"Front of house" (FOH) refers to the public-facing operations of a restaurant — every role that interacts with guests or works in spaces customers can see. The term is industry slang but ubiquitous in scheduling, labor law conversations, and tip-pool design.
FOH roles typically include:
- Servers / waitstaff
- Bartenders and barbacks
- Hosts / hostesses
- Bussers
- Food runners
- Sommeliers
- FOH managers and floor supervisors
FOH roles are typically tipped or partially tipped. Tip pool eligibility was historically limited to FOH staff only under federal law. The 2018 FLSA amendment (CAA) and 2021 DOL final rule expanded the rules: a "non-traditional" tip pool can include BOH staff (cooks, dishwashers) if the employer pays everyone in the pool the full minimum wage (NO tip credit).
Managers and supervisors are excluded from FOH tip pools regardless of title. The DOL uses a duties test: if someone has authority to hire/fire, direct work, or discipline, they're a manager and cannot share in tips.