The dining room Dining areas in the accommodations and foodservice industries include the front of the house, which the customer sees, and the back of the house, which only the staff sees. 55 In a restaurant, the back of the house is comprised of the kitchen, storage, and office areas. In the front of the house are the dining room, waiting areas and lounges. The owner or manager of a restaurant must not only consider how the dining room looks but also how much business it should yield. There is a limited amount of space available from which to obtain as much income as possible by the arrangement of tables, the space foreach customer, the rate of turnover, and the average amount of bills. In all these matters, the public image of the restaurant and the kinds of customers attracted must be kept in mind. The front of the house gives the customer a first impression of the restaurant and is therefore of critical importance as a merchandising factor. One of the most important considerations is the space provided for each guest. Enough space for the staff to work safely and effectively is crucial; many restaurants also allot space for serving stands. The turnover in a restaurant depends on the length of time the average customer occupies a place at a table. It varies according to the kind of restaurant, from a few minutes at a fast food establishment to two hours or more at a luxury restaurant. In some places there can be a turnover of as many as three or four persons per seat during a serving (breakfast, lunch or dinner), though a more usual rate would be two per seat. Another factor the owner or manager must decide on is the kind of table service. The three most frequently used styles are called French, Russian and American. French is the most elaborate, often with two people serving each station. One takes drink and food orders from guests, and the other takes the order to the kitchen and returns with the food on platters; the first one then serves with the assistance of the second. In French service there is often final preparation flaming a dish or serving' a sauce that takes place in the dining room, frequently with great show. The service is from the right with the right hand. Russian service is simpler than French since requires only one person to take the order and serve the food. The food is brought from the kitchen on platters and set on a serving stand. The waiter or waitress places plates before the guests from the right side and serves each guest from left. American servies is faster than Russian: one person takes the order and does the serving, The food is placed on plates, not platters - in the kitchen and carried to a serving stand in the dining room. The plates are then served from the guest's left with the left hand, while beverages are served from the guest's right with the right hand. In addition to the waiters and waitresses, the personnel in the front of the house includes headwaiters or hostesses, bussers and cashiers. Not all restaurants employ all these people. In lower priced places the waiters and waitresses may set tables and clear them, without bussers. The job of the headwaiter or hostess to welcome and seat the guests when they arrive and to arrange reservations in restaurants that accept them. In many cases, the headwaiter or hostess also takes drink orders from the guests after they have been sealed. Their most important job is to supervise the work of all personnel in the dining 56 room so that everything runs smoothly and in accordance with the standards of the restaurant. The headwaiter is also known as the captain or colloquially as the maitred' - short for the French maître d'hôtel. Waiters and waitresses also play an important part in the total merchandising effort because they have more contact with the customers than any other restaurant employee. They must be attentive to the wants and the needs of the guests, and they can explain items on the menu that are unfamiliar or make recommendations about dishes. The rapid expression of the restaurant business has meant there are no longer enough well-trained, experienced waiters and waitresses to meet the demand. Those who do have a good background, special skills and personality can expect to make a good living. One of the inducements for becoming a waiter or waitress is the extra income from tips.