What does FOH mean?

Before you begin hiring, you need to understand the FOH meaning. FOH (Front of House) refers to the customer-facing roles in a restaurant or entertainment establishment. These are the people whose jobs involve welcoming customers, answering their questions, serving them, and ensuring they have a memorable and enjoyable experience.

What positions are considered FOH?

There are FOH jobs available in most restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues. In your business, the key FOH positions might include:

• Hosts: These are the employees who welcome guests to your restaurant. They take down reservations, inquire about seating arrangements, and show customers to their seats. Because hosts are the first point of contact for most customers, you’ll want to put some of your most personable, friendly, and helpful workers on this post.
• Waiters: Servers or waiters take care of customers once seated. They establish a more intimate relationship with your diners, sharing their name and telling patrons that they are the “go-to” for any questions during their visit. Waiters often manage multiple tables and have the difficult task of making all customers feel like they’re the most important. It takes a talented multi-tasker with a positive attitude and outgoing personality to fill this role successfully.
• Sommeliers: These individuals are trained in all aspects of fine wine and can be a valuable asset to your upscale restaurant or entertainment venue. Besides having exceptional personal and customer service skills, the sommelier must be extremely knowledgeable to entice patrons to purchase beverages they’ll enjoy.
• Bartenders: Bartenders are less formal FOH employees, but they are extremely critical to the overall impression customers get of your bar or restaurant. The bartender will socialize with people dining or drinking at the bar, so they should have good conversation skills and comprehensive knowledge of mixology in order to provide top-level service.

How to hire FOH employees

When hiring FOH staff, there are some critical skills candidates should possess. Ensure you’re clear about the role’s duties in the job posting to avoid applicants who are unqualified or don’t want to work in a customer-facing role. Ask applicants to apply using a current resume and cover letter, and suggest they include a fun fact about themselves at the end of the letter. This will allow you to get a sense of their personality and also if they read the job posting all the way through to the end. You can automatically eliminate those who cannot follow the directions or didn’t read thoroughly.

Critical skills for success in a FOH role include:

• Multi-tasking
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment under pressure
• Excellent communication skills
• Handling customer complaints with kindness and patience
• Ability to clean and maintain an organized space
• Friendly, comfortable meeting new people
• Service-oriented
• Self-awareness
• Positive, can-do attitude
• Outgoing, easy to talk to
• Handling money (accepting payments and issuing change as necessary)
• Teamwork

You may be wondering how you can determine which candidates have these abilities based on an application. While you’ll ask candidates to self-evaluate their skills when applying, you’ll have a chance to assess whether you think they have what it takes to fill your FOH roles during the interview process.

Interview questions for FOH candidates

To bring in good employers as your FOH staff, you’ll need to conduct a thorough interview process that allows you to determine who can perform reliably and has exceptional customer service skills. Using open-ended interview questions that inspire easy conversation is a great way to go about this.

Can you tell me about a time when you dealt with a customer complaint?

When you’re interviewing candidates for the job, ask them to walk you through an experience they had with a customer complaint. You’ll want to understand what the complaint was, how it came about, and what the person’s role was in its resolution. How did they tackle the problem? Did they put the customer first? Pay close attention to the interviewee’s posture and eye contact as they recount the events to you to get a sense of their self-confidence and honesty.

What’s the first thing you notice when you dine at an establishment and why?

It’s a great idea to ask prospective employees what they notice about other venues when they first arrive. The answer to this question will give you a sense of what they value and allow you to see how they could fit into your business. For example, if a person is applying for a hosting job and doesn’t mention the impact an initial greeting has in their answer, they may not understand the significance of the role they are hoping to fill.

What hours of the day are you most productive and why?

Knowing when employees are at their best can help you play to your strengths. For example, if you’re looking for someone to work primarily night shifts and a candidate is eager to tell you they’re a morning person, you could end up with scheduling conflicts or poor performance. Using this question to gauge what hours of the day a person does their best work aids you in hiring a good candidate for your available hours.

Best way to retain your FOH employees

Once you’ve hired your FOH employees, you need to create a positive and collaborative work environment to retain them. It costs approximately $1252 to train one new employee, so you need to avoid a high turnover rate at all costs. Here’s what you can do to make your employees feel safe, valued, and happy at their workplace.

• Pay a competitive wage
• Recognize your employees’ hard work
• Prioritize communication and positive feedback
• Encourage teamwork and discussion
• Offer flexible work schedules
• Provide benefits, employee discounts, or paid time off
• Provide ongoing training and support, even after the probation period ends

When your employees feel like they’re part of a team that values them, they will work harder and feel better about coming to work every day. In a FOH role, this is critical because the happiness of your employees will be apparent to your customers. Workers who are satisfied with their jobs will make your venue look and operate at its best.