Frequently Asked Questions
Below are answers to questions that are frequently asked by FrontHouz workers. Click here to contact us if you have any additional questions that are not answered below!
General
What is FrontHouz?
FrontHouz is an on-demand, temporary staffing platform for the food/beverage industry. Unlike our competitors, we ONLY focus on our industry family and are working hard to combat the historical staffing crisis that our community faces now.
What makes FrontHouz different?
We recognize that while setting hourly rates guarantees at least some income, it puts a limit on the potential income that our workers could be making. Therefore, we encourage our venues to only post busy shifts during peak hours, like lunch or dinner rush, so that our workers may maximize their income and unlock their full potential – all without any downtime and minimal side work. In fact, FrontHouz is currently America’s most profitable gig platform for workers. And we pay you at the end of your shift!
Furthermore, we appreciate our hard-working gig workers in this newfound gig economy, and we want to provide a safe and fun method of gig work that also has the highest profit potential. Gone are the days where gig workers’ only option is to drive sketchy strangers in their car late at night or spend two hours delivering one bag of food in heavy city traffic!
As if that wasn’t enough, we also provide our workers with training on each venue they visit. We can’t expect you to do your best if you are thrown into a new restaurant without any pre-shift training. Therefore, we upload al the documents that the venues use to train their full-time employees, as well as 360-degree pictures of the venues themselves. This way, you can show up to your shift confident, competent, and ready to earn high tips.
What types of shifts do you offer?
We currently staff all FOH positions for restaurants, bars, nightclubs, hotels, stadiums, and banquet/event centers.
- Bartenders
- Servers
- Service Assistants (SA’s)
- Hosts
- Barbacks
- Food Runners
Getting Started
What do I need to get started?
It’s very simple! As long as you are eligible to work in the US, you can get started with FrontHouz. First, create your profile with basic information and let us know about your industry experience. Please list how many years you have worked in the industry, the names of some (or all) places you have worked, select the positions you have worked in, and list two professional references. We personally call every reference, so be sure to list eligible colleagues. We cannot approve your account if you list personal references. Once we have verified your employment history and enthusiastic personality, your profile will be approved, and you may then be subject to additional requirements before you are able to begin picking up shifts.
Do I need experience?
What cities is FrontHouz available in?
Currently, we are only staffing positions in the Southeast United States. However, we will be expanding soon.
What happens if I am rated poorly?
Every time you complete a shift, the venue may choose to rate you. Every time you are rated, it counts toward you star average. The star average is a rating scale between 1-star (worst) and 5-stars (best).
If you are rated poorly (1-star or 2-stars), your rating will reflect this, and you will no longer be allowed to pick up shifts at the venue that rated you poorly. All pre-existing upcoming shifts at this venue will also be cancelled.
If you receive three 1-star or 2-star ratings in a row OR if you have worked more than five shifts and have a collective star rating that is below 3 stars, your profile will be removed from the platform.
However, if you believe you were rated poorly by error, please contact support@fronthouz.com to dispute the rating.
Can I rate a venue?
Of course! Venues are held accountable equally to how we hold our workers accountable. No venue will be allowed to post any more shifts on the platform if they receive three 1-star or 2-star ratings in a row OR if they have completed more than five shifts and have a collective star rating that is below 3 stars.
Do I need TIPS certification?
Currently, no, workers are not required to provide supplementary certifications. However, this is subject to change in the future.
Do you require a background check?
No, we do not require background checks, as most restaurants/bars/nightclubs do not require them. However, this is subject to change in the future.
I have never worked in the industry before. How do I get started?
Our training modules for each venue should give you a great head start. However, the best advice we can give is to be observant and communicate as much as possible. Watch your coworkers, notice when they need help, and help them. Always inform the manager on duty (MOD) if a guest is not fully happy or if something peculiar is happening. If you need help, ask for it. Lastly, be friendly! It will get you very far and spread to others.
Managing Shifts
How do I pick up shifts?
Once your profile is approved and you are signed in, click on the “Available Shifts” tab and scroll through the current list of gigs available in your city. You may pick up as many shifts as you would like on a first-come-first-serve basis. If you are not 100% certain whether you would like to commit to a certain shift, once it gets picked up by someone else, it will move to the “On-Call” shifts list, and you may sign up to be on standby for the shift in case something happens with the initial worker.
After you pick up a shift, be sure to review the venue’s training module so that you may arrive for the shift as prepared as possible.
What are “immediate pick-up” shifts?
These are shifts that are available for you to accept on a first-come-first-serve basis. Once you pick it up, it is yours.
What are on-call shifts?
If you are not 100% certain whether you would like to commit to a certain shift, once it gets picked up by someone else, it will move to the “On-Call” shifts list, and you may sign up to be on standby for the shift in case something happens with the initial worker.
How do I clock in/out?
You will be informed of a code that you will use to clock in and clock out using the venue’s POS system. Please remember to confirm your clock-in and clock-out time with the manager on duty (MOD) before you leave.
What happens if the shift runs longer than scheduled?
If the shift duration runs longer than expected, please discuss this with the manager on duty (MOD) and determine together whether you are able to stay. If you are not able to stay longer, this will not impact your rating. If you believe a manager has rated you poorly due to your not being able to stay for additional time, please contact us at support@fronthouz.com to dispute this rating. If you decide to stay and continue working, you will be compensated for your time. Always remember to confirm your hours worked and tips earned with your MOD before you leave.
What happens if a venue cancels a shift that I have picked up?
It is unlikely that a venue will cancel a shift they have posted, but it can happen. Not to worry, though – if a venue cancels the shift within 24 hours of the start time, you will be sent $50 for the inconvenience.
What happens if I have to cancel a shift?
While this is never a good practice, things happen, and we understand that.
If you cancel your shift more than 24 hours before the start time, there will likely be no penalty. However, your account will be monitored for future shifts to ensure that this is not a recurring incident.
If you cancel your shift within 24 hours of the start time, your account will be monitored, and you will no longer be able to see or accept shifts from that venue for 60 days. Any pre-existing upcoming shifts you have at that venue will also be cancelled. If we determine that such cancellations are frequent incidents within your profile, we reserve the right to terminate your account.
If you encountered an emergency that prevented you from following through with your shift, and you would like to dispute the suspension from the specific venue, please email support@fronthouz.com and include documentation to support your claim. Such documentation could include a watermarked doctor’s note or police incident report (or other similar forms of evidence). We will review your claim and respond as soon as possible.
What happens if I do a no-call-no-show?
It is standard practice that a no-call-no-show at a restaurant (for full-time employees) is grounds for termination. When you do not show up for your scheduled shift without warning, this reflects badly on the entire company, and it is a practice that we cannot accept. Therefore, if you do a no-call-no-show, your account will be suspended until it is thoroughly reviewed.
If this happens, you may choose to supply documentation that you underwent an emergency and were physically unable to let us know that you could not make your shift. Such documentation could include a watermarked doctor’s note or police incident report (or other similar forms of evidence). Please send this documentation to support@fronthouz.com as soon as possible to assist us while we review your case. Please keep in mind that if your account is deemed at fault, it will be removed from the platform.
What should I do if I am running late for my shift?
Please call the restaurant and let a manager know that you are running behind. While this does not excuse your tardiness, communication is key to a good shift for all parties involved.
Managing Payments
What happens after my shift ends?
After the shift ends, you have a few quick tasks (these work in your best interest):
#1: Confirm your total # of hours worked and $ amount in tips (if working a tip-based shift) with the manager on duty (MOD) before your leave.
#2: Under the Past/Completed Shifts section on your dashboard, locate the shift you recently completed. From there, please review and rate the venue you worked at. It is important that we hold all venues accountable so that we may better understand how to create an even better and more profitable experience for our workers.
How do I get paid?
After the venue sends us your number of hours worked and tips earned for the completed shift, we will use your selected payout method to send you your total earnings. Please ensure that you have selected a payout method that links to a valid checking or savings account. Otherwise, there may be a delay in receiving your earnings.
Do I earn tips?
Of course! Tips are the biggest incentive for hard work, and we have repeatedly discovered that by allowing tips, our workers can earn the highest hourly returns for their work. In order to maximize your tips and earn a 5-star rating, please be sure to review the training module for the venue you will be working at before you arrive for your shift.
What is a full-house pool? Am I included in one?
A “full-house pool” is a system that certain venues use to split up tips earned by the entire FOH group so that each person receives the same $ amount in tips per hour. For example, if Tim worked 8 hours and earned $300 in tips, and Suzy worked 4 hours and earned $200 in tips, the full-house pool would be $500 ($300 + $200), and Tim would earn $333.33 (hours worked/total hours in pool) * (total tips in pool) = (8 hours worked/12 hours in pool)*($500 in pool), and Suzy would earn $166.67 (4 hours worked/12 hours in pool)*($500 in pool).
This may seem like an unfair process to some involved, especially those who worked fewer hours and earned more tips than they ended up receiving (like Suzy in the above example). Therefore, FrontHouz servers do not participate in full-house pools for regular service*. When you clock in using your unique code, you must use this code to ring in all tables/seats and orders so that your earnings are individually recorded. This way, you will be able to keep exactly what you earned.
Because of the “shared work” nature of bars, all FrontHouz bartenders will pool with the bar (or with the full house, if the venue participates in a full-house pool). This also helps us maintain accountability standards for our bartenders and ensures that no rules are being broken to inflate the tips earned.
*The only exception to these rules is in the case of a “BEO” (Banquet Event Order). A BEO indicates that there will be a “bought-out event” that will run separately to that of a typical service. A BEO also (almost always) features auto-gratuity for the entire staff. For example, if a company hosts their holiday party at a venue and essentially buys out the space for the night, this would be considered a BEO. All tipped workers (bartenders and servers) will pool with the house during BEO’s.
How do cash tips work?
If you receive cash tips when you work a shift, do not include that number on your tabs. FrontHouz workers keep all of their cash tips and do not split them with others or turn them in to the venue at the end of the shift.
FrontHouz does not keep track of cash tips, but workers are required to declare the number of cash tips earned on a yearly basis when they file their 1099 income on their taxes.
1099 Information
What does it mean to be an independent contractor (1099 worker)?
1099 independent contractors file the 1099-MISC US tax form each year. Independent contractors are responsible for paying their own taxes at the end of each year without an employer’s assistance and may be subject to backup withholding if they don’t.
