Job Roles & the Kitchen Brigade

Working in Hospitality & Catering

The hospitality and catering industry offers a huge variety of job roles, from front of house positions that interact directly with customers to behind-the-scenes kitchen and housekeeping roles. The WJEC specification groups these into four areas: front of house, housekeeping, the kitchen brigade, and management. You also need to know the personal attributes, qualifications, and experience employers look for.

Front of House Roles

Front of house refers to the parts of a hospitality business where staff interact directly with customers. Key front of house roles include:

• Front of house manager — oversees the entire front of house operation, ensures high standards of service, and handles customer complaints.
• Head waiter — supervises waiting staff, coordinates table service, and ensures the dining room runs smoothly.
• Waiting staff — take orders, serve food and drinks, and clear tables.
• Maître d’hôtel — the chief host in a formal dining room, responsible for greeting guests and managing reservations.
• Concierge — assists hotel guests with bookings, recommendations, and special requests.
• Receptionist — handles check-in and check-out, takes bookings, and provides information to guests.
• Valets — provide personal service to guests, such as parking cars or handling luggage.

Housekeeping Roles

Housekeeping staff ensure the accommodation and public areas of a hospitality establishment are clean, safe, and well maintained. Key roles include:

• Chambermaid — cleans and prepares guest rooms, changes bedding, and restocks supplies.
• Cleaner — maintains cleanliness in public areas, corridors, and facilities.
• Maintenance staff — repairs and maintains the building, fixtures, and equipment.
• Caretaker — oversees the general upkeep of the premises.

The Kitchen Brigade

The kitchen brigade is a structured hierarchy of chefs and kitchen workers. Each person has a specific role, ensuring the kitchen runs efficiently. The specification covers the following roles:

• Executive Chef — the most senior chef, responsible for the entire kitchen operation, menu planning, budgets, and staff management.
• Sous Chef — the second-in-command, deputises for the executive chef and supervises daily cooking.
• Chef de Partie — a section chef responsible for a particular area of the kitchen (e.g. sauces, fish, meat).
• Commis Chef — a junior chef who works under a chef de partie, learning the skills of a specific section.
• Pastry Chef — specialises in desserts, breads, and pastries.
• Kitchen Assistant — assists with food preparation tasks such as peeling, chopping, and weighing ingredients.
• Apprentice — a trainee learning kitchen skills while working towards a qualification.
• Kitchen Porter / Plongeur — responsible for washing up, keeping the kitchen clean, and general cleaning tasks.

Understanding the kitchen brigade is important because it shows how a professional kitchen is organised for maximum efficiency. Each role has a clear set of responsibilities, and every member of the team knows who they report to. In a busy restaurant serving hundreds of covers per evening, this structure prevents confusion and ensures dishes are prepared consistently to the same standard. Without the brigade system, communication would break down, orders would be missed, and food quality would suffer. Even smaller kitchens use a simplified version of this hierarchy, with the head chef taking on multiple senior roles.

Personal Attributes Employers Look For

The hospitality industry requires staff to have specific personal qualities. Employers look for people who are:

• Organised and punctual — shifts must start on time, and tasks must be completed efficiently.
• Hardworking and flexible — the industry involves long hours, weekend work, and adapting to busy periods.
• Hygienic — food safety and cleanliness are essential, especially in kitchen and housekeeping roles.
• Friendly, pleasant, and calm — staff must remain professional even when dealing with difficult customers.
• Good communicator and team player — hospitality relies on teamwork and clear communication between departments.
• Good people skills and a willingness to learn and develop — customer-facing roles require empathy and a desire to improve.