6.3.

BACK OF HOUSE
The back of the house is generally run by the kitchen manager and the term refers to
all
the areas with which guests do not normally come in contact. This includes
purchasing,
receiving, storing/issuing, food production, stewarding, budgeting, accounting, and
control. One of the most important aspects to running a successful restaurant is having
a strong back-of-the-house operation, particularly in the kitchen. The kitchen is the
backbone of every full-service restaurant, so it must be well managed and organized.
Some of the main considerations in efficiently operating the back of the house include
staffing, scheduling, training, food cost analysis (internal controls), production,
management involvement, management follow-up, and employee recognition.
1. Food production
Planning, organizing, and producing food of a consistently high quality is no easy task.
The kitchen manager, cook, or chef begins the production process by determining the
expected volume of business for the next few days. Sales during the same period in the
previous year give a good indication of the expected volume and the breakdown of the
number of sales of each menu item. As described earlier, ordering and receiving will
have already been done for the day’s production schedule.
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The kitchen manager checks the head line-cook’s order, which will bring the prep
(preparation) area up to the par stock of prepared items. Most of the prep work is done
in the early part of the morning and afternoon. Taking advantage of slower times
allows
the line cooks to do the final preparation just prior to and during the actual meal
service.
The kitchen layout is set up according to the business projected as well as the menu
design. Most full-service restaurants have similar layouts and designs for their
kitchens.
The layout consists of the receiving area, walk-ins, the freezer, dry storage, prep line,
salad bar, cooking line, expediter, dessert station, and service bar area.
The cooking line is the most important part of the kitchen layout. It might consist of a
broiler station, pickup area, fry station, salad station, sauté station, and pizza station—
just a few of the intricate parts that go into the setup of the back of the house. The size
of the kitchen and its equipment are all designed according to the sales forecast for the
restaurant and by the menu. The menu dictates the equipment needed as well as the
experience level of the cooks.
The kitchen will also be set up according to what the customers prefer and order most
frequently. For example, if guests eat more broiled or sautéed items, the size of the
broiler and sauté must be larger to cope with the demand.
2. Kitchen production
Staffing and scheduling
Practicing proper staffing is absolutely crucial for the successful running of a kitchen.
It is important to have enough employees on the schedule to enable the restaurant, as a
whole, to handle the volume on any given shift. Often it is better to overstaff the
kitchen,
rather than understaff it, for two reasons. First, it is much easier to send an employee
home than it is to call someone in. Second, having extra employees on hand allows for
cross-training and development, which is becoming a widely used method.
Training and development
Due to a high turnover rate, implementing a comprehensive training program is vital in
the kitchen. Trainers should, of course, be qualified and experienced in the kitchen.
Often, the most competent chefs are used to train new hires. Such trainings are usually
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done on the job and may include study material. Some restaurants may even require
new hires to complete a written test, evaluating the skills acquired through the training
process.
Ensuring adequate training is necessary because the suc- cess of the business lies in the
hands of the trainer and the trainee. If employees are properly trained when they begin
their employment, little time and money will need to be spent on cor- recting errors.
Thorough training also helps in retaining employ- ees for longer periods of time.
Production procedures
Production in the kitchen is key to the success of a restaurant since it relates directly to
the recipes on the menu and how much product is on hand to produce the menu. Thus,
controlling the pro- duction process is crucial. To undertake such a task, production
control sheets are created for each station, for example, broiler, sauté, fry, pantry,
window, prep, dish, and dessert. With the con- trol sheets, levels are set up for each
day
according to sales.
The first step in creating the production sheets is to count the products on hand for
each
station. Once the produc- tion levels are determined, the amount of product required to
reach the level for each recipe is decided. Once these calculations are completed, the
sheets are handed to the cooks. It is important to make these calculations before the
cooks arrive, considering the amount of prep time that is needed before the restaurant
opens.
When determining production, par levels (minimum and maximum quantity limits
that you set for a certain item) should be changed weekly according to sales trends.
This will help control and minimize waste levels. Waste is a large contributor to
increasing food cost; therefore, the kitchen should determine the product levels
necessary to make it through only one day. Products have a particular shelf life, and if
the kitchen overproduces and does not sell the product within its shelf life, it must be
thrown away. More importantly, this practice allows for the freshest product to reach
the custom- ers on a daily basis.