Back Waiter? Runner? These and Other Front of House Restaurant Jobs Explained

“Guests come back to the places that make them feel engaged, educated, and entertained,” says Mishel LeDoux, ICE Director of Hospitality & Restaurant Management, which often comes down to the technical proficiency and emotional capacity of a restaurant's dining room staff.

An excellent menu can be enhanced by a gracious and skilled front of house (FOH) team, which is why a deep understanding of FOH roles is a major component in ICE’s Restaurant and Culinary Management program.

But while servers and bartenders are the key players in mid-level and casual restaurants, FOH teams in fine dining establishments include a multitude of positions that work together to execute seamless service.

Here’s an explanation of FOH roles in fine dining, including functions, competencies and interplay.

The Importance of Front of House Roles in Restaurants

Some restaurant ratings are based entirely on the merit of the food. The Michelin organization, for example, only evaluates what a restaurant puts on plates. They do this to allow all types of restaurants — not just fine dining — to earn stars. Newspaper and other media reviews, however, will frequently consider service when deciding which restaurants they recommend to their readers.

While stars and reviews can encourage first time diners, long-term success in restaurants is based on repeat customers. As such, service is a vital part of the business.

“While craveable food provides an immediate dopamine hit in the brains of ecstatic diners, the long-term value of feeling cared for by the front of house hospitality staff has the power to produce lifelong relationships with guests,” says Brian Konopka, Dean of Culinary Management.

“For true and lasting success in this industry, a restaurant and its staff need to consistently provide both of these benefits to their guests,” he adds.

A Team Approach to Successful Front of House Operations

Upper echelon restaurants rely on many more positions than just servers, bussers, and bartenders to execute a graceful service. For fine dining, a team approach with numerous players is vital to managing a multi-course dining experience without appearing strained.

“To master the sequence of service steps in fine dining, a team effort in which the roles and responsibilities of each member are clearly defined and well-orchestrated is a must,” says Konopka. 

“The talents needed to artfully employ these steps run the gamut between various mechanical and psychological skills,” he says. 

“Successfully running a tray of fully loaded martini glasses from the bar through the obstacle course of a dining room at full dinner rush differs greatly from the psychological sophistication needed to determine just the right amount of attention any table may or may not require for optimal satisfaction.”

LeDoux concurs: “Each position must know their role in order to give each guest the same experience,” she says, noting however that “personalized hospitality” is just as important in creating a comfortable atmosphere and memorable experience from start to finish.

Different Front of House Roles in Dining Rooms

Every business will have its own staffing setup, but here are some of the common FOH roles in fine dining restaurants.

• Back Waiter / Food Runner: Supporting roles in a dining room go by a number of names, but back waiters, food runners, and server assistants are all support roles that provide opportunities for learning and growth. Staff that start in these roles often move up to front waiter, server, and captain roles. 

  Duties can include delivering plates from the kitchen and describing dishes to guests; refilling water; stocking service stations; clearing tables between courses; resetting tables between parties; and generally assisting dining room staff, as needed.

• Expeditor: An expeditor is often considered a front of house role. However, its function resides in the kitchen. The expediter is responsible for managing the flow of plates from the kitchen to guests’ tables.

  It’s a complex role that involves precise communication, often under great pressure, with the sous chef and/or line cooks around the timing of dishes — specifically, when to fire (begin cooking) certain courses. Expeditors also check finished plates for quality, consistency, and allergen contamination before handing plates off to food runners for delivery to the correct guests at the correct tables.

• Front Waiter: Front waiters directly support captains and lead servers in attending to their tables. A captain and front waiter will engage with the tables in their section throughout service, and they will be in constant communication about the pacing of each table’s service and the needs of its guests.

  Front waiters are often responsible for setting tables with appropriate silverware between courses; communicating with the kitchen/expeditor about the pace of each table in their section; and maintaining beverage levels, which may include taking drink orders, running drinks from the bar, and pouring wine. Additionally, front waiters support the whole of the dining room as needed, including all of the duties typically fulfilled by back waiters.

• Captain/Server: The captain or lead server is the point person for each of the tables in their section. They present menus and explain the restaurant concept, take beverage and food orders, and communicate allergy information to the kitchen and bar.

  The captain works closely with the front waiter to execute each table’s meal. They check with guests after each course is presented, and generally ensure guests in their section feel attended to, advising the full FOH team when a guest would like more attention or more space, and communicating when to speed up or slow down their meal.

• Sommelier: Sommelier jobs comprise several functions. Sommeliers are wine experts who help guide guests through beverage selection during their meal. Their focus is often on wine, and can include making recommendations, taking orders, retrieving bottles from wine storage, delivering drinks from the bar, maintaining glass levels, and stocking and polishing glassware.

  Somms communicate with captains and front waiters regarding the pace of the meal for each table, especially when guests have ordered wine pairings that change with every course.

Learning About Front of House and Looking Forward

The roles in a dining room must be understood by anyone considering a career in restaurant management.

“At ICE, student modules include mapping and simulating the steps of service for the different categories of dining establishments at different price points in order to meet guest expectations,” says LeDoux, “while always placing human connection and empathy at the forefront of guest interactions.”

For all of these roles, advancement occurs when staff demonstrate both proficiency in their position and the ability to perform duties across multiple positions. Successful restaurant managers can empower their team to desire additional knowledge and technical skill.

“Upskilling your FOH repertoire where possible adds tremendous value for any employer,” says Konopka.

“For example, a server or front waiter with knowledge of the wine list and the ability to make educated recommendations for food and wine pairings within a desired price point can lead to a rapid rise up the front of house hierarchy to captain or service manager.”

Flexibility among team members and an innate sense of hospitality are also key in evolving restaurant structures.

“Leadership may need to combine roles as labor increases and challenges arise,” says LeDoux. “We teach and mentor how to fulfill job responsibilities and technical tasks, but [owners should] hire for great character and soft skills that are hard to teach.”

LeDoux's ideas were reinforced by Danny Meyer, Founder of Shake Shack and Union Square Hospitality Group, when he spoke about staffing on a recent panel at ICE's NY campus. Noting that he is "resolute in promoting 100 percenters," he said, "People who get promoted [in our organization] are people who are the best at what they do and the best at our culture."

To explore restaurant culture, staff management and the foundational skills central to leading and/or owning a successful food business, consider ICE's Restaurant & Culinary Management program. Numerous award-winning alumni, many of whom were recently named to The New York Times' 100 Best Restaurants of 2025 list (one example: Sameer Bhatt), employ its lessons in their current work.