CHAPTER 2
Although the profession of sommelier is a versatile one encompassing a breadth of knowledge and skills, their natural habitat is within the fine dining restaurant – a leisure environment striving to offer a luxurious and high quality experience. However, beyond endeavouring to provide customer satisfaction, a restaurant is also a business environment with a complex organisational structure.
To function properly, each department needs to be well organised, with a clear hierarchy and knowledge of the resources that enable the different restaurant tasks to be carried out. The day-to-day well-being of a restaurant depends on good management, financial control, purchasing, sales, kitchen management and dependable reproduction of dishes. Human resources are key to the whole process. Who is behind the restaurant? What are the functions of each team member? Without a doubt, the staff are a restaurant’s greatest asset, and the ones responsible for its success or failure.
