A Barback`s Guide to Furr`s

A Barback’s Guide to Furr’s
Thomas Payton
Table of Contents
iii
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................................... iii
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... v
Furr’s Fresh Buffet .................................................................................................................................... v
This manual............................................................................................................................................... v
Chapter 1: Getting Started at Furr’s Fresh Buffet ......................................................................................... 3
Knowing the Positions at Furr’s Fresh Buffet .......................................................................................... 5
Meeting the Expectations of a Furr’s Employee ....................................................................................... 5
Doing the Duties of a Barback .................................................................................................................. 6
Chapter 2: Knowing the Kitchen .................................................................................................................. 7
Understanding the Layout of the Kitchen ................................................................................................. 9
Knowing the Layout of the Cooks ........................................................................................................ 9
Knowing the Layout of the Warmers .................................................................................................. 10
Interacting with the Cooks ...................................................................................................................... 11
Chapter 3: Knowing your Bar ..................................................................................................................... 13
Knowing the arrangements of the Bars ................................................................................................... 15
Keeping a Full Bar .................................................................................................................................. 16
Refilling Foods.................................................................................................................................... 16
Refilling Beans and Sauces ................................................................................................................. 17
Refilling Condiments .......................................................................................................................... 17
Keeping a Clean Bar ............................................................................................................................... 18
Cleaning the Bars ................................................................................................................................ 18
Replacing Utensils .............................................................................................................................. 18
Chapter 4: Knowing the Daily Procedures ................................................................................................. 19
Opening up the Bars................................................................................................................................ 21
Change Over ........................................................................................................................................... 21
Closing down the Bars ............................................................................................................................ 21
Taking Breaks ......................................................................................................................................... 23
Works Cited ................................................................................................................................................ 24
References ............................................................................................................................................... 24
Image References .................................................................................................................................... 24
v
Introduction
Introduction
Furr’s Fresh Buffet
is a buffet style restaurant based in Plano, Texas. Because Furr’s is a buffet style restaurant, every
employee must work together to ensure the food is always ready even at the peak hours of the day. A
Barback’s job is to keep their section of the buffet line, also known as their bar, full and clean at all times.
A Barback must work with the cooks in the kitchen to make sure more food is ready when it is needed,
change out empty food pans and help customers find specific food items. A Barback must be able to keep
up with the pace of Furr’s and work diligently to keep their bars up to the standard of Furr’s and keep the
customers happy.
This manual
will detail the responsibilities of a Barback throughout the day, from opening up to closing down. This
manual is intended to help newly hired Barbacks transition easier into all the responsibility that the job
demands. The intent of this manual is to be an easily read guide that is a quickly referred to during the
working day.
This symbol means that you should take caution to avoid burns or other injury.
Chapter 1: Getting Started at Furr’s Fresh Buffet
3
Chapter 1: Getting Started at Furr’s Fresh Buffet
This chapter will go over the basics of Furr’s Fresh Buffet, and the expectations and duties of the Barback
position.
Chapter 1: Getting Started at Furr’s Fresh Buffet
5
Knowing the Positions at Furr’s Fresh Buffet
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Manager: Responsible for overseeing the running of Furr’, making sure everything is clean, full
and presentable. Managers are divided into those dealing with the wait staff and cashiers and
those dealing with the Barbacks and cooks.
Wait staff: Responsible for tending to the guests once they are seated, serve drinks and give
condiments.
Cashier: Responsible for taking the guests orders at the front and handling money.
Dish Washer: Responsible for cleaning used dishes, pans, and silverware throughout the day.
Dish Washers are also responsible for putting out new clean plates on the buffet line.
Cook: Responsible for preparing the food and ensuring there is always enough food to fill the
line. Cooks are separated into the Dinner Cooks, Salad Cooks, Bakery, Fry Cooks, Grill Master
and Vegetable Cooks. This position is covered in more detail in chapter 2.
Barback: Responsible for refilling and cleaning the buffet line throughout the day.
Meeting the Expectations of a Furr’s Employee
All Furr’s employees must meet certain expectations when they represent Furr’s. All employees must:
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Arrive on time and be prepared to work
Keep a clean appearance which includes being clean shaven, having long hair tied back and not
wearing excess jewelry
Wear the full uniform throughout the day. The uniform is black pants, Furr’s shirt tucked in,
apron and hat.
Wear Shoes for Crews non-slip shoes or non-slip shoe coverings
Employees can get drinks or take bathroom breaks
throughout the day as long as it does not get excessive.
Employees are assigned an individual number that they
will use to clock in and out with at the start and end of
each workday. Employees clock in and out on a cashier’s
computer, near the front door.
Figure 1 shows Barbacks in full uniform, wearing their
shirt, black pants, Shoes for Crews and holding metal tongs
and their washrag.
Figure 1
A Barback’s Guide to Furr’s
6
Doing the Duties of a Barback
Barbacks are responsible for keeping the buffet line full and clean. The manager assigns each of the 5 to
at least one Barback. Each Barback is responsible for their assigned bar. Each bar has different food.
Barbacks wear heat resistant gloves and carry metal tongs and a clean washrag with them at all times for
safer handling of hot food.
As a Barback your major duties throughout the day are:
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Working with the Cooks to make sure more food is available when it is needed
Knowing which Cooks are responsible for which foods
Keeping the food presentable, for example stirring beans or chili throughout the day
Knowing when there is low enough food to change the pan, the food should be full at all times
Changing food pans on the bars safely
Changing food pans for liquids like beans or cheese sauce to keep them from looking dirty
Cleaning the bar throughout the day
Refilling condiments on the bars when they are low
Putting out run-offs, a food used to fill an empty space when there is no more of a particular dish
The bars should look full and clean at all times. The food should be presentable at all times, from opening
until the last customer of the day finishes eating. Keeping the food full is the priority of a Barback.
Condiments are after the food. Condiments are in the Salad Cooks area. The Salad Cooks will fill empty
condiment containers for you if you take them back to them, allowing you to tend to your bar.
If all your food is full, ensure that the bar is clean, on top and the sides. If you have enough time, you may
sweep the floor around the bars
Chapter 2: Knowing the Kitchen
Chapter 2: Knowing the Kitchen
This chapter will go over the layout of the kitchen and how a Barback interacts with the kitchen.
7
Chapter 2: Knowing the Kitchen
Understanding the Layout of the Kitchen
Knowing the Layout of the Cooks
Figure 2
The arrangement of the kitchen in Furr’s is the same in every restaurant. Figure 2 shows the arrangement
of the different areas. The numbers in Figure 1 represent the different areas of each cooking station.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The Dish Washers
The Bakery
The Grill Masters
The Fry Cooks
The Vegetable Cooks
The Dinner Cooks
The Salad Cooks
9
A Barback’s Guide to Furr’s
10
Knowing the Layout of the Warmers
Figure 3
Figure 3 shows the arrangement of the food warmers in the kitchen, where prepared food is stored before
it is put out on the buffet line. The letters show the positions of the warmers different cooks use for their
prepared foods.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
Used by the Bakery for the most recently made rolls
Used by the Bakery for the oldest baked foods, this should be checked first
Used by the Fry Cooks
Used by the Vegetable Cooks
Used by the Grill Masters for the pan of citrus grilled chicken, corn on the cob and sliced
vegetables
Used by the Grill Masters for hamburgers, grilled chicken and by the Vegetable Cooks for baked
potatoes
Used by various cooks for sauces and beans
Used by the Dinner Cooks as a primary warmer
Used by the Dinner Cooks as a secondary foods
A refrigerator used by the Salad Cooks
Chapter 2: Knowing the Kitchen
11
Interacting with the Cooks
Throughout the day, Barbacks will take food from the warmers and put it out on the buffet line. Whenever
you take food out, it is your responsibility to tell the appropriate cooks what you are taking so they can
prepare more. When there is little or no more food prepared on a particular item, you should ask the
appropriate cooks to prepare more.
If there is a point where you have no food to put out for a particular item to put out a ‘run-off’ can be put
in its empty place. A ‘run-off’ is a dish prepared especially for when there is no more of a particular item.
Chili pie is an example of a run-off. The run-off will take the place of an item when there none prepared
and will be taken off when the normal food item is finished and ready to place back on the line.
Be cautious when walking around the kitchen, carelessness could lead to running into or
knocking over something hot and injuring yourself or others
Chapter 3: Knowing your Bar
13
Chapter 3: Knowing your Bar
This chapter will go over the arrangement of the bars, and the procedures for keeping a full and clean bar
during the day.
Chapter 3: Knowing your Bar
15
Knowing the arrangements of the Bars
Figure 4
Figure 4 shows the location of each bar. Each bar has different foods, the exact order and menu changes
from day to day. The bars are referred to by various names, as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The First Bar
The Second Bar, The Middle Bar
The Third Bar, The Burger Bar
The Fourth Bar, The Enchilada Bar
The Fifth Bar, The Last Bar, The Bread Bar
Each bar has different ‘staples’, foods that it will have every day, for example the first bar will always
have steak, the third bar will always have burgers and grilled chicken and the fourth bar will always have
enchiladas.
The fifth bar is the only bar that has foods from the bakery, and therefore only the Barback assigned to
that bar will have to interact with the Bakery Cooks
A Barback’s Guide to Furr’s
16
Keeping a Full Bar
Refilling Foods
It is important to keep your assigned bar full at
all times. This means keeping track of every
item you are responsible for and keep it full.
Refill food when it less than half empty to keep
up the appearance of a full buffet line.
Figure 5 shows a full and clean bar. All the
utensils are clean and placed on the right side
of the dish. All the foods are full and the top is
clean and presentable
Figure 5
For refilling a food item, use these steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Take the pan with the food you need from the warmer with your metal tongs and washrag
Take the pan to your bar using your metal tongs and washrag
Set the pan down on your bar using your metal tongs and washrag
Lift up the food pan to be replaced using your metal tongs and washrag
Place the empty food pan on your bar using your metal tongs and washrag
Put the full pan in the empty spot using your metal tongs and washrag
Put any leftover food from the empty pan into the full pan with the food’s utensils
Place the utensils in the full pan
Take the empty pan to the Dish Washers
Some foods have different or extra steps to follow:
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Take half-empty vegetable pans taken back to the Vegetable Cooks instead of putting the extra
food in with the full pan.
Scrape empty enchalada pans clean before taking them back to the Dish Washers. The left overs
should be scrapped into a designated pan in the Dinner Cook’s area.
Always handle hot pans carefully, walk slowly with them to ensure you do not hit anyone with
it, or spill any food. Always handle hot pans with metal tongs and a washrag.
Chapter 3: Knowing your Bar
17
Refilling Beans and Sauces
Beans and sauces follow a different procedure for refilling:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Take an appropriately sized clean pan from the Dish Washer’s area
Take the pan to the dinner cook’s area (point G in Figure 2)
Fill the pan to an appropriate level with the beans or sauce needed
Take the pan to your bar using your metal tongs and washrag
Lift up the pan to be replaced on your bar using your metal tongs and washrag
Put the new pan in the empty spot using your metal tongs and washrag
Pour any leftover beans or sauce into the new pan using your metal tongs and washrag
Take the empty pan to the Dish Washers
It is important to keep the pans for beans and clean. The replaced the pan if there is a ring of grime around
the pan. The procedure for replacing the pan is the same as above, skipping steps 2 and 3.
You should stir the beans and sauces throughout the day to keep them from getting grimy on the top
layer.
Always handle hot pans carefully, walk slowly with them to ensure you do not hit anyone with
it, or spill any food. Always handle hot pans with metal tongs and a washrag.
Refilling Condiments
Fill the condiments last. Fill the condiments one at a time. Condiments are found in the Salad Cook’s
area, either in the refrigerator (marked J in Figure 2) or in the walk in freezer behind the Salad Cook’s
area. Most Condiments are stored in round containers in the refrigerator; butter and lemon slices are
stored in the walk in freezer.
Condiments can be filled in two ways, either by taking the empty condiment containers back to the Salad
Cooks and leaving them for be filled by the Salad Cooks, coming back and getting them later or by taking
the empty condiment containers back the Salad Cook area and refilling the condiment yourself. Tell the
Salad Cooks you need a specific condiment refilled when you leave an empty condiment container in
their area.
A Barback’s Guide to Furr’s
18
Keeping a Clean Bar
Cleaning the Bars
Throughout the day it is important to keep a clean bar. This means you must:
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Clean the top of the bar with your washrag
Clean up any food spills made by guests on your bar
Clean your bar’s windows and sides
Clean the area around your bar
Cleaning the top of your bar of spills and loose food is the priority. If there is enough time you can sweep
the floor around your bar with a broom and dust pan.
If there is a food spill on the floor, use a dry mop the clean it up and place a “Wet floor” sign over the
area. A spill should not be left unattended; an employee should stand over a spill till it is cleaned to stop
people from falling on it.
Windows are cleaned at the start and end of each day. During the day, you should clean windows with a
wet paper towel and dry it off with a dry paper towel if necessary.
Replacing Utensils
All food utensils are changed out at two, four and six o’clock of each day by a manager and a Barback.
You will need to change some utensils, such as the spoons in beans, sauces, and macaroni and cheese,
more as they get dirty faster. To change utensils on the buffet line, follow this procedure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Find an appropriate utensil in the Dish Washer’s area
Take it back to your bar
Place the clean utensil in the food with the utensil to be replaced
Take the dirty utensil back to the Dish Washers
Leave the dirty utensil with the dishes and silverware to be washe
Works Cited
Chapter 4: Knowing the Daily Procedures
This chapter will go over the procedures for opening up, change over, closing and taking breaks.
19
Works Cited
21
Opening up the Bars
Empty pans fill the bars at the end of each day, and remain there over night. To open up the bars at the
start of each day, follow this procedure:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Locate a map of foods served for the day in the morning, this will be provided by a manager
Fill the bars with water, this is done by a valve underneath each bar
Turn on the warmers for each bar, this is done by several knobs located underneath each bar
Turn on the lights for each bar with a switch underneath the bar
Find the appropriate utensils for each food on your bar in the Dish Washer’s area
Place the utensils in the appropriate pan on your bar
Replace the empty food pans with the prepared food as they become available, according to the
map of food found earlier
8. Put the utensils in the full pans as you replace the empty pans
9. Put the food tags on your windows in the appropriate spots
Food tags are usually stored on the top of the bar windows overnight. Be sure that every bar is filled by
the time the doors are opened.
Change Over
At four o’clock each day, change over occurs. Change over is when certain foods are changed from
morning foods to dinner foods. For example, taco shells and meat are foods that are only available in the
morning. Change overs are usually done by all Barbacks one bar at a time, and coordinated by a manager.
The procedure for change over is as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Locate a map of the foods served for the day in the evening, this will be provided by a manager
Ensure that all the necessary foods are prepared by four o’clock
With manager approval, begin changing the foods on your bar at four o’clock
Pour the food into an appropriately sized clean pan from the Dish Washer’s area if the foods are
prepared in a pan different from the one needed according to the map
5. Put all the foods on your bar according the map
6. Take any extra leftover food to the Dinner Cook’s area
Closing down the Bars
At the end of each day, the bars remain open till every customer is finished eating, which is usually
around thirty minutes to an hour after closing. It is important to keep all bars full and clean till every
customer is finished eating.
At this time, not all food will be available as the kitchen begins closing down before the bars do. Because
of this, every bar makes replacements in an attempt to use as much of the food as possible and leave less
food packed up overnight.
Drain the bars and the heaters turned off several minutes before the bars close down. The levers and the
knobs underneath the bar drain the water from the bar and turn off the heaters, respectively.
A Barback’s Guide to Furr’s
22
The entire procedure from closing time for a Barback is as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
Continue to keep your bar full and clean till every customer is finished eating
If a food is not available, keep the spaced in your bar filled with something from the warmers
Drain each bar, this is done by a valve underneath each bar
Turn off the warmers for each bar, this is done by several knobs located underneath each bar
Continue to keep your bar full and clean until the manager gives permission to close down the
bars
Turn off the lights with a switch under the bars
Take out all the food pans from your bar once you get manager approval
Take each food pan to the cook’s area that prepared it, for example, green beans would be taken
back to the Vegetable Cook’s area
Remove your gloves after you are done handling food
Dispose of your gloves
Put your metal tongs in the Dish Washer’s area with the silverware and plates to be washed
Put the towel you used throughout the day in a designated dirty towel basket in the kitchen
Take a red bucket from the kitchen
Fill the red bucket with soap and hot water from the Dish Washer’s area
Get a clean towel from the kitchen
Using the red bucket and towel, begin cleaning the basin of each bar
Remove any food from the bar
Clean the top and sides of each bar
Get several large pans from the Dish Washer’s area
Cover each basin of your bar with a single large pan
Take the red bucket and towel back to the kitchen
Pour the red bucket into a floor drain
Place the red bucket and towel back in the kitchen where you found them
Remove the food tags from your windows
Place the food tags on the top of your bar’s windows
Get a bottle of Windex from the kitchen; this will be shared between all Barbacks
Spray the Windex on your windows
Clean your windows using a dry paper towel and Windex
Take the Windex back to the kitchen once every Barback is done with it
Mop the floor around all the bars with a wet mop once your bar is clean
Sweep the floor around all the bars with a broom and dust pan
Sign the paper provided by the manager at the end of day once everything is clean
After you sign the paper provided by the manager, you can clock out and leave for the day.
Works Cited
23
Taking Breaks
Breaks are coordinated between all Barbacks. Only one Barback should be on break at a given time.
Breaks are thirty minutes long; it is your responsibility to keep track of the time. At the start and end of
your break, you must clock in and out.
Employees can purchase an employee meal at the start of their break from the cashier with manager
approval. Employees can sit in the guest’s dining area if there is room, if not employees can eat and take
their break in a designated break room in the kitchen.
A Barback’s Guide to Furr’s
24
Works Cited
References
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http://www.furrs.net/weekly-menu/full
http://www.furrs.net/employment
http://www.answers.com/topic/furr-s-restaurant-group-inc
Image References
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http://enchiladafiesta.com/?page_id=98
http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/outside.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dallaschamber/7516612276/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dallaschamber/7516612656/sizes/o/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37458041@N04/7516611474
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37458041@N04/7516610134
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dallaschamber/7516613394/sizes/l/in/photostream/