Introduction to food and beverage service

1.1. Roles of food and beverage service

Food and beverage services are varied and there are many different roles within the field.

Food services are typically split into two sections, called front-of-house and back-of-house.

Managers in the field might manage both halves in smaller venues, or there might be separate managers for each part of larger businesses.

Managers will have to handle all the other employees under them as well as other managerial tasks.

Kitchen staff

There is a wide range of kitchen staff at any establishment that serves food.

Larger establishments will have more levels of staff, whereas smaller venues will usually combine responsibilities into fewer job roles. Some of the roles of kitchen staff include:

• Kitchen manager
• Executive chef or head chef
• Station chefs and union chefs
• Kitchen porters
• Dishwashers.

Food and beverage managers

Food and beverage managers are one of the highest roles in a professional food venue.

They have control over all the processes and staff under them.

Their tasks might include hiring and managing staff, overseeing inventories, changes in direction, menu appraisal, and more.

In luxury management this will also include making special arrangements for VIP customers.

This is an aspirational role for anyone who wants to work inside F&B services and loves leadership and guiding how the food services of an establishment work.