I.H.

M, KOLKATA

DEPARTMENTAL ORGANISATION & STAFFING

When an establishment has a place to work, jobs to do and people to do those jobs in a
homogeneous way then we can call the establishment organized.

The word organisation is derived from the word organizing which is to give an orderly
structure to an activity or a group of activities.

An organisation is an undertaking requiring cooperation and coordination for an activity

or a group of activities.

The Food and Beverage Service department is one of the major employment generators
as it is a vast area. Different catering establishments organize their Food and Beverage
Service department as per their requirements. We will discuss the basic staff structures
which are popularly followed in the catering industry. The top half of the structure is as
under:

Food & Beverage Manager

Assistant Food & Beverage Manager

Food & Beverage Outlet Manager

There are a number of different outlets in the Food and Beverage Service department like
restaurant, coffee shop, bar, banquets etc. Here we will discuss the staff structure of the
basic Food and Beverage Service outlet i.e. restaurant. Worldwide there are three staff
structures which are most popular and widely used in the Food and Beverage Service
department, they are as follows:

1. American

2. French

3. English

Each of these organization charts has their own advantages and limitations. They are
enlisted and discussed as under.

American structure

B. Sc (H & H.A) BHM 112 – Foundation Course in Food & Beverage Service – I 2018-2019
Departmental Organization & Staffing Page 1 of 11
 I.H.M, KOLKATA

Restaurant Manager (Outlet Manager)

Assistant Restaurant Manager

Senior Captain

Captain

Senior Steward

Steward

Busboy

The American organisation chart is the most widely followed hierarchy structure in the
catering industry in the present context. This structure allows multi skilling in the sense
that the same staff member serves both food and beverage.

French structure

Directeur de restaurant

Demi directeur de restaurant

B. Sc (H & H.A) BHM 112 – Foundation Course in Food & Beverage Service – I 2018-2019
Departmental Organization & Staffing Page 2 of 11
 I.H.M, KOLKATA

Maitre d’ hotel

Maitre d’hotel de carre

I I

Chef de rang Chef de vin

I I

Commis de rang Commis de vin

I I

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I

Commis de barasseur

Unlike the American staff structure, the French staff structure allows specialisation in
terms of food and beverage service. However this organization structure does not allow
multi skilling of food service staffs.

Certain other positions in the French organization structure:

Maitre d’ hotel de reception (Hostess)

Caissier (Cashier)

Trancheur (Carver)

Chef d’etage (Room Service Waiter)

Chef d’salle (Lounge Service Waiter)

English structure

B. Sc (H & H.A) BHM 112 – Foundation Course in Food & Beverage Service – I 2018-2019
Departmental Organization & Staffing Page 3 of 11
 I.H.M, KOLKATA

Restaurant Manager (Outlet Manager)

Assistant Restaurant Manager

Head Waiter

Station Head Waiter

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I I

Wine Waiter Station Waiter

I I

Junior Wine Waiter Junior Station Waiter

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apprentice

Please note that the basic structures of the French and English organization charts are the
same, only the nomenclature of the designations are different. Most of the food service
outlets these days follow the American structure as it is simple and allows multi skilling.

Duties and responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of some of the important positions are as under:

F & B Manager

B. Sc (H & H.A) BHM 112 – Foundation Course in Food & Beverage Service – I 2018-2019
Departmental Organization & Staffing Page 4 of 11
 I.H.M, KOLKATA

1. Reports to the General Manager.

2. Is in charge of all the food and beverage outlets.
3. Responsible to set up and maintain the standards of the food and beverage outlets.
4. All the Outlet Managers reports to him / her.
5. Participates in making the budget for the department.
6. Participates in menu planning for various outlets.
7. Maintains guest liaison.
8. Responsible for staff hiring, training and appraisal.
9. All inter departmental communication is through him / her.
10. Responsible for achieving the sales and service targets for the department.

Assistant F & B Manager

1. Assists the F & B Manager.

2. Relieves the F & B Manager in his / her absence.

Restaurant Manager

1. Reports to the F & B Manager.

2. Is in charge of the restaurant.
3. Responsible for setting up and maintaining the standards of the outlet.
4. Decides on the duty roster for the outlet.
5. Participates in making budget and menu planning.
6. Maintains guest liaison and handles guest complaints if any.
7. Responsible for staff hiring, training and appraisal.
8. Responsible for the month end stock taking.
9. All intra and inter departmental communication is through him / her.
10. Generates the various daily & monthly reports.
11. Is the sanctioning authority for the staff leaves for the outlet.
12. Should be well versed in all licensing laws.

Assistant Restaurant Manager

1. Assists the Restaurant Manager.

2. Relieves the Restaurant Managers in his / her absence.

Senior Captain

1. Reports to the Restaurant Manager.

2. Responsible for the service aspect of the restaurant.
3. Allots the stations to the captains.
4. Supervises grooming check and briefing.
5. Should be well versed in service techniques and liquor laws.

B. Sc (H & H.A) BHM 112 – Foundation Course in Food & Beverage Service – I 2018-2019
Departmental Organization & Staffing Page 5 of 11
 I.H.M, KOLKATA

6. V.I.P. guests are attended by him / her.

7. Makes the duty roster for the staff and gets it approved by the Restaurant Manager.

Captain

1. Reports to the Senior Captain.

2. Assists the Senior Captain in his / her job.
3. Supervises service at a station.
4. Responsible for taking order from the guests.
5. Relieves the Senior Captain on his / her absence.
6. Supervises month end stock taking.

Hostess

1. Generally a lady who in charge of receiving and seating the guests.

2. She updates the table booking diary.
3. She passes all the relevant booking information’s to the restaurant brigade.
4. She gets the comments card filled up by the guest.
5. She takes the general feedback from the guest.
6. In case of a V.I.P guests, she is the one to present the bill.
7. She makes the sales calls for the restaurant.
8. She should be well versed with general knowledge and current affairs.

Senior Steward

1. Should be well versed in service techniques.

2. Carries out the service at respective station assisted by the Steward.
3. Supervises mise – en – place.

Steward

1. Assists Senior Steward in service.

2. Serves accompaniments and does table clearance.

Busboy

1. Basically a learner.
2. Does the clearance from side boards to the back area.
3. Sometimes allowed to attend service.

Inter departmental relationship

B. Sc (H & H.A) BHM 112 – Foundation Course in Food & Beverage Service – I 2018-2019
Departmental Organization & Staffing Page 6 of 11
 I.H.M, KOLKATA

a) The hotel, as an establishment is a single unit and all departments are equally
important and necessary for the successful functioning of the venture.

b) Without the full range of supporting activities from each separate department the hotel
cannot function correctly and efficiently.

c) All departments are interlinked in one way or another.

d) Whether dealing directly with the guest or working behind the scenes, all staffs are
aiming towards the same goal - keeping the guest happy. The three important aspects
necessary for a balance between all the departments in a hotel and its smooth running are:

- Cooperation
- Coordination
- Communication

Some of the examples of inter departmental relationship of Food and Beverage Service
department with other departments are as under:

Inter departmental relationship with Food Production

1. Proper order of food through K.O.T to the Kitchen by F & B Service.

2. Food pick up from the Kitchen at right time and at right temperature.
3. Planning of menu card for food service outlets.
4. Information about the availability of dishes from Kitchen to F & B Service.
5. Information to Kitchen about the specific needs of the guests by F & B Service.
6. Guest feedback from different outlets to be communicated to the Kitchen.

Inter departmental relationship with Front Office

1. Front office has to be informed about any food festivals and special bookings.
2. Bills of the resident guests are forwarded to the Front Office for the final settlement.
3. Check in and check outs are intimated to F & B Service by Front Office.
4. Occupancy forecast is given to F & B Service by Front Office.
5. Daily information regarding banquet functions should be passed on to Front Office.

Inter departmental relationship with Housekeeping

1. F & B Service linen is designed, bought and maintained by Housekeeping.

2. F & B Service uniform is designed, tailored and maintained by Housekeeping.
3. Interior decoration of F & B outlets is planned by Housekeeping.
4. Flower arrangements for the F & B Service outlets are done by Housekeeping.
5. Cleanliness and hygiene of F & B Service areas are ensured by the Housekeeping.

B. Sc (H & H.A) BHM 112 – Foundation Course in Food & Beverage Service – I 2018-2019
Departmental Organization & Staffing Page 7 of 11
 I.H.M, KOLKATA

Inter departmental relationship with Accounts

1. Auditing and billing for food service areas are done by the Accounts department.
2. They play a major role in menu planning by evaluating costs.
3. They are responsible for controlling costs.
4. They make reports which help in evaluating performance and future planning.

Inter departmental relationship with Purchase & Stores

1. All the items and equipments are purchased by the Purchase department and issued by
Stores.
2. All high turnover items are kept in the stores and a par stock is maintained.
3. Store is given the material vouchers for the procurement of items by various outlets.
4. For the purchase of any item the standard purchase specifications (S.P.S) are followed
by the Purchase department.

ΩΩΩΩΩΩ

Attributes of a Waiter

The waiter is the most important designation in the F & B Service department as they are
the people who are directly in contact with the guest. Thus they represent the
organization to the guest. Since they can make or break a business, so it is very
important that they have certain important attributes. The following are some of the
common attributes of a good waiter.

Personal hygiene and appearance

1. Good grooming and clean presentation gives the waiter a feeling of well being and the
confidence to do the job efficiently.

2. Pride in one’s appearance is an essential quality of a good waiter. Guests will have the
confidence in an establishment if the waiter is well groomed, neat and professional.

3. Hands are particularly important as they are constantly under the eye of the guest.
Finger nails should be kept trimmed, well shaped and clean.

4. Fingering hair and face should be discouraged at all times in the restaurant.

5. Chewing gum is not permitted in food service outlets.

B. Sc (H & H.A) BHM 112 – Foundation Course in Food & Beverage Service – I 2018-2019
Departmental Organization & Staffing Page 8 of 11
 I.H.M, KOLKATA

6. Jewelry worn by service staffs should be kept to a minimum.

7. Uniforms should be well tailored, clean and ironed.

8. Waiters should wear well polished comfortable shoes with black socks.

Attitude towards work

1. A respectful manner towards guests and senior staff members is necessary. A waiter
should never be servile, for he / she should be proud of his / her skills.

2. A waiter is a technical salesman. He / she must have a complete knowledge of all food
and beverage items available in the establishment, their correct presentation and service.

3. All guests should be treated as important, regardless of whom or what they are and
everyone should be given equal respect.

4. A waiter’s conduct should be of the highest order at all times, but particularly in front
of the guest rules and regulations should be followed to the letter.

5. Food service personnel should have pleasant manners, showing courtesy, tact, even
temper and good humor.

6. So that the establishment makes the maximum amount of profit during the service
period, the waiter must develop a sense of urgency.

7. A waiter should never argue with the guest. If the problem cannot be handled
satisfactorily, the waiter should call a senior member with more experience to solve the
problem.

8. A waiter should assist fellow workers where possible.

9. Honesty is exceptionally important in dealing with both guest and management. There
must be trust and respect between all the three parties which develops a good team spirit
and creates a pleasant atmosphere.

10. A second or third language is imperative for anyone working in the catering industry -
take the trouble to learn languages from the subcontinent as well as foreign languages. It
will serve as career booster in the future.

B. Sc (H & H.A) BHM 112 – Foundation Course in Food & Beverage Service – I 2018-2019
Departmental Organization & Staffing Page 9 of 11
 I.H.M, KOLKATA

Assuming responsibility

1. As one grows in maturity one’s responsibility increases. To be able to assume

responsibility is a sign of maturity in itself.

2. One has responsibility towards ones employer, the guests and also ones fellow
workers. Even equipments are expensive; one has the responsibility to take care of them.

4. Responsibilities grow as ones skills increases.

5. Taking the job seriously, no matter how menial, will be recognized by those in
authority.

Sales & salesmanship

A good waiter should be able to sell anything. He / She should be interactive without
being intrusive. Communication skills are of utmost importance. It is very important to be
knowledgeable about the product one is selling. It is also important to enjoy the job as
only then the waiter can make the guest happy.

Up selling & suggestive selling

 Up selling

It is the selling of higher priced items on the menu card in order to increase the overall
sales of the establishment. The idea is to convince the guest to willingly go for those
items and not to force the guest into making the decision. The guest should feel as if the
idea is his or her own.

For example: The order taker trying to push the sales of higher priced items on the menu
card like prawns and mutton ahead of fish and chicken.

 Suggestive Selling

It is the suggesting of additional items to go with the actual order of the guest so as to
increase the overall sales of the establishment. Here the order taker should guide the
guest about proper accompaniments in order to convince the guest.

For example: The order taker suggests certain additional items to the guest at the time of
taking order which go well with the original order given by the guest e.g. green salad
with the Indian lunch or dinner.

B. Sc (H & H.A) BHM 112 – Foundation Course in Food & Beverage Service – I 2018-2019
Departmental Organization & Staffing Page 10 of 11
 I.H.M, KOLKATA

ΩΩΩΩΩΩ

Source: adapted from Food and Beverage Service by Dennis Lillicrap & John Cousins,
ELBS, UK, ISBN 0 - 340 - 63067 - 1.
Authorship: Shane Joseph

B. Sc (H & H.A) BHM 112 – Foundation Course in Food & Beverage Service – I 2018-2019
Departmental Organization & Staffing Page 11 of 11