You will see many job positions in the job postings of fast-food and full-service restaurants. Some job positions belong only to fast-food restaurants, and some others only to full-service restaurants. No wonder some job positions belong to both types of restaurants. Here in this text, we summarize the key points of each job position.
Fast Food & Restaurant Job Decriptions
Bartender: A bartender at Houlihan’s creates amazing drinks by mixing alcoholic and/or non-alcoholic beverages at the bar section. A bartender should be efficient and easily work in a fast-paced environment.
Busser: A busser at Texas Roadhouse keeps the dining area of the restaurant clean at all times. Additional job duties include attending to guests’ tables and removing tableware when necessary. Experience is seldom required for Bussers.
Cashier: A cashier at Chicken Express is responsible for standing by the cash register and handling cash transactions. This is also a basic job position that job applicants with little or no job experience can perform easily. All you need is to be able to numerate.
Chef: A chef at Red Lobster is operates all food-related aspects of the restaurant, such as creating recipes, setting up menus and preparing dishes. There are sub-categories such as Executive Chef, Pastry Chef, and Sous Chef, each of which has subtle distinctions from each other. Some qualification such as education and/or experience is almost always required when you apply for a Chef position at a restaurant.
-Executive Chef: An Executive Chef can be thought as the lead chef in the kitchen. They manage the kitchen staff and control the quality of the food that is prepared in the kitchen.
-Pastry Chef: A Pastry Chef is mainly responsible for the pastry that is served at the restaurant.
-Sous Chef: A Sous Chef ranks just after the Executive Chef in the kitchen hierarchy. It can be thought of as an Assistant Manager that complements the work of a General Manager.
Cook: A cook at Steak ‘n Shake prepares the meals in the menu according to the recipes provided by the Chef. A cook spends almost all of their time in the kitchen and involves in little or no communication with customers. There are sub-categories such as Fast-Food Cook, Line Cook, and Prep Cook. Some restaurants requires Cooks to have previous education or experience, while some others train them upon hiring.
-Fast Food Cook: Working with basic cooking equipment such as fryers, grills and sandwich makers, the job of a Fast Food Cook at Wingstop is to prepare and present the orders of customers as quickly as possible.
-Line Cook: A Line Cook at Mellow Mushroom cooks main dishes, making sure that every ingredient is added. No Line Cook job position can be found at a fast-food restaurant chain.
-Prep Cook: A Prep Cook at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen prepares all basic ingredients and menu items in the kitchen. The food prepared by the Prep Cook is then sent to the Chef for further processing and improvements.
Delivery Driver: A delivery driver at Fox’s Pizza Den delivers food from the restaurant to the customers’ locations by car. Indeed, a delivery driver should possess a Driver’s License, of which the minimum age requirement varies between different states.
Dishwasher: A dishwasher at a Bob Evans restaurant works in the kitchen and facilitates its cleanliness. All dishware is cleaned and all garbage are thrown out by the dishwasher. There is no Dishwasher job position in most fast-food restaurants. Usually there is no prerequisite for working as a Dishwasher.
Expeditor: A restaurant expeditor at Fuddruckers works on foot while delivering dishes from the kitchen to the tables of customers. Unlike a Server, an Expeditor does not take orders of the guests. Applicants with little or no job experience can feel free to apply for an Expeditor position since it requires little to no special qualifications.
Host/Hostess: A host or hostess at Applebee’s give the guests a positive impresstion by sincerely greeting them as they enter the restaurant area. Additional duties may include answering phone calls and scheduling reservations. Applicants with high social skills are preferred more by restaurants as Hosts/Hostesses.
Manager: The Manager is the official head of a Denny’s restaurant. Hiring new employees, supervising the current employees, handling the financial procedures and meeting the customer satisfaction are among the numerous duties of a Manager. Almost every Manager position requires some sort of education and experience.
-Assistant Manager: An Assistant Manager at Five Guys is responsible for complementing the work of the General Manager of the restaurant. Essentially, an Assistant Manager also performs all duties of a General Manager.
-Food and Beverage Manager: A Food and Beverage Manager is responsible for maintaining the high food & beverage standards at the restaurant. Taking inventory and helping to create menus is additional responsibilities.
-Kitchen Manager: A Kitchen Manager at Cracker Barrel supervises the whole kitchen team at the restaurants. Maintaining the high food & beverage standards is also a fundamental duty of a Kitchen Manager.
-Restaurant Manager: A Restaurant Manager at Waffle House supervises all front-of-house and back-of-house operations, with the ultimate goal of leading to the financial success of the restaurant.
Runner: A runner at Johnny Rockets is the person who delivers food from kitchen to guests’ tables in a timely fashion. This job position is a convenient one for applicants who have little to no training and/or job experience.
Server: A server at a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant goes to the table of new guests, greets them and provides them with the menu. A while later, the server takes their order. A server should have thorough menu knowledge and be able to provide satisfying answers to guests’ questions about the menu items.
Shift Leader: A shift leader at Burger King is the leader performs all basic team member duties, while being the leader of the entry-level employee team. The ultimate goal of a shift leader is to facilitate the flow of information between the restaurant team and the management. Usually, not a high education level but some decent experience in the field is required for being employed as a shift leader.
Wait Staff: The wait staff at a HomeTown Buffet restaurant performs general entry-level duties such as greeting guests, taking their orders, recommending dishes, delivering food & beverages, and accepting payments. Most restaurants do employ applicants without an advanced education level, however some upscale restaurants may require applicants to have sufficient restaurant experience before they hire.
