How to Staff a Restaurant With the Right Team Structure

Staffing a restaurant involves hiring the right mix of management, front-of-house, and back-of-house employees for the restaurant’s service model and labor budget. Smaller concepts may combine several responsibilities, while busy full-service restaurants typically need more specialized positions.

Once those roles are defined, operators need a reliable way to onboard employees, track their time, and pay them accurately. Toast Payroll and Team Management connects payroll with POS timesheets, hours, breaks, tips, overtime, and employees working different positions at different pay rates, helping managers keep staffing information organized as the team grows.

This guide explains how restaurant staffing hierarchies work, what each position does, and how to determine the right headcount for your concept.

Key takeaways

• Restaurant staffing should match the concept’s service model, operating hours, guest volume, and labor budget.

• Every restaurant needs clear management, FOH, and BOH responsibilities, even when employees cover multiple roles.

• Headcount should reflect daypart demand, station coverage, employee availability, and total labor costs.

• Hire leaders first, then use specific job descriptions, structured interviews, and role-based training to build the wider team.

How is a restaurant staff structured?

A restaurant staff generally includes three groups: management, front of house, and back of house. These groups have different responsibilities but must work together throughout each shift.

• Management: Coordinates employees, finances, service, and kitchen operations.

• Front of house: Manages the guest experience from arrival through payment.

• Back of house: Prepares food and supports kitchen production.

• Smaller restaurants: May combine positions while assigning each responsibility clearly.

• Larger restaurants: Typically add department managers, station leaders, and specialized roles.

The exact organizational structure depends on the concept. A counter-service restaurant may rely on a general manager and shift leaders, while a fine-dining restaurant may have separate dining-room, bar, and kitchen management teams.

Restaurant management positions

Restaurant managers connect ownership, FOH employees, and BOH employees.

Owner or operator

The owner or operator sets the restaurant’s direction and decides how the business should be structured.

• Concept: Defines the restaurant’s menu, service model, and brand.

• Financial oversight: Approves budgets, major purchases, and financial goals.

• Leadership: Hires senior managers and establishes operating standards.

• Daily involvement: May run the restaurant directly or delegate operations to a general manager.

General manager

A general manager oversees daily operations across the FOH and BOH.

• Team leadership: Directs department managers and shift supervisors.

• Performance: Monitors sales, labor, service, inventory, and profitability.

• Staffing: Leads hiring, training, scheduling, and performance management.

• Problem-solving: Handles major employee, operational, and guest issues.

Assistant general manager

An assistant manager supports the general manager and provides additional leadership coverage.

• Shift supervision: Oversees assigned openings, closings, and dayparts.

• Operational support: Resolves employee and guest issues during service.

• Department ownership: May manage scheduling, inventory, events, or a specific team.

• Leadership coverage: Takes over when the general manager is unavailable.

Shift manager or shift leader

A shift manager directs employees during a specific shift rather than managing the entire business.

• Station assignments: Places employees where they are needed.

• Break coverage: Coordinates breaks without leaving essential positions uncovered.

• Immediate decisions: Responds to service, kitchen, and staffing problems.

• Shift procedures: Completes opening, closing, cash-control, and manager handoffs.

Front-of-house positions and hierarchy

The front of house includes the employees and spaces guests interact with directly. A common FOH hierarchy is:

General manager → FOH manager → shift leader or service captain → guest-facing and support staff

Front-of-house manager

The FOH manager leads the dining-room or counter-service team.

• Service: Maintains guest-service standards.

• Team supervision: Manages hosts, servers, bartenders, runners, bussers, and cashiers.

• Guest recovery: Resolves complaints and service problems.

• Coordination: Communicates timing, menu changes, and guest needs to kitchen leaders.

Host

A restaurant host manages the beginning of the guest experience.

• Greeting: Welcomes guests and answers initial questions.

• Seating: Manages reservations, waitlists, and table rotation.

• Communication: Shares table status and special requests with the service team.

• Flow: Avoids seating more tables than servers or the kitchen can handle at once.

Server

A restaurant server guides guests through the meal.

• Menu guidance: Explains dishes, beverages, and specials.

• Order entry: Records selections, modifications, and allergy information accurately.

• Table service: Monitors each table throughout the meal.

• Payment: Presents checks and processes payments.

Bartender

A bartender prepares beverages while serving bar guests and supporting dining-room orders.

• Drink production: Makes alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.

• Guest service: Takes orders and processes payments at the bar.

• Inventory: Restocks supplies and reports shortages.

• Compliance: Follows alcohol-service and identification requirements.

Cashier or counter attendant

Cashiers and counter attendants are common in quick-service, fast-casual, café, and takeout-focused restaurants.

• Ordering: Accepts orders at a counter, drive-thru, or pickup area.

• Payment: Processes cash, card, and digital payments.

• Accuracy: Confirms order details before sending them to the kitchen.

• Support: May package orders, manage pickup, or restock service areas.

Food runner

Food runners move completed dishes from the kitchen to the correct guests.

• Delivery: Brings food to the right table and seat.

• Accuracy: Checks table numbers, seat positions, and dish details.

• Communication: Reports missing or incorrect items immediately.

• Server support: Helps servers manage more tables without leaving food waiting in the kitchen.

Busser

A busser supports table service and dining-room turnover.

• Table maintenance: Clears, cleans, and resets tables.

• Restocking: Replenishes service stations and table supplies.

• Server support: Assists with water, side work, and clearing courses.

• Dining-room readiness: Keeps guest areas clean and prepared for incoming parties.

Specialized FOH positions

Restaurants with complex service or beverage programs may need additional FOH roles.

• Reservationist: Manages bookings, confirmations, and guest communications.

• Service captain: Leads a dining-room section or team of servers.

• Bar manager: Oversees bartenders, inventory, beverage costs, and compliance.

• Sommelier: A restaurant sommelier manages wine recommendations, service, education, and inventory.

Back-of-house positions and hierarchy

A clear kitchen hierarchy establishes authority and production responsibilities during service. A common BOH hierarchy is:

Executive chef or chef de cuisine → kitchen manager or sous chef → line cooks → prep cooks and kitchen support

Smaller restaurants may use a kitchen manager instead of a traditional culinary brigade. Larger operations may employ several layers of chefs and station leaders.

Executive chef, chef de cuisine, or head chef

The distinction between an executive chef and chef de cuisine depends on the restaurant’s size and structure.

• Culinary direction: Sets menus, recipes, and quality standards.

• Leadership: Directs kitchen managers, sous chefs, and cooks.

• Cost control: Oversees food costs, sourcing, and major purchasing decisions.

• Organizational scope: In a restaurant group, an executive chef may set the broader direction while a chef de cuisine runs one kitchen.

Kitchen manager

A kitchen manager leads daily kitchen operations with an operational rather than purely culinary focus. Kitchen managers commonly serve as the top BOH leader in casual, fast-casual, and quick-service restaurants.

• Staffing: Schedules kitchen employees and assigns work.

• Inventory: Coordinates ordering, receiving, and product storage.

• Compliance: Monitors sanitation, food safety, and equipment.

• Execution: Keeps prep and production moving according to demand.

Sous chef

A sous chef is typically the kitchen’s second-in-command.

• Supervision: Directs line cooks and prep cooks.

• Quality control: Checks food preparation and presentation.

• Administration: Assists with scheduling, inventory, ordering, and training.

• Leadership coverage: Runs the kitchen when the head chef or kitchen manager is unavailable.

Line cook

A line cook prepares menu items at an assigned station. Depending on the menu, stations may include grill, sauté, fry, pantry, pizza, or dessert.

• Setup: Stocks and organizes the station before service.

• Cooking: Follows recipes, portions, and quality standards.

• Timing: Coordinates with other stations so each order finishes together.

• Breakdown: Cleans and restocks the station after service.

Prep cook

A prep cook prepares ingredients before service.

• Ingredient preparation: Washes, cuts, portions, and labels products.

• Consistency: Follows recipes and prep lists.

• Station support: Supplies cooks before and during service.

• Storage: Handles ingredients according to food-safety procedures.

Expediter

The expediter, or expo, controls the handoff between the kitchen and dining room. Expo may be a dedicated position or a responsibility handled by a chef or manager.

• Order organization: Groups dishes by ticket and table.

• Quality control: Checks each plate for accuracy and presentation.

• Timing: Coordinates kitchen stations so complete orders leave together.

• Handoff: Directs servers or runners and communicates corrections.

Dishwasher or kitchen porter

A dishwasher keeps dishes, cookware, and utensils available throughout service.

• Dishwashing: Cleans and sanitizes tableware and cooking equipment.

• Organization: Returns clean items to the correct stations.

• Kitchen support: Helps maintain floors, waste areas, and workspaces.

• Continuity: Prevents service delays caused by unavailable tools or tableware.

Specialized BOH positions

Some restaurants need specialized employees based on their menus, purchasing volume, or kitchen structure.

• Pastry chef or baker: A pastry chef produces breads, pastries, desserts, and specialty baked goods.

• Purchasing manager: Orders products and manages vendor relationships.

• Receiver: Checks deliveries for quantity, quality, temperature, and accuracy.

• Steward: Oversees dishwashing, sanitation, and kitchen-support teams.

What positions does each type of restaurant need?

Every restaurant needs leadership, food preparation, guest service, payment, and cleaning responsibilities covered. However, different types of restaurants divide these responsibilities in different ways.

• Quick-service restaurant: General manager, shift leaders, cashiers, line or assembly cooks, prep cooks, and dishwashers.

• Fast-casual restaurant: General manager, shift leaders, counter attendants, line cooks, prep cooks, food runners, and dishwashers.

• Café or bakery: Manager, baristas or cashiers, bakers or prep cooks, counter attendants, and dishwashers.

• Full-service restaurant: General manager, FOH manager, hosts, servers, bartenders, runners, bussers, kitchen manager or chef, sous chef, cooks, expo, and dishwashers.

• Fine-dining restaurant: Full-service positions plus service captains, sommeliers, specialized chefs, pastry employees, reservationists, and additional support roles.

Use these structures as starting points rather than fixed requirements. The menu, ordering channels, dining-room capacity, operating hours, and expected level of service determine which positions are essential.

How many restaurant employees do you need?

There is no universal number of employees a restaurant needs. Effective restaurant scheduling balances expected demand, employee availability, station coverage, and labor costs.

Staffing too lean can also create costs. Toast's 2025 Voice of the Restaurant Industry Survey found that roughly four in ten (41%) operators report facing moderate or extreme hiring challenges, a level the report calls a five-year high. Rather than absorb the cost of being short-staffed, operators are shifting resources elsewhere to compensate: the top responses are increasing staff efficiency (47%), implementing new retention strategies (42%), and optimizing shift scheduling (39%).

• Start with the service model: List the work created by table service, counter service, takeout, delivery, and other ordering channels, then determine which responsibilities can reasonably be combined.

• Forecast demand by daypart: Estimate guest or order volume for each shift using historical counts, seasonal patterns, events, and expected demand—not revenue alone.

• Map every station: Identify who will cover management, service, cooking, expo, dishwashing, prep, receiving, setup, cleaning, and employee breaks.

• Calculate total headcount: Add the weekly coverage hours for each position and account for employee availability, time off, training, illness, and turnover.

• Check the labor budget: Include wages, payroll taxes, benefits, overtime, and training while protecting positions essential to safety, food quality, and service.

• Cross-train compatible positions: Train employees to cover related responsibilities during callouts or demand changes without giving one person an unrealistic workload.

How to hire and onboard restaurant staff

A staffing chart only works when each position is filled by someone with the appropriate skills, availability, and expectations. A clear restaurant onboarding process is also essential for helping new employees understand their roles and learn the restaurant’s workflows.

• Write specific job descriptions: Define the role’s duties, reporting relationships, schedule, qualifications, physical requirements, and employment type.

• Hire leaders first: Recruit the general manager, chef, and department leaders early so they can help interview, organize, and train the wider team.

• Use structured interviews: Ask candidates for the same position the same core questions, then compare their technical skills, communication, judgment, and teamwork consistently.

• Check role-specific skills: Use relevant cooking demonstrations, guest-service scenarios, beverage assessments, or certification checks instead of testing skills the employee will not use.

• Complete onboarding: Collect employment and payroll information, review policies and compensation, explain the reporting structure, and provide access to required systems before training begins.

• Train by position: Use checklists, demonstrations, shadow shifts, and clear performance standards before employees work independently. A study of more than 120 hospitality training leaders found that 61% of restaurant operators prioritized basic job-skills training, according to the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers.

• Review early performance: Provide feedback during the employee’s first days and weeks, address unclear responsibilities, and identify additional training or cross-training needs.

Keep FOH, BOH, and management working as one team

Hiring the right positions is only part of staffing a restaurant. Managers also need a clear way to organize employees, coordinate handoffs, and match labor coverage with demand.

Toast POS connects order entry, kitchen activity, payments, employee time, and reporting. This gives managers shared operational information for assigning responsibilities, monitoring service, and comparing staffing levels with actual order volume.

Because FOH, BOH, and management work from the same connected system, operators can more easily determine whether recurring delays come from staffing coverage, training, or workflow—and make targeted improvements.

FAQs

What are the most important restaurant positions to hire first?

Hire the general manager and chef or kitchen leader first so they can help recruit, organize, and train the FOH and BOH teams.

What is the highest-paying restaurant job?

Executive chefs and general managers are typically among the highest-paid restaurant employees, although compensation varies by concept, location, experience, and responsibilities.

How many staff does a restaurant need?

A restaurant needs enough employees to cover every essential station based on its service model, operating hours, expected guest volume, and labor budget.

What’s the difference between front of house and back of house?

Front-of-house employees manage guest-facing service, while back-of-house employees prepare food and support kitchen production.