Kitchen and dining room staff

Here is a fun article I found on Wikipedia…if you want to brush up on your restaurant staff trivia:

Larger restaurants and hotels in France employ extensive staff and are commonly referred to as either the kitchen brigade for the kitchen staff or dining room brigade system for the dining room staff. This system was created by Georges Auguste Escoffier. This structured team system delegates responsibilities to different individuals that specialize in certain tasks. The following is a list of positions held both in the kitchen and dining rooms brigades in France.

Kitchen brigade

• Chef de cuisine (Kitchen chef) – Responsible for overall management of kitchen. They supervise staff, create menus and new recipes with the assistance of the restaurant manager, make purchases of raw food items, trains apprentices and maintains a sanitary and hygiene environment for the preparation of food.
• Sous-chef de cuisine (Deputy kitchen chef) – Receives orders directly from the chef de cuisine for the management of the kitchen and often represents the chef de cuisine when he or she is not present.
• Chef de partie (Senior chef) – Responsible for managing a given station in the kitchen where they specialize in preparing particular dishes. Those that work in a lesser station are referred to as a demi-chef.
• Cuisinier (Cook) – This position is an independent one where they usually prepare specific dishes in a station. They may be referred to as a cuisinier de partie.
• Commis (Junior cook) – Also works in a specific station, but reports directly to the chef de partie and takes care of the tools for the station.
• Apprenti(e) (Apprentice) – Many times they are students gaining theoretical and practical training in school and work experience in the kitchen. They perform preparatory work and/or cleaning work.
• Plongeur (Dishwasher) – Cleans dishes and utensils and may be entrusted with basic preparatory job.
• Marmiton (Pot and pan washer) – In larger restaurants takes care of all the pots and pans instead of the plongeur.
• Saucier (Saucemaker/Sauté cook) – Prepares sauces, warm hors d’oeuvres, completes meat dishes and in smaller restaurants may work on fish dishes and prepares sautéed items. This is one of the most respected positions in the kitchen brigade.
• Rôtisseur (Roast cook) – Manages a team of cooks that roasts, broils and deep fries dishes.
• Grillardin (Grill cook) – In a larger kitchen this person prepares the grilled foods instead of the rôtisseur.
• Friturier (Fry cook) – In larger kitchens this person prepares fried foods instead of the rôtisseur.
• Poissonnier (Fish cook) – Prepares fish and seafood dishes.
• Entremetier (Entrée preparer) – Prepares soups and other dishes not involving meat or fish, including vegetable dishes and egg dishes.
• Potager (soup cook) – In larger kitchens this person reports to the entremetier and prepares the soups.
• Legumier (Vegetable cook) – In larger kitchen this person also reports to the entremetier and prepares the vegetable dishes.
• Garde manger (Pantry supervisor) – responsible for preparation of cold hors d’oeuvres, prepares salads, organizes large buffet displays and prepares charcuterie items.
• Tournant (Spare hand/ roundsman) – Moves throughout kitchen assisting other positions in kitchen
• Pâtissier (Pastry cook) – Prepares desserts and other meal end sweets and for location without a boulanger also prepares breads and other baked items. They may also prepare pasta for the restaurant.
• Confiseur – Prepares candies and petit fours in larger restaurants instead of the pâtissier.
• Glacier – Prepares frozen and cold desserts in larger restaurants instead of the pâtissier.
• Décorateur – Prepares show pieces and specialty cakes in larger restaurants instead of the pâtissier.
• Boulanger (Baker) – Prepares bread, cakes and breakfast pastries in larger restaurants instead of the pâtissier.
• Boucher (Butcher) – butchers meats, poultry and sometimes fish. May also be in charge of breading meat and fish items.
• Aboyeur (Announcer/ expediter) – Takes orders from dining room and distributes them to the various stations. This position may also be performed by the sous-chef de partie.
• Communard – Prepares the meal served to the restaurant staff.
• Garçon de cuisine – Performs preparatory and auxiliary work for support in larger restaurants.

Dining room brigade

• Directeur de la restauration (General manager) – Oversees economic and administrative duties for all food related business in large hotels or similar facilities including multiple restaurants, bars, catering and other events.
• Directeur de restaurant (Restaurant manager) – Responsible for the operation of the restaurant dining room which includes managing staff, hiring and firing staff, training of staff and economic duties of the such matters. In larger establishments there may be an assistant to this position who would replace this person in their absence.
• Maître d’hotel – Welcomes guests, and seats them at tables. They also supervise the service staff. It is this person that commonly deals with complaints and verifies patron bills.
• Chef de salle – Commonly in charge of service for the full dining room in larger establishments, this position can be combined into the maître d’hotel position.
• Chef de rang – The dining room is separated into sections called rangs. Each rang is supervised by this person to coordinate service with the kitchen.
• Demi-chef de rang or commis de rang – (Back waiter) – Clears plates between courses if there is no commis débarrasseur, fills water glasses and assists the chef de rang.
• Commis débarrasseur – Clears plates between courses and the table at the end of the meal.
• Commis de suite – In larger establishments, this person brings the different courses from the kitchen to the table.
• Chef d’étage (Captain) – Explains the menu to the guest and answers any questions. This person often performs the tableside food preparations. This position may be combined with the chef de rang in smaller establishment.
• Chef de vin or Sommelier (Wine waiter) – Manages wine cellar by purchasing and organizing as well as preparing the wine list. This person also advises the guest on wine choices and serves it. Larger establishments will have a team of sommeliers that are managed by the chef sommelier or chef caviste.
• Serveur de restaurant (Waiter) – This position found in smaller establishments performs the multiple duties of various positions in the larger restaurants in the service of food and drink to the guest.
• Responsable de bar or Chef de bar (Bar manager) – Manages the bar in a restaurant which includes ordering and creating drink menus, they also over see the hiring, training and firing of barmen. Also manages multiple bars in a hotel or other similar establishment.
• Barman (Bartender) – Serves alcoholic drinks to guests.
• Dame du vestiaire – Coat room attendant who receives and returns guests coats and hats.
• Voituriers (Valet) – Parks guests cars and retrieves them upon the guest exiting the restaurant.