Front of House vs Back of House & How to Improve Communication Between the Two

When you speak about front of house vs back of house, you’re talking about two halves of a restaurant that must operate as one to ensure maximum efficiency.

What is the difference between front of house vs back of house? Front of house or FOH refers to the areas of your restaurant customers can see i.e. dining area and service counter. While back of house refers to the areas of your restaurant customers do not typically see, i.e. the kitchen and storage areas.

If you’re new to the restaurant industry or, you just want to dig deeper into two of its most well-known terms, you’re in the right place.

In this article, we’ll explore:

• The key differences between front of house vs back of house
• Their roles, responsibilities, and common job positions
• Technology solutions that improve communication and streamline operations

If communication breakdowns or workflow issues are slowing down your service, keep reading. The right tools and structure can transform how your teams work together.

In the restaurant industry, front of house, also called FOH, refers to all the customer-facing actions and areas in a restaurant’s daily flow.

For example, the dining area is part of the front of house, and so is greeting guests who come in.

A front of house synonym would be public-facing or guest-facing.

Back of house, also abbreviated to BOH, refers to all the areas that customers don’t see, from kitchen to storage, staff break room, and office spaces.

It also includes all the operations that happen behind the scenes, from food preparation to stocking, or plating the dishes.

Differentiating between front of house vs back of house needs understanding shared goals. This leads to less communication gaps and synchronised operations.

When you’re walking into a restaurant, here’s what are considered front of house areas:

• Host station
• Dining area
• Waiting area
• Bar area
• Checkout counter
• Outdoor seating
• Customer bathrooms

These are all the behind-the-scenes areas of a restaurant:

• Kitchen
• Dishwashing area
• Storage area
• Food prep area
• Waste management area
• Loading dock area
• Employee break room
• Employee bathrooms
• Manager offices
• Maintenance area

The difference between front of house vs back of house is more than physical space. It’s also about workflow, responsibility, and timing.

Depending on the size and scope of your restaurant, these are the most common positions covering front of house operations:

• Server
• Bartender
• Host
• Busser or food runner
• Cashier (most common if you also serve items over the counter)
• Shift supervisor
• Floor manager
• General manager

Here is a list of the staff that would typically cover back of the house operations in a restaurant:

• Head chef
• Sous chef
• Pastry chef
• Line cook
• Prep cook
• Dishwasher
• Kitchen manager
• Maintenance team
• Accountants

What is front of house staff in charge of? Let’s find out:

• Greeting and seating customers
• Answering phones
• Managing online orders and reservations
• Taking dine-in orders
• Sending orders to the BOH staff
• Serving food
• Making and serving drinks
• Front of house customer service (i.e. presenting the menu, answering customers’ questions, addressing complaints)
• Upselling
• Handling payment transactions
• Resetting tables before they seat the next party
• Taking the dirty dishes to the kitchen to be cleaned

Moving on to the back of house architecture, here’s what your BOH staff is in charge of:

• Preparing food orders transmitted from the FOH through the kitchen printers
• Cleaning the dishes
• Cleaning and sanitizing all the kitchen surfaces
• Menu planning and development
• Managing supplies and reordering inventory
• Managing food waste
• Organizing inventory and cleaning supplies
• Following food safety standards
• Coordinating with the FOH staff to ensure fast and effective order delivery

Main front of house areas: Lists guest-facing spaces like host station, dining area, bar, outdoor seating, and restrooms.

Main back of house areas: Lists kitchen, dishwashing, storage, employee break room, loading dock etc., showing that BOH covers many support functions.

Most common front of house positions: Positions like server, bartender, host, cashier, supervisor, floor or general manager.

Most common back of house positions: Roles such as head chef, sous chef, line cook, prep cook, dishwasher, kitchen manager, maintenance.

Top front of house duties & responsibilities: Includes greeting/seating guests, managing orders & reservations, serving, handling payments, upselling, resetting tables.

Top back of house duties & responsibilities: Encompasses food preparation, cleaning & sanitation, inventory management, menu planning, coordinating with FOH for timely delivery.

Technology can make your front of house staff’s work easier. Here is some software you should consider investing in for your FOH:

1.Front of house POS system

A restaurant POS system can help you:

• Quickly and easily process multiple types of payment
• Increase table turnover
• Reduce order errors
• Improve communication between FOH and BOH
• Keep track of inventory to prevent food waste
• Make informed business decisions based on information from your POS reports

2. Online ordering system

In this day and age, you can’t just rely on your dine-in sales if you want your restaurant to thrive and stand the test of time.

You should also accept pickup and delivery orders, which is a task that usually falls on your FOH staff’s shoulders.

But what if we told you that you could take that off their plates? How? By using the GloriaFood POS system, which comes with free built-in online ordering.

You can activate it in minutes, and orders will be automatically received by the POS and transmitted to the kitchen for preparation – zero effort from your FOH staff.

3. On premise ordering system

Would you like to eliminate the back-and-forth that normally happens when a new customer comes in? (bringing the menu, taking their drinks order, coming back for the food order, etc.)

Replace your physical menu with a digital QR menu ordering code that customers can simply scan on their smartphones. They can then browse the menu, place an order, and pay for it, all without interacting with a server.

Good news for you: If you’re already using the GloriaFood POS and online ordering system, you can enable on premise ordering for free in seconds.

Simply create the QR codes, print them on flyers, and display them on every table. From now on, you can make unlimited changes to the menu without having to reprint them every time.

Curious to see how this works? Watch the video below to see how your customers will be able to order & pay by scanning a QR code.

P.S.: Take out your phone and scan it yourself to see 😊

Check out this video tutorial to learn how to enable on premise ordering:

4. Table reservation system

Your front of house staff is not only in charge of accepting online orders, but reservations as well.

No need to look for a separate service to help you accept table bookings. You can do it from your GloriaFood restaurant dashboard.

And there’s more! You can also enable the pre-order feature that lets your customers order and pay for their food in advance when they book a table.

That way, you can attract customers who are in a hurry and just want to stop by for a quick meal.

FOH technology includes POS systems, online ordering, QR code menu ordering, and table reservation tools, all aimed at improving guest experience and operational efficiency.

To ensure your back of house staff work better and faster, here are some tools you should consider:

1. Kitchen display system

A kitchen display system, also called a KDS, is a digital screen that can show orders to your kitchen staff in real-time.

They are a useful but potentially pricey option, especially if you run a small restaurant. If budget is on your mind, buying one or several dedicated kitchen printers will do the trick.

GloriaFood POS offers some of the most reliable kitchen dot printers on the market. Here’s why:

• Designed to withstand temperatures of up to 50 degrees, which can be common in a restaurant kitchen;
• Capable of supporting up to 90% humidity;
• Print without ink so you don’t run the risk of smudges or only partially printing an order;
• Optimized for high-speed throughput and crisp printing;
• You can print right-side-up or provide two-color printing for exceptions.

2. Inventory management system

This tool helps you easily track stock levels and know when it’s time to repurchase an ingredient. It can also help minimize waste and food costs, so it comes in handy in any restaurant kitchen.

If you can’t afford a separate inventory management system, look for a POS with inventory functions, such as the GloriaFood POS.

You can keep track of stock levels by setting a quantity for every menu item and updating it as you go along.

Plus, if you’re also using GloriaFood to accept orders online and on premise, items will be automatically marked as out-of-stock on the menu when you input quantity 0 on the POS.

This way, customers make informed decisions and can always be in the loop about what items are available for them to order.

3. Employee scheduling software

Employee scheduling software can help larger restaurant chains or franchises automate their staff’s schedules due to the large number of employees.

If you own a small restaurant with few employees, the high price point of such a tool might not be worth it for you.

4. Restaurant procurement software

You can automate purchasing inventory and other goods with restaurant procurement software. However, this can cost up to $75,000 a year. Unless you can afford to invest in this type of technology, you can designate someone on your team to be in charge of procurement.

BOH technology highlights tools like kitchen display systems (KDS), inventory management, employee scheduling, and procurement systems that support the kitchen and behind-scenes workflows.

Balancing front of house vs back of house operations can prove tricky if you don’t know where to start.

You should start with a POS system. Why? Because it provides instant communication between your FOH and BOH.

For example, you can connect multiple printers to your POS workstation for different kitchen destinations. Then, assign specific printers to different menu categories.

That way, when an order is sent to the kitchen, it will go directly to the designated printer, so the kitchen staff can start working on it ASAP.

This automated process also lowers the risk of human error (e.g.: the server speaking the order out loud in a noisy kitchen and the chef misunderstanding).

And you know what the best part is? This communication between your FOH and BOH won’t be affected by technical issues like an unreliable internet connection.

GloriaFood POS’s offline mode ensures you can continue your work as usual, including order-taking, sending orders to the kitchen, and payment processing, without missing a beat.

A POS system acts as a bridge between FOH and BOH, enabling faster, more accurate order communication, reducing errors and delays, and thus enhancing guest satisfaction.

Modern restaurants must balance rising customer expectations with labor shortages, and new technologies. They need to do this while keeping communication between FOH and BOH seamless. Achieving that balance is not easy, many of the industry’s most common issues come from these two important teams not being on the same page.

One major challenge is communication breakdown. Menus are becoming more customizable and service models more complex. Even small miscommunications between servers and kitchen staff can lead to errors, wasted food, and frustrated guests.

Technology adoption is another important point. While tools like POS systems and kitchen display systems are designed to connect FOH and BOH, improper usage or poor integration can slow down service rather than improve it.

Labor shortages complicate matters even more. With fewer skilled staff available, both FOH and BOH teams are often stretched thin, leading to burnout and mistakes during peak hours. Meanwhile, customer expectations have evolved. Diners expect faster service, more accurate orders, and real-time updates, which require tight coordination between both sides of the operation.

Finally, the shift toward online ordering and delivery has changed traditional workflows, forcing restaurants to juggle dine-in, takeout, and third-party orders without putting too much pressure on kitchen capacity or service quality.

Modern challenge is not just managing the front and back separately. It is learning how to make them operate as one unified system, supported by clear communication, well-integrated technology, and a shared commitment to guest satisfaction.

• Implement a unified POS system: Use a modern POS that connects FOH orders directly to BOH displays or printers to eliminate handwritten errors and reduce ticket times.
• Standardize communication protocols: Train staff to use clear, consistent language for order modifications, special requests, and allergy notes to prevent misunderstandings.
• Streamline menu design: Simplify the menu to improve kitchen efficiency and help servers learn dishes faster, reducing confusion during peak hours.
• Establish clear prep and plating stations: Organize BOH work areas by task to minimize cross-traffic and maintain speed and consistency.
• Schedule pre-shift meetings: Brief both FOH and BOH teams on expected volume, menu changes, and VIP reservations to align expectations before service.
• Encourage feedback loops:Create regular check-ins between FOH managers and kitchen leads to identify recurring issues and refine processes continuously.

Are front of house vs back of house operations giving you a headache? There is a quick and easy way to streamline operations between your restaurant’s two main teams: a POS system.

The right POS system will improve communication between FOH and BOH, which will lead to happier employees and equally happy clients.

What are you waiting for? Give GloriaFood POS a try.