Front of House Manager job description.
A front of house (FOH) manager oversees the dining room, bar, and guest-facing operations of a restaurant, ensuring smooth service and a positive customer experience. They schedule and supervise servers, hosts, and bartenders, handle guest concerns, and coordinate closely with the kitchen to keep service running efficiently. The role combines hands-on floor management with staff leadership and daily operational oversight.
The Front of House Manager job description · $29
The full editable .docx — role summary, 9 worked responsibilities, qualifications, and skills, formatted for your letterhead. Delivered to your inbox within 24 hours — usually instantly.
Role: Front of House Manager Reports to: General Manager or Restaurant Owner
A front of house (FOH) manager oversees the dining room, bar, and guest-facing operations of a restaurant, ensuring smooth service and a positive customer experience. They schedule and supervise servers, hosts, and bartenders, handle guest concerns, and coordinate closely with the kitchen to keep service running efficiently. The role combines hands-on floor management with staff leadership and daily operational oversight.
- Supervise servers, hosts, bussers, and bartenders during service
- Create staff schedules and manage shift coverage
- Monitor dining room flow and table turnover to optimize service
What's inside the document.
One-paragraph plain-English explanation of the role's outcome and scope.
9 responsibilities phrased the way the work is actually done.
5 qualifications a candidate must have to perform on day 30.
2 qualifications that would make a candidate excellent in year two.
5 skill chips you can copy directly into your ATS.
General Manager or Restaurant Owner
A complete document set.
- Word document (.docx) — fully editable
- PDF — signature-ready
- Google Docs — one-click copy to your Drive
- 12 months of updates to this document
- Commercial-use licence for internal and client work
The work, not the title.
- Supervise servers, hosts, bussers, and bartenders during service
- Create staff schedules and manage shift coverage
- Monitor dining room flow and table turnover to optimize service
- Resolve guest complaints and ensure a high standard of hospitality
- Coordinate with kitchen management on timing and order accuracy
- Train new front-of-house staff on service standards and procedures
- Manage reservations, waitlists, and seating arrangements
- Track nightly sales, tips, and service-related reporting
- Enforce health, safety, and alcohol-service compliance standards
Required — and what would make a candidate excellent.
- 2+ years of restaurant or hospitality supervisory experience
- Strong leadership and conflict-resolution skills
- Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays
- Familiarity with POS systems and reservation software
- Food handler and responsible alcohol service certification as required by state and employer
- Experience in fine dining or high-volume restaurant environments
- Prior staff training or management certification
Eight steps from download to publish.
- 01Open the Front of House Manager job description in Word or your one-click Google Docs copy.
- 02Replace placeholders for company name, reporting line, and location with your specifics.
- 03Tighten the summary to one paragraph that names the team's outcome, not just the role.
- 04Edit the responsibilities to match the actual scope of the seat — aim for 6 to 8 items, not 12.
- 05Separate required qualifications from preferred. Required is what a candidate must have to do the work on day 30; preferred is what would make them excellent in year two.
- 06Add salary range guidance using BLS, Payscale, or your own band data — do not copy generic figures.
- 07Have the hiring manager and one peer read it. Cut anything that wouldn't survive a candidate question.
- 08Publish to your ATS, intranet, and external careers page.
The right document at the right moment.
Use this Front of House Manager job description any time you are opening or reopening a seat at this level. The mid band sets the calibration — copy the document, tighten it to your specific scope, and circulate to the hiring panel before the first interview.
The reporting line (General Manager or Restaurant Owner) and skills list are starting points. Override either if your org structure or stack differs from the norm — the template is a draft, not a contract.
Honest answers before you download.
- What does FOH stand for in this job title?
- FOH stands for "front of house," referring to the guest-facing areas of a restaurant such as the dining room and bar, as opposed to the kitchen or "back of house."
- How does this role differ from a general manager?
- A general manager typically oversees the entire restaurant, including budgets and back-of-house operations, while an FOH manager focuses specifically on dining room service, staffing, and guest experience.
Other documents in this neighbourhood.
Restaurant Manager
A Restaurant Manager oversees daily operations of a restaurant, including staffing, customer service, and financial performance.
General Manager
A General Manager oversees the operational, financial, and people performance of a business unit.
Food and Beverage Manager
A Food and Beverage Manager oversees dining, bar, and catering operations within a hotel, resort, or hospitality venue.
This Front of House Manager job description is a professionally drafted starting point for your hiring process and is not legal advice. Hiring practice varies by jurisdiction (e.g. pay-transparency laws differ across US states and AU jurisdictions). Adapt this document for your specific location and have employment counsel review any clauses you add before publishing. Salary varies by region, employer type, and experience. Reference BLS or current industry surveys for ranges. Full disclaimer.