Food Runner

Food Runner at Palmetto Cafe

The Food Runner at Palmetto Cafe is responsible for overseeing table maintenance, maintaining the flow of service, and assisting the servers in the dining room. Duties include delivering food to tables, describing the dishes to guests, performing tableside service, monitoring guest satisfaction, and assisting the kitchen in expediting the service process. Must be pleasant, conscientious, and professional with excellent knowledge of food and alcoholic beverage selections. Must be able to operate effectively as part of a team, communicate clearly, and ensure smooth service operations and quality service.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Act with integrity, honesty, and knowledge that promote the culture and values of BHC.
• Ensure that all guests feel welcome and are given responsive, professional, gracious service always.
• Maintains clean and organized workstations that are cohesive with the restaurant's philosophy, culture, and standards of excellence.
• Recognize or seek areas for staff and restaurant improvement and offer positive solutions for change.
• Operate within the restaurant daily with efficiency, respect, friendliness, professionalism, teamwork, knowledge, patience, awareness, compassion, courtesy, and initiative.
• Understand completely all programs, procedures, standards, specifications, guidelines, and training programs.
• Represents the restaurant professionally through effective communication, cooperation, and relationships with all business partners.
• Understand and perform job duties and the restaurant Service, Food, Beverage, and Wine manuals.
• Perform all side work applicable to the assigned station.
• Participate in Pre-Shift meetings and learn new menu items.
• Welcome all guests and ensure guests receive responsive, professional, and gracious service always.
• Describes dinner features as needed (including changes and additions).
• Answer any questions about the menu, specific food items, the wine list, or any other inquiries the guest may have.
• Liaise with the server to always ensure communication about the wants and needs of guests.
• Understand the order taken by the server and any changes in the menu, dietary restrictions, food allergies, etc.
• Assists the Chef in expediting the food to the dining room.
• Aware of all upcoming orders and the status of tables expecting food.
• Always uses position numbers and proper spiels.
• Keeps the expediter station and the kitchen stocked with plates, plate wipes, doilies, etc. throughout service.
• Ensure that all food and products are consistently prepared and served according to the restaurant's standards.
• Maintain a clean, safe environment always in the Dining Room and all service stations.
• Fully understand and comply with all federal, state, county, and municipal regulations that pertain to health, safety, and labor requirements of the restaurant employees and guests.

Required Skills & Experience:

• Must be able to speak, read, write, and understand the primary language(s) used in the workplace.
• Must be able to read and write to facilitate the communication process.
• Requires good communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Must possess basic computational ability.
• Must possess basic computer skills.
• Knowledge of the appropriate table settings and service ware.
• Ability to describe all menu items, prices, and methods of preparation. And to use suggestive selling techniques to encourage the guests to choose items that are house specialties.
• Must have complete knowledge of and use the service guidelines outlined in the Food Runner/Back Server Manual.
• Must have complete knowledge of products and specifications that are outlined in the dinner menu matrix and cuisine manual.
• Further duties not currently listed in this outline may be added at the manager's discretion.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this role:

• Most work tasks are performed indoors. Temperature is moderate and controlled by restaurant environmental systems; however, must be able to work in extreme temperatures like freezers (-10°F) and kitchens (+110°F), possibly for one hour or more.
• Must be able to stand and exert well-paced mobility for at least 8 hours in length.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability to maneuver between functions occurring simultaneously.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability to reach other departments of the restaurant on a timely basis.
• Must be able to lift trays of food or food items weighing up to 30 lbs. on a regular and continuing basis.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability in limited space and to reach other locations of the restaurant on a timely basis.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability in limited space.
• Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, bending, climbing, stooping, crouching, kneeling, listening, hearing and visual acuity.
• Talking and hearing occur continuously in the process of communicating with guests, supervisors and subordinates.
• Vision occurs continuously with the most common visual functions being those of near vision and depth perception.
• Requires manual dexterity to use and operate all necessary equipment.
• Safely lift and easily maneuver plates, cases of water, chairs and dining room tables.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

BHC is an equal employment opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs, and are not based on race, color, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, uniformed service, political affiliation, genetic information, or any other factor or characteristic protected by applicable law. BHC participates in E-Verify.