Front Of House Restaurant Staff: Positions And What They Wear
As the face of your establishment, your front-of-house (FOH) staff sets the tone for first impressions and expectations. By interacting with guests to enhance their experience, they play a crucial role in the success of a business.
Your uniform of choice for customer-facing positions should be carefully curated to ensure it aligns with your branding, represents the tone of your establishment, and is a comfortable choice for staff.
Fabrics, functionality, and personalized branding options should be considered when designing FOH uniforms to create a sophisticated look that compliments your brand while allowing your staff to perform at their best.
FOH Positions
There are many FOH positions in the hospitality industry, each very different with specific responsibilities, but each is equally important when it comes to ensuring a smooth operation and excellent service.
Numerous FOH positions require carefully thought-out uniform designs and materials to suit their individual duties, so we’ve taken a look at the most common positions and what their ideal uniform looks like.
Front Of House Host/Hostess
Your hosts are the first point of contact for your customers. From managing reservations and waiting areas to seating guests and ensuring bookings are running smoothly, your host is a crucial link between back and front of house.
Managing delayed tables, dealing with unhappy guests, or general day-to-day stresses are common in these roles, and remaining professional and prioritizing guests, even under times of pressure, is a vital part of the job.
So, what should your host or hostess wear?
While your host must represent professionalism and elegance, so must their uniform.
As the first point of contact for customers, this is the prime opportunity to really set the tone for the experience. Confidence and comfort are two of the most important factors to consider when designing your host and hostess uniforms. While they must look the part, they must feel the same in their uniform.
Front Of House Servers
A FOH server is a dynamic role. As the middle person between multiple teams and the customers, servers are busy running on their feet from the start to the end of their shift. Due to the nature of their role, they often must adapt quickly to last-minute requests, such as jumping behind the bar during busy periods and taking on more tables during coworker lunch breaks.
As one of the busiest roles in the hospitality industry, servers are also the face of the company. They are your direct point of contact with customers to set expectations. With options for modern, rustic, and casual looks to classic, banquet, and formal uniforms, plenty of options are available to suit your brand. Things to consider when selecting the perfect server uniform:
- Tone: Do you offer a formal, fine-dining restaurant experience? Opting for a black, white, or navy dress and banded shirts paired with a formal stretch trouser might be one possibility. Perhaps your guests expect a more modern and casual atmosphere from their visit. Short-sleeved chambray shirts and stretch chinos are great for a more relaxed look.
- Aprons: are an essential for servers. Although they are highly functional with pockets for essentials and protect the uniform from hot food splashes and drink spillage, they also perfectly tie the look together when designed right.
- Nametags: are also highly recommended as they can greatly improve staff and guests' communication and relationships. Think about it: if your server's nametag had your name written on it, it would be hard not to strike up a conversation!
Bartender Uniforms
Ease of movement is vital for bartender uniforms. Their uniforms require comfort and versatility, from creating cocktails and performing tricks to lifting heaving kegs and reaching for that (expensive bottle of whiskey) on the top shelf.
Wear and tear are inevitable while working behind the bar, so long-lasting materials are a must for these positions. Think: durable and easily cleaned fabrics in colors that match your brand.
From speakeasy uniforms and cocktail dresses to regular bartender and pub-style uniforms, Stock has a broad selection of options to choose from to suit your unique brand style. Like with servers, aprons are non-negotiables for bartenders.
A waxed canvas apron is a classic look for any bartender. For keeping essentials like bottle openers, towels, and notepads within reach, pocketed aprons are perfect for busy bar staff serving customers and mixing cocktails.
Footwear is another essential part of a bartender's uniform. Non-slip, comfortable shoes are vital for staff who are on their feet all day. Remember, comfortable and functional can still be stylish, too!Busser Uniforms
Bussers are responsible for assisting in multiple areas of a hospitality establishment. Typical responsibilities include table set up, cleaning duties, restocking, assisting servers with table clearing, and helping hosts with the flow of guests and table turnover. They are a master of all trades in a very dynamic and constantly changing role, and their position is crucial in the overall execution of a smooth-running establishment.
Bussers normally have a uniform that subtly reflects the brand, style, and business tone. As they work in a mix of back and front of house, their uniforms should be designed to reflect both environments, the professionalism the FOH uniforms have with the functionality needed to undertake back-of-house tasks.
Sommeliers
Another FOH position commonly found in fine dining restaurants, luxury hotels, private clubs, and wine bars, wine connoisseurs bring a high level of sophistication and elegance to an establishment. As part of their role, they are responsible for curating wine lists that complement the menu and preparing wine pairings for each dish.
Sommeliers share their expensive knowledge to train staff and educate guests on wine regions, recommended storage of wines, and insights into winemaking processes.
You probably won’t find a sommelier in your local dive bar or lower-scale restaurant, so when it comes to what they wear, think sophistication and elegance.
Depending on the tone, a fine dining restaurant might opt for a formal uniform with a waistcoat and tie. There are also options available for a more relaxed vibe that still exerts sophistication - a black oxford shirt and twill waist apron.
Front Of House Manager
The FOH manager plays a key part in a guest’s dining experience. They are the main point of contact for any issues or complaints and must be able to deal with these situations professionally. In addition to tending to customers’ needs, FOH managers are also the team lead for many moving parts of restaurants, overlooking servers, bartenders, hosts, and any other customer-facing staff.
From managing schedules, staffing, inventory, and reservations to coordinating back of house and ensuring revenue targets are met, the role of a FOH manager requires high levels of organization, communication, and passion!
Formal attire is common for these roles, even in more casual settings. Blouses, dresses, suit pants, shirts, and ties are common uniform options for FOH managers. As with other roles in the industry, they are also on their feet for long days, so comfortable footwear is a must.
Accessories are also a great addition to any FOH uniform, especially for managers. With a range of responsibilities and jumping between multiple areas daily, having pocketed blazers for pens and bottle openers, personalized nametags, and custom branded pins, are useful.
Final Thoughts: Curating Front Of House Staff Uniforms
Creating the perfect uniform for your establishment is the first step in setting the tone for the overall experience and finding this balance between personal style and functionality takes time and planning.
No matter the role, whether it’s for a luxury or casual dining experience, perfecting your FOH uniform is vital for setting the tone and expectations. We at Stock have created multiple complete uniform ideas from which you can choose or get inspiration to create your custom look.