Complete List of Restaurant Job Descriptions and Titles
Clear restaurant job descriptions and titles define responsibilities across FOH, BOH, and management, improving hiring, training, scheduling, and accountability.
Importance of Clear Titles
Restaurant job titles and job descriptions are not just "paperwork" for hiring. They are tools that help you run a smoother operation every day. When roles are clear, your team knows what to do, managers can coach faster, and new hires can get up to speed without constant confusion.
A job title is the short name of a role, like Server, Line Cook, or Shift Manager. A job description explains what that title actually means in your restaurant. Two places can use the same title, but the job can be very different. For example, one restaurant's "Server" might handle cash-outs, side work, and table-side payments, while another server only focuses on service and the cashier closes checks. The job description removes the guessing.
Clear titles and descriptions help in a few big ways -
- Hiring gets easier. When your listing matches the real job, you attract better-fit applicants and reduce early quits.
- Training gets faster. New hires know the "standard" for the role, not just what one trainer remembers.
- Scheduling gets cleaner. You can schedule by real coverage needs (host coverage, runner coverage, grill station coverage), not by vague titles.
- Accountability improves. When a problem happens - slow ticket times, messy dining room, missing prep - you can trace it back to a role and fix the process.
- Team morale gets better. People get frustrated when they feel stuck doing "everything." Job descriptions set fair boundaries.
It also helps to understand what a job description is not. It should not be a giant list of every task in the building. It should clearly define -
1. The purpose of the role (why it exists)
2. The core duties (what they do most days)
3. The skills and behaviors needed (how they do it well)
4. What "good performance" looks like (simple success markers)
How to Use This List to Build Better Roles
This list is most useful when you treat it like a shortcut for building clear, realistic roles - without overcomplicating your hiring process. The goal is not to copy every job title you see. The goal is to pick the titles that match how your restaurant actually runs, then write job descriptions that set clear expectations from day one.
Start by matching job titles to your service model. A quick-service restaurant might use titles like Cashier, Line Cook, and Shift Lead. A full-service restaurant might need Host, Server, Bartender, Food Runner, and Expo. If your restaurant is smaller, you may use fewer titles and rely more on cross-training. If you have high volume, you usually need more specialized roles to keep things moving.
Next, make sure every job description includes the same core parts. This keeps your job ads consistent and makes training easier. At a minimum, each job description should clearly state -
1. Role summary - One or two lines explaining what the job is responsible for.
2. Key duties - The main tasks they do every shift (not every possible task).
3. Required skills - What they need to succeed (speed, communication, attention to detail, food safety basics).
4. Schedule expectations - Nights, weekends, holidays, typical shift length, and overtime expectations if relevant.
5. Pay and eligibility placeholders - Pay range, tip eligibility, benefits, and whether the role is part-time or full-time.
6. Physical demands - Standing, lifting, heat exposure, and pace of work (especially for BOH roles).
7. Standards and conduct - Reliability, teamwork, guest-first mindset, and following procedures.
Then, keep your titles and descriptions honest. If you call someone a "Manager" but they mostly run a register and cover breaks, you will confuse applicants and frustrate your team. On the other hand, if a role truly owns outcomes - like labor decisions, ticket times, guest recovery, or training - you should name it clearly and describe what they control.
Finally, avoid the most common job description mistakes that lead to turnover -
- Vague responsibilities like "help where needed" with no limits
- Overloaded roles that combine too many jobs without extra pay or training
- Unrealistic requirements like demanding years of experience for entry-level work
- Missing success standards so new hires don't know what good looks like
As you go through the FOH and BOH lists in the next sections, use them to build job descriptions that are simple, specific, and fair. Clear roles attract better people - and help good employees stay.
Front of House Job Titles and Job Descriptions
Front of House (FOH) roles are the positions that directly shape the guest experience. These titles help you cover the guest journey from the moment someone walks in (or orders online) to the moment they leave. Even in a small restaurant, FOH roles work best when each person knows what they own during a shift - service speed, cleanliness, order accuracy, or guest recovery.
Below are common FOH job titles and what each role typically does. You can use these as a starting point and adjust based on your service style.
Host / Hostess
The host controls the flow of the dining room. Their job is to greet guests, manage the waitlist, seat tables fairly, and support smooth pacing for servers and the kitchen. Strong hosts communicate clearly, stay calm under pressure, and protect the guest's first impression.
Server
Servers guide the guest experience at the table. Core duties include greeting, menu guidance, taking orders accurately, pacing the meal, checking back, handling guest needs, and closing out payments (depending on your setup). Great servers are organized, attentive, and consistent with service standards.
Busser / Server Assistant
Bussers keep the dining room clean and ready. They reset tables quickly, refill water, remove dishes, and support servers so service stays fast. This role is key for turning tables efficiently and keeping the restaurant looking sharp during rush periods.
Food Runner
Food runners focus on fast, accurate food delivery. They pick up finished plates, confirm table numbers and order details, and deliver food with basic guest interaction. Runners help prevent food sitting in the window and reduce mistakes during high volume.
Expo (Front of House Expediter)
The expo is the "quality control" bridge between kitchen and FOH. They organize tickets, check plating and sides, coordinate runner timing, and communicate issues quickly. A strong expo improves speed, accuracy, and consistency - especially on busy nights.
Bartender
Bartenders create drinks, manage the bar area, and often support guests who order at the bar. Duties usually include drink prep, responsible alcohol service, guest interaction, cleaning and stocking, and closing side work. Speed and accuracy matter as much as hospitality.
Barback
Barbacks support the bartender by restocking ice, liquor, beer, glassware, and garnishes, plus keeping the bar clean. This role keeps the bartender moving during peak volume and helps prevent service delays.
Cashier / Counter Service / Guest Service
In quick-service or fast-casual concepts, this role handles ordering, payments, basic guest support, and coordinating pickup/delivery flow. The main focus is accuracy, speed, and friendly service.
FOH job titles work best when they reflect how guests actually move through your restaurant. When each role has clear ownership - greeting, seating flow, service pacing, table resets, food delivery, drink execution, and checkout - you get faster service, fewer mistakes, and a calmer shift. Use these titles to build job descriptions that are simple, specific, and fair, so new hires know what success looks like before their first day.
Back of House Job Titles and Job Descriptions
Back of House (BOH) roles focus on food quality, speed, safety, and consistency. These titles usually connect to a specific responsibility - prep work, a cooking station, sanitation, or kitchen leadership. When BOH roles are clear, you get smoother shifts, better ticket times, and fewer "last-minute" problems like missing prep, messy stations, or inconsistent portions.
Below are common BOH job titles and what each role typically does. You can use these descriptions as a base and adjust based on your menu, equipment, and volume.
Dishwasher / Utility
Dishwashers keep the kitchen moving by cleaning dishes, pans, utensils, and equipment. They also help maintain a clean back-of-house environment, including trash runs, floor cleanup, and restocking clean items to stations. This role is essential for sanitation, pace, and overall kitchen flow.
Prep Cook
Prep cooks set the kitchen up for success before and between rushes. Their duties include chopping, portioning, batching sauces, preparing ingredients, labeling, rotating product (FIFO), and keeping prep areas clean. Strong prep cooks are organized, fast, and consistent with recipes.
Line Cook (Station Cook)
Line cooks execute the menu during service. They work a station such as grill, saute, fry, pantry, or flat top, cooking to recipe and plating standards. Core duties include cooking with proper timing, maintaining station cleanliness, communicating with expo, and managing station prep levels during service.
Broiler / Grill Cook (if separated)
In higher-volume kitchens, grill may be its own role. This cook focuses on proteins, char, temperature accuracy, and consistent cook times. They must manage timing closely because grill often sets the pace for the whole line.
Fry Cook (if separated)
Fry cooks manage fryers, cook times, oil standards, and speed. They are responsible for crispness, correct holding times, and keeping the station safe and clean. This role often impacts order speed heavily in QSR and fast casual.
Expediter (BOH Expo, if used)
A BOH expediter organizes tickets, calls out timing, checks plates, and coordinates the line. They help the kitchen move as one unit and reduce mistakes. This role is especially useful during peak volume and large parties.
Sous Chef / Kitchen Lead
This is a working leader who supports the line, keeps standards consistent, and solves problems mid-shift. They may handle station coverage, coaching, prep priorities, and quality checks. In many restaurants, this role is the backbone of daily kitchen execution.
Head Chef / Executive Chef (where applicable)
This role owns menu execution, recipe standards, food quality, and often ordering, training, and kitchen systems. In some restaurants, the Executive Chef is more strategic; in others, they are hands-on daily. Either way, they are responsible for consistent food that matches the brand.
BOH roles are easiest to manage when they are tied to clear stations and clear standards. When everyone knows what they own - prep, sanitation, cooking stations, ticket flow, and leadership support - you protect food quality and keep service running smoothly, even during your busiest shifts.
Management and Leadership Job Titles and Job Descriptions
Management roles exist to keep the restaurant running smoothly through clear direction, fast decisions, and consistent standards. Strong managers do more than "put out fires." They build the plan for the shift, coach the team during service, and make sure the restaurant hits its goals for sales, labor, guest experience, and compliance.
Below are common management and leadership job titles and what each role typically owns. You can adjust the titles based on your size and whether you are single-unit or multi-unit.
General Manager (GM)
The GM is responsible for overall store performance. Core duties usually include hiring and staffing, scheduling, labor control, sales performance, food and labor cost awareness, guest experience standards, and team culture. The GM also owns training systems, accountability, and daily execution across FOH and BOH.
Assistant General Manager (AGM)
The AGM supports the GM and helps run day-to-day operations. They often lead shifts, manage staff performance, handle guest issues, support scheduling needs, and ensure opening and closing standards are followed. In many restaurants, the AGM is a "second-in-command" who can run the store when the GM is off.
Shift Manager / Shift Lead
This role owns the success of a specific shift. Duties include running the shift plan, assigning stations, managing breaks, tracking rush pacing, maintaining service standards, and communicating between FOH and BOH. Strong shift leaders are calm, organized, and quick to coach in real time.
Floor Manager (FOH Manager)
A floor manager focuses on the dining room experience. They support hosts and servers, watch table flow, help solve service problems, manage guest recovery, and maintain cleanliness and presentation. They also help protect speed of service and keep staff aligned with service standards.
Kitchen Manager (KM)
The kitchen manager owns BOH execution and kitchen systems. Duties often include managing prep plans, overseeing food safety and sanitation, supporting line execution, reducing waste, and keeping stations staffed and ready. Many KMs also help with ordering, inventory counts, and recipe compliance.
Bar Manager
A bar manager owns beverage operations, including drink standards, service speed, responsible alcohol practices, bar staffing, inventory control, and cleanliness. They often train bartenders, set par levels, and maintain consistency across shifts.
Catering Manager / Events Manager (if applicable)
This role owns catering orders or events from start to finish - booking, order details, prep planning, timelines, and guest communication. Their job is to protect accuracy, timing, and customer satisfaction for off-site or large-party service.
Training Manager (or Certified Trainer Lead)
This role builds and protects training standards. They help onboard new hires, create simple training checklists, coach trainers, and ensure consistency across locations or shifts. Their focus is reducing "on-the-job confusion" and speeding up time-to-competency.
Management titles work best when they clearly define who owns decisions during the shift and who owns long-term systems behind the scenes. When leadership roles are clear, the team gets better coaching, problems get solved faster, and the restaurant runs with less stress and more consistency.
Support and Specialty Roles Many Restaurants Overlook
Support and specialty roles are not always part of a restaurant's core team on day one, but they become important as you grow. These jobs protect consistency behind the scenes. They also remove pressure from managers who are already juggling hiring, scheduling, service standards, and daily fires. Even if you do not hire these roles full-time, it helps to define them clearly - so tasks do not fall through the cracks.
Below are common support and specialty titles and what each role typically owns.
Maintenance / Facilities (In-House or Vendor Managed)
This role keeps equipment and the building safe and functional. Duties include basic repairs, coordination of vendors, preventative maintenance scheduling, and documenting issues. Clear ownership here prevents downtime, safety risks, and expensive emergency repairs.
Inventory / Purchasing Coordinator
This role helps protect food cost and availability. Duties may include placing orders, checking invoices, tracking key items, monitoring par levels, and coordinating receiving. They support the kitchen manager or GM by keeping inventory organized and reducing "we ran out" moments.
Receiving / Stock / Back-of-House Porter
In high-volume restaurants, receiving and stocking can be its own role. Responsibilities include organizing deliveries, labeling and rotating product (FIFO), storing items correctly, and keeping walk-ins and dry storage clean and safe. This role improves speed and reduces waste.
HR / People Ops (Multi-Unit or Growing Groups)
This role supports hiring systems, onboarding, employee files, compliance support, and documentation. They may also help with training programs, employee relations, and consistent policies across locations. Even small groups benefit from having clear HR ownership, even if it is part-time.
Marketing / Community Manager (Local Store Marketing)
This role focuses on increasing traffic through local promotions, social media, community partnerships, and event coordination. They often handle content creation, posting schedules, responding to messages, and helping promote limited-time offers.
Delivery / Off-Premise Coordinator
If you do a lot of takeout and third-party delivery, this role can be a game changer. Duties include managing pickup flow, verifying order accuracy, handling delivery tablet issues, and communicating with drivers and guests. The goal is to protect speed and accuracy without disrupting dine-in service.
Sommelier / Beverage Specialist (Fine Dining or High-End Concepts)
This role supports wine and beverage experience through pairing recommendations, staff training, inventory guidance, and service standards. It is a specialty role that can increase check averages while improving guest experience.
Security (Late-Night or High-Traffic Locations)
Security supports guest and employee safety, manages entry flow when needed, and helps handle difficult situations. This role protects the environment and reduces risk for the team.
Support and specialty roles help restaurants scale without losing control. When these responsibilities are clearly assigned, you reduce operational chaos, protect standards, and give your core team more time to focus on guests and execution.
Cross-Training Titles and Hybrid Roles
Many restaurants do not have the budget or volume to staff every role as a separate position. That is where cross-training and hybrid roles come in. A hybrid role combines responsibilities from two jobs, like Cashier + Barista or Server + Bartender. Done correctly, hybrid roles give you flexibility, reduce call-off chaos, and help employees earn more skills. Done poorly, they turn into "do everything" jobs that burn people out.
The key is to write hybrid job descriptions with clear boundaries. Start by naming the role in a way that matches what the person actually does. For example, "Guest Service Specialist" might be a better fit than "Cashier" if the job includes taking orders, running food, and managing pickup shelves. If you keep the title too narrow, applicants may feel misled when the job is broader.
Next, define the job using two layers of responsibilities -
1. Primary responsibilities - These are the top priorities. Example, "Take orders and payments accurately and Prepare espresso drinks to recipe."
2. Secondary responsibilities - These tasks should be specific and limited. Example, "Restock cups and lids" or "Run finished orders to pickup area."
This structure helps your team understand what matters most and prevents confusion during rush periods.
Hybrid roles also work best when you define skill levels. A simple system is -
Level 1. Can perform tasks with guidance (training stage)
Level 2. Can perform tasks independently at speed
Level 3. Can train others and cover multiple stations during a rush
Skill levels give employees a path to grow and give you a fair way to connect pay increases to ability.
You should also be careful with roles that mix FOH and BOH. Some combinations work well, like Prep Cook + Dishwasher or Runner + Busser. Others can create problems, like asking one person to bounce between cooking and cashiering during peak periods. When you cross-train across departments, set rules for when the employee switches tasks, who approves the switch, and what happens if both areas are slammed.
Hybrid roles are a smart strategy when they are written clearly and managed fairly. If the title matches the real job, priorities are clear, and skill levels are defined, cross-training improves coverage and keeps shifts calmer. The goal is flexibility without confusion - so employees know what they own and you can staff lean without burning out your team.