What essential skills should be listed in a Head Waiter job description?

Date modified: 22nd September 2025 | This FAQ page has been written by Pilla Founder, Liam Jones, click to email Liam directly, he reads every email.

Maitre d' Interview Template

This interview template provides a structured approach to interviewing maitre d' candidates. Use this guide to conduct consistent, fair interviews and objectively score responses. Use weighted scoring to get an accurate overall assessment - score each area 1-5, then calculate your final weighted score using the formula provided.

Review candidate's CV and fine dining experience thoroughly
Prepare interview room with professional, upscale atmosphere
Have scoring sheets, pen, water, and service standards documentation available
Ensure interview will not be interrupted for 50 minutes
Review current service protocols, wine list, and guest experience standards
Prepare scenarios for guest interaction and service assessment
Have reservation system and floor plan available for discussion
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5 - Excellent: Extensive fine dining experience with clear front-of-house leadership examples
4 - Good: Good fine dining background with relevant leadership experience
3 - Average: Some fine dining experience but limited leadership responsibility
2 - Below Average: Limited fine dining or leadership experience for maitre d' level
1 - Poor: Insufficient fine dining or leadership experience for this role
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5 - Excellent: Sophisticated service flow management with excellent reservation and seating strategies
4 - Good: Good service management with practical flow control experience
3 - Average: Basic service flow understanding with adequate management skills
2 - Below Average: Limited service flow management or poor organizational skills
1 - Poor: Cannot manage service flow at maitre d' level
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5 - Excellent: Comprehensive training approach with excellent service standard development
4 - Good: Good training skills with practical service standard implementation
3 - Average: Basic training abilities with some service standard awareness
2 - Below Average: Limited training experience or poor service standard understanding
1 - Poor: Cannot train staff or maintain service standards effectively
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5 - Excellent: Extensive wine knowledge with sophisticated wine service and sommelier collaboration
4 - Good: Good wine knowledge with practical wine service experience
3 - Average: Basic wine knowledge but adequate service capabilities
2 - Below Average: Limited wine knowledge or poor wine service skills
1 - Poor: No wine knowledge suitable for fine dining maitre d' role
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5 - Excellent: Excellent VIP service with sophisticated experience creation and personalization
4 - Good: Good VIP handling with practical special occasion experience
3 - Average: Basic VIP service with some special occasion awareness
2 - Below Average: Limited VIP experience or poor personalization skills
1 - Poor: Cannot provide VIP service at maitre d' level
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5 - Excellent: Excellent service recovery with sophisticated relationship management and guest retention
4 - Good: Good complaint handling with effective service recovery techniques
3 - Average: Basic complaint resolution with adequate recovery efforts
2 - Below Average: Limited service recovery or poor relationship management
1 - Poor: Cannot handle service recovery at maitre d' level
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5 - Excellent: Excellent departmental coordination with sophisticated communication and service integration
4 - Good: Good coordination skills with effective interdepartmental communication
3 - Average: Basic coordination abilities with adequate communication
2 - Below Average: Limited coordination or poor interdepartmental communication
1 - Poor: Cannot coordinate effectively with other departments
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5 - Excellent: Strong business understanding with proven revenue generation while maintaining service quality
4 - Good: Good business awareness with practical sales and service balance
3 - Average: Basic business understanding but limited revenue focus
2 - Below Average: Limited business acumen or poor sales/service balance
1 - Poor: No understanding of business contribution or revenue generation
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5 - Excellent: Sophisticated VIP handling with multiple creative solutions and relationship preservation
4 - Good: Good VIP service with practical solutions and professional approach
3 - Average: Basic VIP handling with adequate problem-solving
2 - Below Average: Poor VIP service or limited solution creativity
1 - Poor: Cannot handle VIP situations appropriately
Demonstrates exceptional professional presentation and gravitas
Shows sophisticated communication skills and cultural awareness
Exhibits leadership presence and ability to command respect from staff
Expresses passion for fine dining and creating exceptional guest experiences
Shows understanding of luxury service standards and attention to detail
Indicates availability for fine dining service hours including evenings and weekends
Asks sophisticated questions about service philosophy and guest experience standards

Weighted scoring: Rate each area 1-5, then multiply by the decimal shown (35% = 0.35). Example: If Guest Experience = 4, then 4 x 0.35 = 1.4. Add all results for your final score. Maximum possible score is 5.0.

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Strong Hire - Offer position immediately
Hire - Good candidate, offer position
Maybe - Conduct service observation or final interview with ownership
Probably Not - Significant concerns, unlikely to hire
Do Not Hire - Not suitable for this role

When writing a job description for a Head Waiter, include skills like the ability to lead a floor team calmly under pressure, exceptional guest communication, and strong organisational and shift planning skills. These are crucial for managing the dining area efficiently and ensuring guest satisfaction.

Common misunderstanding: Technical skills like plate carrying are most important.

While technical skills are important, leadership and communication skills are essential for a maitre d'. They need to manage teams and handle guest interactions more than performing basic waitstaff duties.

Let's say you are a maitre d' during a busy dinner service. Your success doesn't depend on how quickly you can carry plates, but on how well you coordinate your team, resolve guest complaints, and maintain service flow throughout the restaurant.

Common misunderstanding: Experience in all dining settings is necessary.

It's more important that they have experience relevant to your specific type of venue, whether it's casual dining, fine dining, or a specific cuisine. Tailor the required experience to your restaurant's environment.

Let's say you are a maitre d' with fine dining experience applying to a casual family restaurant. Your formal service protocols might be excessive, but your leadership and guest service skills remain valuable and transferable.

How do I differentiate between must-have and nice-to-have skills for a Head Waiter?

To differentiate, list 'must-have' skills as those essential for daily operations and critical situations, such as leadership under pressure and guest service recovery. 'Nice-to-have' skills might include experience in fine dining or VIP service, which are beneficial but not essential for performing the job effectively.

Common misunderstanding: All job description skills are equally important.

Not all skills carry the same weight. Distinguish which skills are critical for day-to-day management and which would be beneficial for enhancing the guest experience or operational efficiency.

Let's say you are a maitre d' reviewing job requirements. Leadership under pressure and conflict resolution are must-have skills for daily operations, whilst wine knowledge and foreign language skills are nice-to-have enhancements.

Common misunderstanding: Nice-to-have skills are unnecessary.

While not critical, nice-to-have skills can significantly enhance a candidate's fit and potential to grow within the role, contributing to better service and a more adaptable team.

Let's say you are a maitre d' with additional skills like sommelier training or event planning experience. These extras don't affect your core duties but can help you excel during wine tastings or special events.

What specific skills are required for managing service and staff effectively?

Effective management requires a blend of strong organisational skills, the ability to lead and motivate a team, and excellent guest service capabilities. Skills in handling pressure situations, like reorganising staff during a rush or resolving guest complaints, are also vital.

Common misunderstanding: Good maitre d's only need guest handling skills.

While guest handling is crucial, equally important is the ability to manage and lead the staff. Balancing both guest and team needs is key to smooth operations.

Let's say you are a maitre d' managing a difficult evening. You're simultaneously calming an upset guest about wait times whilst coordinating with stressed kitchen staff and supporting a new server struggling with table management.

Common misunderstanding: Formal hospitality education is required for management.

Practical experience and proven leadership skills can often be more valuable than formal education. Focus on candidates' real-world experience and their demonstrated ability to manage service and staff under pressure.

Let's say you are a maitre d' who started as a server and worked your way up through practical experience. Your hands-on knowledge of restaurant operations and proven leadership skills often outweigh formal qualifications in real-world situations.