Human resources are a major issue in the restaurant industry. The customer experience and the success of a structure rely more on the know-how of the employees than on the material capital as it could be the case in another sector of activity.
In this sense, identifying key positions and recruiting the right people can be a serious growth gas pedal. We have listed the 5 key positions in the food service industry so that you know where to focus your HR efforts.
Which key positions should be recruited in the catering industry?
Are you looking to recruit a team in the restaurant industry? Here are the 5 positions that are essential to the proper functioning of a restaurant.
1. The production manager
The production manager is none other than the counterpart of the chef in traditional restaurants. Both are at the top of the hierarchy and develop recipes according to the tastes of the customers while respecting the financial constraints set by the owner of the establishment. But then, what are the differences between these two jobs? The first is that the production manager is responsible for producing meals in large numbers, not for gastronomy .
The production manager must also manage to reconcile quantity and quality, a challenge not necessarily faced by the chef in a traditional restaurant. The production manager therefore produces standardized dishes, controls their supply and ensures that hygiene standards are respected. He is generally assisted in his duties by a team of cooks and assistants. Like an orchestra conductor, he organizes the work rate of his teams.
The head chef wears three hats: manager, manager and cook.
In addition to mastering many cooking techniques, knowing the rules of hygiene and food safety and having knowledge of dietetics, a catering manager must demonstrate :
- creativity to ensure the satisfaction of the guests,
- Relational ease and listening skills,
- reactivity and dynamism,
- Team spirit and ability to delegate.
👉 Going further: food service health control: what should you know?
2. The cook
The cook, sometimes called the chef, can work alone, but he or she can also be assisted by a commis de cuisine or work in a brigade under the supervision of a production manager.
The latter oversees and executes the preparation of the dishes while respecting the rules of hygiene and food safety. He or she is also responsible for shopping, setting up the preparations and creating the plates. In addition to this, he/she can ensure the preparation of food, carry out the inventory of stocks, do the washing up or decide to entrust it to the rest of his/her team, if there is a team.
Looking to hire a cook? In addition to mastering cooking techniques, here are the skills and qualities you need to pay attention to:
- creativity to develop new recipes and to set the plates,
- organization for inventory management,
- reactivity and dynamism to deal with the shots during the service,
- pedagogy and managerial skills to manage his team and make sure that the dishes are correctly done.
3. The catering manager
The catering manager coordinates and supervises all the activities inherent to the collective catering. In particular, he/she is responsible for the financial management and day-to-day operations of the facility. He/she is responsible for the purchase of raw materials, stock management as well as the elaboration of menus and the estimation of prices, which he/she sets in agreement with the production manager. He/she is also responsible for forecasting material and HR needs.
In addition to the purely financial aspect, the person in this position manages the commercial activity of the community restaurant such as the organization of events, promotion and customer loyalty.
This role also includes a managerial aspect and the supervision of teams on a technical, administrative and human level. The catering manager is responsible for recruiting, training and creating job descriptions for each employee. In addition, he/she defines the schedules and working conditions.
For this position, you will need to recruit a versatile person capable of performing in each of these dimensions: financial, commercial, HR and administrative management.
👉 Going further: 7 steps to properly manage your restaurant staff schedule.
4. The catering agent
The catering agent participates in the production of culinary preparations, alongside the production manager and the cook, but also in the distribution and service of dishes. From time to time, he/she will be required to accompany customers during mealtime, to manage supply orders or to maintain the premises. His/her role also includes taking inventory, washing up, stock control and putting away products and foodstuffs. He/she acts as a backup throughout the process of preparing the dishes.
For this "jack-of-all-trades" position, you will need someone with a good knowledge of culinary techniques and hygiene rules. This person must also have initiative and be able to adapt quickly to customer needs (allergies, specific diets, etc.). Finally, he/she will have to demonstrate an excellent sense of contact, an appetite for teamwork and a great deal of rigor, a quality that will be required when managing stocks, supplies and in the application of hygiene standards. As you can see, versatility is crucial in this position.
5. A diver
We are not taking you to the bottom of the ocean, but to one of the key services of a restaurant. An understaffed dishwashing service brings the entire kitchen to a standstill, which is why it is so important not to neglect this position.
The dishwasher cleans, wipes and stores dishes and kitchen utensils, but not only that. He/she also washes kitchen equipment such as pots and pans, cold rooms, work surfaces, stoves, grills, etc. It will therefore be a determining element in the respect of the rules of hygiene and food safety to which a collective restaurant must comply.
A diver may be required to perform other missions to support his team such as :
- preparation of seafood,
- peeling and preparation of fruits and vegetables,
- preparation and assembly of simple dishes according to the instructions of the production manager and/or the cooks,
- reception and control of goods as well as storage in cold rooms,
- cleaning and ironing of restaurant linen.
A dishwasher must therefore be able to master manual dishwashing, the use of automated dishwashing machines and household appliances. He/she must also know how to read a technical sheet established by the production manager, work in a team under the orders of a superior and know at the tip of his/her fingers the methods of conservation as well as the rules of hygiene and food safety.
The dishwashing service of a restaurant must be entrusted to someone reactive who will be able to face the periods of high frequentation, to someone careful who will not leave the slightest chance to the grease spots and to someone showing a great capacity of adaptation.
👉 Going further: 9 tips for finding restaurant staff
Innovative cashiering solutions for these key positions
The successful operation of a restaurant depends largely on human resources, and more specifically on your ability to identify key positions, recruit the right people and train them properly. It also depends on the tools available to help them do their jobs.
The flatbed scan
The flatbed scanner is one of the technological solutions that relieve employees and allow them to do their job in optimal conditions. Indeed, if it represents a significant saving of time for the guests, the employees are also winners. This tool helps the teams on the collection part, which allows them to concentrate on the management of the restaurant, the preparation in kitchen and the reception of the guests.
It also frees employees from repetitive tasks at the cash register. They can then devote themselves to higher value-added tasks such as service, welcoming guests, etc. Indeed, this type of technology considerably reduces the pressure on their shoulders and increases their productivity by allowing them to focus on their core business and on the tasks for which they have been trained. For the manager, this allows to optimize the payroll.
On the guest's side, the self-checkout scan allows quick checkout. No more long lines. All they have to do is go to the machine. The tray is then automatically scanned and the contents paid for thanks to the previously loaded badge. This solution allows site managers to collect a maximum number of guests in a minimum amount of time without impacting their experience. On the contrary, they will be delighted to spend more time at the table enjoying their meal.
The terminal
For your teams, the kiosk allows them to save time because the guests are autonomous for the order taking and the payment. Moreover, the kiosk answers the complex problem of shifts. It optimizes service management because your employees no longer have to take orders and are therefore more available to prepare food in the kitchen and welcome guests, tasks with high added value.
As this tool is widely used in commercial catering, your guests are comfortable because they have already taken it in hand. They appreciate that it is simple and fun to use. And more and more catering sites are equipping themselves with kiosks to take up the codes of fast food and modernize the guest experience.
For example, French Terroirs, an establishment combining both collective and commercial catering, has adopted the codes of food courts and has set up a 100% digitalized customer path that includes kiosks.
The collective catering fund
Still in this logic of simplifying the work of catering employees so that they can concentrate on high value-added tasks, you can also opt for Innovorder cash register software.
Perfectly adapted to collective catering, this intuitive and complete management tool will considerably facilitate the work of the catering manager in charge of the financial analysis of the structure. He will have access, anytime and anywhere to all the information necessary for the management and monitoring of the restaurant.
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Do you want to digitalize your establishment with innovative cashiering solutions to support your employees? Contact an Innovorder consultant and find out how to put technology to work for your teams.
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