Glossary / Back of House (BOH)
What is Back of House (BOH)?
Also known as: BOH
Back of house (BOH) refers to the kitchen and behind-the-scenes side of a restaurant and its staff — line cooks, prep cooks, chefs, dishwashers, and expediters. BOH training centers on recipes, food safety, prep standards, and allergen handling rather than guest-facing service.
The back of house is where food is prepared: the line, prep areas, dish pit, and walk-in. BOH staff don't usually interact with guests, but their knowledge is just as safety-critical — recipe consistency, cook temperatures, cross-contamination control, and allergen awareness all live in the kitchen.
BOH training tends to focus on standardized recipes and specs, food-safety procedures, station setup (mise en place), and allergen handling during prep and plating. Consistency is the goal: the dish should taste the same whether it's the A-team or a new hire on the line.
ShiftTrained's kitchen/BOH module is on the roadmap — the same menu-to-quiz approach applied to recipes, specs, and food-safety knowledge, so a manager can verify a line cook knows the build and the allergen risks before a plate goes out.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does back of house mean in a restaurant?
Back of house (BOH) is the kitchen and behind-the-scenes side — the line, prep areas, and dish pit — and the staff who work it: line cooks, prep cooks, chefs, dishwashers, and expediters. It's contrasted with front of house, the guest-facing side.
What jobs are back of house?
Line cooks, prep cooks, chefs and sous chefs, dishwashers, and expediters (expo) are back-of-house roles. Their training focuses on recipes, cook temperatures, food safety, and allergen handling rather than guest service.
Related terms
About the Author
Terry Psaltakis is a 30-year restaurant operator who has opened more than 20 concepts across multiple markets, in every role from dishwasher to Owner. He founded ShiftTrained in Chicago to solve a problem he lived for three decades: pre-shift meetings don't actually train staff. Terry writes about the operational side of restaurant training, AI in hospitality, and what works on the floor.
LinkedIn · terry@shifttrained.com
Last reviewed June 2026
“Since we started using ShiftTrained, wine sales for both bottle and by-the-glass are up 34%. The staff is not scared to talk about the wine anymore.”
George G. · Black Barrel · Chicago
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