Unit 2. The Restaurant: meet the staff / Ресторан: штат сотрудников

1 Do you know who is who in the kitchen? Put these restaurant kitchen staff jobs in order from the most senior to the most junior position.

___ chef de cuisine ___ sous chef ___ commis chef ____ chef de partie

2 Who do you think the chef de cuisine reports to? Read the text about kitchen staff and check your answer.

Kitchen staff teams depend on the type and size of a restaurant. The chef de cuisine, or head chef, manages the kitchen, gives directions on dish preparation, takes decisions about portions and service to the public and does the most difficult processes. They check materials, preparation times and methods, hygiene and correct functioning of equipment. They plan staff tasks and hours. They are responsible for apprentices, planning menus and buying raw materials. They supervise communication of orders and deliveries to the kitchen and restaurant and report to the food and beverage manager.

Sous chefs are usually part of larger kitchens. They support the chef de cuisine and substitute him/her when absent. In particular, they supervise the use of raw materials, dishes and equipment; do some preparation and take charge of preserving and storing foods. They also check maintenance and hygiene of equipment and premises, as well as communication between the different kitchen sectors.

The chef de partie substitutes the sous chef in smaller restaurants. They are technicians, who prepare the dishes, check the quality of raw materials and the maintenance and hygiene of the equipment and premises like the sous chefs. Besides that, they assign the tasks, coordinate their subordinates and manage orders and deliveries from suppliers. The fin al task they share with the chef de cuisine when there is no sous chef, is trying new dishes or different preparation techniques and new equipment if necessary.

Finally, there are commis chefs, who work at an operational level. They usually take care of meal preparation, organise basic ingredients and carry out simple activities during the preparation of dishes. They must also check quality of products, quantity of food and correct functioning of equipment.

3. Write a short job description. Remember to write what the responsibilities are and who the person reports to, but do not write the job title so that your classmates have to guess which job you are describing.

4. Read the text about front-of-house staff and decide if the sentences below are true (t) or false (f).

The kitchen staff team plays a vital role in ensuring that diners enjoy their food, but it is the front-of-house team who interact directly with customers and determine whether they enjoy their culinary experience. To do this, they need to be polite, friendly, helpful and skilful. In hotels or important restaurants there is often a maitre d'hotel, responsible for managing bookings, finding tables for customers, assigning serving areas to waiting staff and supervising their work as well as dealing with any customer complaints. The head waiter is second in command and supervises service in a particular area of a restaurant, but in smaller restaurants carries out the tasks of the maitre d'hotel. The captain, also called the chef de rang, is usually responsible for running one area of the restaurant and supervising the work of two or three staff members. In particular the communication between the kitchen and the front-of-house, allocating tasks and monitoring service. Waiters/Waitresses serve the customers during their meal by taking orders, setting the tables and bringing out food when it is ready. In addition in larger restaurants there are busboys and busgirls, who do basic tasks such as clearing tables or bringing bread and water to the tables. There are also some specialist roles front-of-house. There is often a food and beverage manager who is responsible for the overall running of a restaurant: planning the menu with the chef de cuisine; creating the right atmosphere and ambiance; hiring staff; managing bookings; and meeting and greeting customers. This last task can also be the responsibility of a host/hostess, who takes bookings, welcomes customers to the restaurant and shows them to their tables. The wine waiter or sommelier, usually only present in more formal restaurants, is responsible for choosing wines, recommending and serving them to customers.

The bartender prepares drinks for customers during their meal, giving them to the waiters to take to the tables. When there is no sommelier the bartender may be responsible for a restaurant's wine stock.

1 Kitchen staff, not front-of-house staff, determine whether customers enjoy their culinary experience. F

2 Front-of-house staff must be friendly and polite.

3 The maitre d'hotel is responsible for dealing with customer complaints.

4 All restaurants have a maitre d'hotel and a head waiter.

5 The captain is the manager or the owner of the restaurant.

6 He/She supervises communication between the kitchen and front-of-house.

7 Waiters and waitresses do not take orders from customers.

8 Busboys and busgirls clear tables and bring bread and water to the tables.

9 The restaurant manager or the host/hostess can manage bookings and greet customers.

10 The bartender is never responsible for choosing wines for a restaurant.