the back of house
Restaurant POS software and hardware can help the communication between front and back of house, making the overall restaurant operation more efficient. Specifically, a POS system can track inventory and alert staff when items need to be restocked.
Also, a POS system can provide real time sales data to help managers make decisions on staffing and menu. Ultimately a POS system can make a restaurant run smoother and more efficient for both front and back of house staff.
Conclusion
In restaurant speak BOH means “back of house”. The back of house staff in a restaurant are the behind-the-scenes heroes. They work in the kitchen to make sure the food is perfect and the guest has a great time. Without them the front of house staff would be lost.
Back of house staff work hard to make sure every dish that goes out of the kitchen is perfect. They cook the food, plate it up and get it to the guest on time. They also have to clean up after each dish is served which is a thankless task.
Back of house staff are part of the restaurant team and without them the front of house staff would be lost. They work hard to make sure every dish is perfect and the guest has a great time. Thanks back of house staff for everything!
