Restaurant Staff Positions List: Roles, Responsibilities & Salaries (2026)

Writing clear job descriptions is a significant step toward reducing staff turnover. Good job descriptions attract candidates better suited for the roles you're hiring for, while loose, inaccurate, or badly written descriptions put off the best potential applicants and leave you with candidates who won't suit your business half as well. When people understand exactly what a role involves, they're less likely to leave because the reality doesn't match what they signed up for.

So today, we'll cover every key restaurant staff position, from front of house to back of house and beyond. For each role, we'll give you the core responsibilities, skills to look for, and the tricks to writing job descriptions that bring the right people in. Whether you're opening a  restaurant, scaling an existing one, or simply trying to get the right people into the right seats, we'll help you find the perfect hires for your team, figuring out exactly who you need and what they need to do.

In this guide to restaurant job titles and descriptions, you'll get the scoop on:

• Why having the right people in the right roles can make or break your business
• Job descriptions for every role you could possibly need, tailored by venue type

Ready to build your dream team? Let’s do this.

Front of House (FOH) positions

Let's first talk about your front of house (FOH for short). These are the folks your guests will actually see. They're in charge of making sure everyone’s happy ( not hangry). From the moment someone walks in until they leave, your FOH team has got it covered. Let’s get into who’s doing what. - Salary data source: BLS.GOV

Management positions:

Restaurant general manager

The general manager is the boss. They run the show and make sure things don’t fall apart. Think of them as the restaurant’s go-to person for everything: staffing, ordering supplies, handling customer complaints (because someone will complain), and keeping the place afloat. The restaurant manager job description is all about juggling a million things at once, day-to-day operations, customer satisfaction, cost control, and more.

Skills required for a general manager:

• Key responsibilities:

  • Oversee day-to-day operations across front and back of house
  • Hire, train, and schedule staff
  • Manage food and labor costs, budgets, and supplier relationships
  • Handle customer complaints and resolve service issues
  • Ensure compliance with health, safety, and labor regulations

  Average US salary: ~$65,310/yr

  Top 3 skills required:

  • Leadership: Not the bossy kind, the real kind
  • Problem-solving: Because things go wrong, more often than anyone would like
  • Attention to detail: Schedules, costs, and operations all need eyes on them

Food and beverage director

The food and beverage director is key when it comes to creating the perfect menu. They're the ones calling the big shots, making sure everything tastes amazing, and keeping the booze in check, but is less involved in the grassroots man-management side of the trade. They're responsible for strategy, supplier management, and stock.

Key responsibilities:

• Set strategy for all food and beverage offerings across the operation
• Manage department budgets, supplier negotiations, and inventory
• Oversee general managers, assistant managers, and culinary leadership
• Develop and update menus in line with market trends and cost targets
• Ensure quality standards and compliance across all service areas

Average US salary: ~$96,000/yr

Top 3 skills required:

• Big-picture thinking: Seeing how all the food and drink pieces fit together
• Strong leadership: They're managing a whole department
• Budgeting: Keeping everything on track financially

Non-management FOH roles:

Host or hostess 

The host (or hostess) is the first face your guests see, and no pressure, but first impressions count. They handle the reservation book, greet guests, and seat them while smiling through any chaos. They're basically the gatekeepers of your dining room, making sure everyone gets to their table without drama. Oh, and they manage the waitlist, which is key to maximizing the profits from each table (and from the bar. "a drink while you wait?").

Key responsibilities:

• Greet and welcome guests as they arrive
• Manage reservations and waitlists
• Seat guests and distribute menus
• Coordinate table availability with servers
• Maintain a clean and organized entrance and host stand

Average US hourly rate: ~$16.46/hr

Top 3 skills required:

• A warm, friendly vibe: The host sets the tone for everything to come
• Organization: Managing resevations requires excellent structure
• Ability to stay cool under pressure: A calm, confident first impression is essential

Waitstaff and servers 

Your servers are the beating heart of your restaurant. They take orders, bring food, and make sure everyone's happy. They've gotta know the menu like the back of their hand, upsell drinks, and keep the orders flowing. Plus, they've got to work with everyone else: kitchen staff, bartenders, you name it. It's a full team effort.

Key responsibilities:

• Take food and drink orders accurately and relay them to the kitchen
• Serve dishes and beverages in a timely manner
• Answer guest questions about the menu and make recommendations
• Upsell specials, drinks, and desserts
• Process payments and handle guest concerns

Average US hourly rate: ~$16.23/hr including tips

Top 3 skills required:

• Great memory: No one likes a server who forgets their order
• Speed: People are impatient, and there are a lot of people to serve in restaurants
• Excellent customer service skills: Not just when it's easy, but when people are unhappy

Bartenders 

A good bartender, or bartender assistant (known as a barback) does more than just pour drinks. They mix cocktails, chat with customers, and keep the bar in check. Whether you're in a fine dining establishment or a casual spot, a bartender needs to be quick and smooth, all while keeping everyone entertained. And they've got to remember who ordered what, even when it's chaos (and it will be chaos).

Key responsibilities:

• Prepare and serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
• Maintain knowledge of cocktail recipes, spirits, and drink pairings
• Monitor guest alcohol intake and ensure responsible service
• Keep the bar stocked, clean, and organized during service
• Handle bar tab payments and cash transactions

Average US hourly rate: ~$16.51/hr including tips

Top 3 skills required:

• Bartending skills and coordination: To know the drinks menu, and to stay on top of complex orders
• Speed and efficiency: Busy, slow-moving bars cost the business sales
• Communication skills: People come for the drinks, but sometimes, they stay for you

Busser or food runners

The unsung heroes of the restaurant world. Bussers clear tables, reset them, and make sure the dining room stays clean. They also help out by refilling water and bringing bread, which means they're always on the move. They don't get a ton of credit, but without them, the place would be a mess.

Key responsibilities:

• Clear and reset tables quickly between seatings
• Refill water glasses and restock bread or condiments
• Assist servers with running food from the kitchen to the table
• Keep the dining room clean and presentable throughout service
• Support FOH staff during peak periods

Average US hourly rate: ~$16.46/hr

Top 3 skills required:

• Speed: The quicker tables are turned over, the more the business can make from that table
• Teamwork: Bussers work, often unnoticed, to support the whole team
• Attention to detail and hygiene: They're responsible for maintaining a presentable dining area

Back of house (BOH) positions

Alright, now let’s head to the back of house (BOH)—aka the engine room of your restaurant. These are the restaurant positions that make the magic happen behind the scenes. From prepping food to handling dish duty, this crew keeps the kitchen running smoothly, making sure food quality is on point and health and safety standards are followed (you really don’t want a health inspector on your case). Let’s break down these restaurant jobs.

Management positions:

Executive chef 

The executive chef (aka the head chef) is the boss of the kitchen. They're in charge of the whole culinary team, running the day-to-day operations, and overseeing everything from menu items to food costs. In fine dining restaurants, they're also responsible for making sure the food looks like a work of art (people eat with their eyes first, no?). The executive chef job description is all about leadership: training other team members, keeping an eye on food quality, and maintaining health and safety standards.

Key responsibilities:

• Design and update menus based on seasonality, costs, and concept
• Lead, train, and manage the full kitchen team
• Oversee food quality, presentation, and consistency across all dishes
• Manage food costs, inventory, and supplier relationships
• Ensure compliance with food safety and hygiene regulations

Average US salary: ~$60,990/yr

Top 3 skills required:

• Culinary skills that'll blow people away: They need to be the best about, helping the other chefs improve
• Leadership: Guiding, spotting issues, and seeing everyone through the chaos of the rush
• Attention to detail: One burnt dish can ruin everything

Sous chef

The sous chef is basically the executive chef's right-hand person. They help run the kitchen and make sure everything goes according to plan. A sous chef's job involves working directly with the head chef and the rest of the team to make sure food is prepped, cooked, and plated perfectly. They also step in when the executive chef is busy handling other things.

Key responsibilities:

• Assist the executive chef with day-to-day kitchen management
• Supervise line cooks and prep staff during service
• Ensure dishes are prepared to standard in the head chef's absence
• Help manage inventory, ordering, and kitchen scheduling
• Train junior kitchen staff

Average US salary: ~$50,000–$65,000/yr

Top 3 skills required:

• Strong culinary skills: A sous chef is second in command, after all
• Excellent time management: Service moves fast
• Leadership: When the exec chef's not around, it's your show

Non-management roles:

Line cook 

Line cooks are the workhorses of the kitchen. They're the ones actually preparing food, cooking dishes to order, and making sure everything comes out looking and tasting amazing. The line cook job description varies depending on your restaurant type, but one thing's for sure: line cooks need to move fast and be consistent.

Key responsibilities:

• Prepare and cook menu items to spec during service
• Set up and break down a designated station at the start and end of each shift
• Maintain food quality, portioning, and presentation standards
• Follow food safety and hygiene protocols at all times
• Communicate with other stations and kitchen staff to coordinate timing

Average US hourly rate: ~$17.19/hr

Top 3 skills required:

• Speed and accuracy: Gotta keep up in a fast-paced environment
• Attention to detail: Making sure every dish is spot on
• Teamwork: Working with other line cooks, sous chefs, and kitchen staff

Prep cook

Prep cooks are very much required in busy restaurants. They handle all the chopping, slicing, dicing, and general prep work (hence the name). You won't see them cooking on the line, but without their prep work, the kitchen would move a whole lot slower. The prep cook job description includes getting ingredients ready, following the head chef's instructions, and keeping the kitchen stocked.

Key responsibilities:

• Wash, chop, portion, and prepare ingredients ahead of service
• Follow recipes and prep lists from senior kitchen staff
• Store ingredients correctly and label items according to food safety rules
• Keep prep areas clean and organized
• Restock line stations throughout service as needed

Average US hourly rate: ~$17.19/hr

Top 3 skills required:

• Strong knife skills: Technique is everything
• Attention to detail: Mistakes lead to much higher wastage
• Food safety knowledge: Everything's gotta be stored and prepped correctly

Dishwasher

The dishwasher position might not sound alluring, but trust me, it's essential. No dishwasher means no clean plates and no service. They're in charge of keeping everything spotless, from plates to pans. They're also often responsible for helping with kitchen cleanup, taking out the trash, and making sure health and safety standards are followed.

Key responsibilities:

• Wash and sanitize all dishes, glassware, utensils, and kitchen equipment
• Return clean items to their correct storage locations promptly
• Remove kitchen waste and keep the back-of-house area tidy
• Support kitchen staff with basic tasks as needed
• Maintain cleaning standards in line with health and safety regulations

Average US hourly rate: ~$16.49/hr

Top 3 skills required:

• Speed: Washing dishes the way people do at home isn't quick enough for a professional kitchen
• Ability to handle the grind: The job has a lot of repetition in it, but getting into the rhythm is crucial to efficiency
• Teamwork: Dishwashers are key to keeping the kitchen running smoothly

Other specialty and extra roles

Now for the specialty roles—these positions might not be in every restaurant, but when they’re there, they bring that extra sparkle. Whether it’s making sure your guests are sipping the perfect wine or enjoying a flawless latte, these roles are all about elevating the experience. And hey, sometimes you need a little extra help too. Let’s dive into some of these restaurant positions.

Sommelier 

The sommelier is basically your wine guru. They're the ones who'll swoop in and save the day when a guest needs the perfect bottle. If you're running a place with a killer wine list, this is your go-to person. They're all about making wine fun and making sure every sip is spot-on.

Key responsibilities:

• Curate and manage the restaurant's wine list
• Advise guests on wine selection and food pairings
• Train front-of-house staff on wine service and menu knowledge
• Manage wine inventory, ordering, and cellar conditions
• Stay current with wine regions, vintages, and industry trends

Average US salary: ~$62,000/yr (industry median across certification levels)

Top 3 skills required:

• Expertise: The right recommendation can make someone's night
• Charisma: This is essentially a sales role
• Calmness: Sommeliers need to make quick, confident recommendations under pressure

Barista 

A barista isn't just someone who makes your coffee; they're an artist. Whether it's a frothy cappuccino or a perfect espresso, they've got it covered. In any restaurant with a coffee focus, this role is key.

Key responsibilities:

• Prepare and serve espresso drinks, filter coffee, and other beverages to order
• Maintain coffee equipment and ensure consistent drink quality
• Handle customer orders quickly and accurately during busy periods
• Keep the bar area clean and stocked throughout the shift
• Educate customers on coffee options and brewing methods where relevant

Average US hourly rate: ~$16.20/hr

Top 3 skills required:

• Coffee knowledge: Knowing every order, and how to improve and upsell takes a barista to the next level
• Ability to multi-task: Juggling multiple orders, especially during rush hour, is an everyday experience
• Calm under pressure: For when the machine starts acting up

Temporary staff 

Sometimes you need an extra hand (or three). That's where temporary staff come in. They're the flexible crew who jump in when things get crazy: extra servers during a busy night or food runners when the place is packed.

Key responsibilities:

• Cover FOH or BOH roles as directed by management
• Pick up tasks quickly with minimal onboarding time
• Support full-time staff during high-volume periods, events, or seasonal rushes
• Maintain the same service standards as permanent team members
• Adapt to different roles and stations as required

Average US hourly rate: Varies by role covered; typically in line with the equivalent permanent position

Top 3 skills required:

• Flexibility: Temp work can be demanding. One minute you're clearing tables, the next you're running food
• Fast learner: It's important pick things up on the fly
• Team spirit: Fitting in where needed and helping out everyone

How many staff does a restaurant need?

Depending on the size of your restaurant, you may want to fill every role we've outlined above, or just a small handful. Getting your team the right size is one of the most consequential decisions you'll make as a restauranteur. Too few staff and service breaks down, while too many will see your labor costs spiralling out of control. So consider when hiring what your restaurant type is, how many covers you expect to serve, and how complex your menus and service style is. As a starting point, the ratios below give you a reliable framework to build from.

Staff-to-table ratios by restaurant type: (stats from gofood)

• Fine dining: 1 server per 2–4 tables (FOH); 6–7 BOH staff per 50 covers
• Casual dining: 1 server per 5–6 tables (FOH); 4 BOH staff per 50 tables
• Fast casual: 1 staff member per 10–15 guests; lean kitchen team of 3–5 per shift
• Quick service: Counter staff scale with covers; 1–2 cooks per station, minimal FOH

Rough team size by restaurant size:

• Small (under 50 covers): 8–15 total staff across all shifts (depending on full-time/part-time balance); 1 manager, 2–4 servers, 3–5 kitchen staff
• Medium (50–150 covers): 15–30 total staff; 2 managers, 5–8 servers, 6–10 kitchen staff, dedicated host and bar roles
• Large (150+ covers): 30–50+ total staff; multiple shift managers, 10+ servers, full kitchen hierarchy from exec chef to dishwasher

Beyond these benchmarks, the real key is reviewing your actual covers data and adjusting regularly. A small fast-casual operation might run with 10–15 total employees across all shifts, while a full-service restaurant doing 150–200 covers per night may need over 3x that. The right number depends on your covers, hours of operation, menu complexity, and service style, so it's not just a case of finding the industry average. As your restaurant grows, roles that were once shared (a server who also buses, a manager who also runs the pass etc.) might need to be separated out. Hiring ahead of demand, rather than reacting to it, is the difference between a smooth scale-up and a chaotic one.

The most common mistake is building the same schedule every week regardless of what the data shows. Guest traffic fluctuates by day, by season, and even by weather, and your schedule should reflect that. Use your Epos Now reporting tools along with the payroll integration (you can integrate with apps like Deputy if you prefer) to make it easier to match staffing levels to real demand, so you're not paying for coverage you don't need or short-changing your team on a busy Friday night.

Emerging restaurant roles for 2026

The restaurant industry is evolving fast, and there are a handful of newer roles you may start to see with increasing regularity in some businesses.

• Sustainability Managers try to improve waste reduction, ethical sourcing, and environmental compliance as regulations tighten and guest expectations shift.
• Guest Experience Managers sit somewhere between a traditional FOH manager and a customer relations manager, focusing on retention, reviews, and service consistency across every channel.
• Digital Marketing Specialists manage social media, email, online reputation, and delivery platform presence to get people through the door or placing orders.
• Delivery Coordinators have become essential for restaurants running significant third-party delivery volume, managing platform relationships, packaging standards, and order accuracy.

How Epos Now’s software can help to organise your team members

Managing a restaurant can be a wild ride, but Epos Now’s point of sale software makes it way easier. Our restaurant POS systems are built to keep things running smoothly, so you can focus on keeping your customers happy.

Let’s start with our kitchen display system. Forget about paper tickets and messy orders—everything you need goes straight to the kitchen in real-time. Your chefs and kitchen staff see exactly what’s coming up and can get it done without any mix-ups. 

For handling payment processing, Epos Now’s store software has you covered. It makes transactions quick and easy, so your servers can get back to doing what they do best—making sure your guests are enjoying their meals.

Don’t forget about the software apps. Epos Now offers CRM to manage customer relationships, Loyalty to keep your regulars coming back, Delivery to handle online orders smoothly, and Online Ordering so customers can place orders anytime. It’s all about making things simple and efficient.

With Epos Now, you’ve got everything you need to keep your team organized and your restaurant running like a clockwork. Less fuss, more focus on what really matters—serving great food and making your customers smile.