OTHER STAFF DESIGNATIONS AT VARIOUS LEVELS

The following are the various designations with their job specifications in the food and beverage department.

 i) Senior Captain or Maitre d’ Hotel
 The senior captain has overall responsibility for operations. prepares the duty charts in consultation with the outlet manager. He oversees the Mise-en-place, cleaning, setting
 up of the outlet and staffing to ensure that the outlet is always ready for service. The senior captain receives the guests and hands them over to the captain or station holder. He takes orders from guests if the captain is unable to do so. The
 senior captain should be an able organizer and also be prepared to take over the duties of any member of the staff as and when required.
 ii) Reception Head Waiter
 This staff member is responsible for accepting any booking and for keeping the booking diary up-to-date. He / she will
 reserve tables and allocate these reservations to particular stations. The reception head waiter greets guests on arrival and takes them to the table and seats them.
 iii) Captain / Chef de Rang
 This position exists in large restaurants, as well as in the food and beverage service department of all major hotels. The captain is basically a supervisor and is in charge of a
 particular section. A restaurant may be divided into sections called Stations, each consisting of 4 to 5 tables or 20 to 24 covers. A captain is responsible for the efficient performance of the staff in his station. A captain should possess a sound
 knowledge of food and beverage, and be able to discuss the menu with the guests. He should be able to take a guest's order and be an efficient salesperson. Specialized service
 such as gueridon work involves a certain degree of skill, and it is the captain who usually takes the responsibility to do this work.
 iv) Waiters / Commis de Rang / Server
 The waiters serve the food and beverage ordered by a guest and is part of a team under a station captain. They should be able to perform the duties of a captain to a certain extent and be a substitute for the captain if he is busy or not on duty.
 They should; also be knowledgeable about all types of food and beverages, so that they can effectively take an order from a guest, execute the order and serve the correct dish with its appropriate garnish and accompaniment. They should be able to efficiently coordinate with the other staff in the outlet.
 v) Trainee / Commis De Barraseur
 The trainees work closely with the waiters, fetching orders from the kitchen and the bar, and clearing the side station in a restaurant. They serve water and assist the waiter. They are mainly responsible for the mise-en-place, and stacking
 the side board with the necessary equipment for service. The de barrasseur is the ‘learner’, having just joined the food service staff, and possibly wishing to take up food service as a career.
 vi) Wine Waiter / Sommelier
 Wine waiters have an important role to play in reputed establishments. Their job is to take orders for the service of wine and alcoholic beverages and serve them during the meal. Hence they should be knowledgeable about wines that accompany a particular dish and the manner in which they
 should be served. They should also be aware of the licensing laws prevalent in the city and should be efficient sales persons.
 vii) Room Service Waiters / Chef D’etage
 Room service waiters work in the room service outlet, serving food and beverage to guests in their rooms. The order is placed by the guest on telephone, and is recorded on
 a Kitchen Order Ticket (K.O.T). It is then passed on to the duty captain. The duty captain in turn places the order in the kitchen or the bar, as the case may be. The room service waiter who has been assigned that order, sets the tray
 according to the food or beverage ordered, picks up and delivers the order when it is ready.
 viii) Carver / Trancheur
 The carver is responsible for the carving trolley and the carving of joints at the table as required. The carver will plate up each portion with the appropriate accompaniment.
 ix) Floor Service Staff / Floor Waiter
 The floor service staffs are often responsible for an entire floor in an establishment or, depending on the size of the establishment, a number of rooms or suites. Floor service of all meals and breakfast is offered either throughout the day or
 in a limited time depending on the size of the establishment. The floor service staff would normally work from a floor pantry or from a central kitchen with all food and drink reaching the appropriate floor and the required room by lift and in a heated trolley.
 x) Lounge staff / Chef de sale
 Lounge staff may deal with lounge service as a specific duty only in a first class establishment. The lounge staff is responsible for the service of morning coffee, afternoon teas,
 aperitifs and liqueurs before and after both lunch and dinner, and any coffee top ups required after meals. They would be responsible for setting up the lounge in the morning and maintaining its cleanliness and presentation throughout the day.
 xi) Cocktail Bar Staff
 The person who works on the cocktail bar must be responsible, well versed in the skills of shaking and stirring cocktails and should have thorough knowledge of all alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, the ingredients necessary for the making of cocktails and of the licensing laws.
 xii) Buffet Assistant / Buffet Chef / Chef de buffet
 The chef de buffet is in charge of the buffet in the room, its presentation, the carving and portioning of food and its service. This staff would normally be a member of the kitchen team. The cashier is responsible for the takings of the food and beverage operation. This may include making up bills from food and drink check or, alternatively, in a cafeteria, for example, charging customers for their selection of items on a tray.
 xiii) Counter Assistants 
 Counter assistants are found in cafeterias where they would stock the counter and sometimes serve or portion food for customers. Duties may also include some cooking of call order items.
 xiv) Table Clearer
 Table clearer are responsible for clearing tables and trolleys, specially designed for good stacking of crockery, glassware, cutlery, etc.