Back of House Operations

Back of House (BOH) overview

The kitchen and prep areas are everything hidden from guests. Efficient BOH operations are the foundation of consistent food quality and on-time service.

Kitchen organization

Mise en Place

Mise en place (French: “everything in its place”) — preparing and arranging all ingredients and equipment before service begins. Good mise en place reduces stress during service and prevents errors.

Pre-make all sauces, stocks, and bases.
Cut and portion ingredients wherever possible.
Label all containers: product name and date prepared.
Organize the pass so the path from order to pickup is logical.

Station assignments

Assign each team member a station before service:

Station	Responsibility
Grill / Fryer	Proteins, fried items
Sauté	Pan dishes, sauces
Cold kitchen	Salads, starters, cold desserts
Pastry	Desserts, baked goods
Expeditor	Pass coordination, FOH communication

Kitchen opening

Check the delivery schedule, receive incoming stock.
Review the day’s menu, confirm all ingredients are in stock.
Brief kitchen staff: specials, stop list, special notes.
Check refrigerator and freezer temperatures, log readings.
Complete mise en place at all stations.

During service

Communicate clearly: “Behind!”, “Hot!”, “Corner!” — safety calls.
Call tickets when firing and when dishes are ready at the pass.
Monitor ticket times — main courses should be up within 20 minutes of ordering.
Keep workstations clean and organized throughout the shift.

Kitchen closing

Deep-clean all surfaces — sanitize all tables, cutting boards, and equipment with food-safe sanitizer.
Clean equipment — clean grills, fryers, ovens, and other appliances per manufacturer instructions.
Store food correctly — transfer all prepared food to labeled containers, refrigerate or freeze.
Empty trash — remove all bins and dispose of waste properly.
Complete cleaning log — sign off all completed tasks.
Log temperature readings — confirm all readings are recorded before leaving.