What personality traits are important for 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 hiring a Head Waiter, look for someone who is calm under pressure, has excellent guest communication skills, and can lead a team effectively. These traits ensure they can manage the dining floor smoothly and handle any service issues that arise.

Common misunderstanding: Any experienced waiter can be maitre d'.

Experience is valuable, but the right personality traits are crucial. A maitre d' needs to show leadership and calm, not just service skills.

Let's say you are a maitre d' candidate with 10 years of serving experience. Without leadership skills, conflict resolution abilities, and calm under pressure, you'll struggle to manage staff, handle guest complaints, and coordinate floor operations effectively.

Common misunderstanding: Technical skills outweigh personality traits.

While technical skills are necessary, personality traits like leadership, calmness, and communication define a successful maitre d'. These traits help them manage the team and guest experiences effectively.

Let's say you are a maitre d' with excellent wine knowledge and perfect table service technique. However, when the kitchen falls behind and guests become impatient, your leadership and communication skills determine whether the situation improves or escalates.

How do I align personality traits with my restaurant's pace and dynamic?

Identify the specific challenges and pace of your restaurant to match with the personality traits of your Head Waiter. For example, a fast-paced, high-volume restaurant needs someone who remains calm and decisive under pressure, while a fine dining venue might require more emphasis on meticulous guest service and elegance.

Common misunderstanding: One-size-fits-all personality traits work for all restaurants.

Different restaurant types and paces require different traits. Tailor the personality traits you seek according to your restaurant's specific needs and customer expectations.

Let's say you are a maitre d' with a calm, methodical personality perfect for fine dining. However, this same approach might be too slow for a high-energy sports bar where quick decision-making and energetic leadership are more valuable.

Common misunderstanding: Assuming adaptability without evidence.

During interviews, ask for specific examples where candidates have adapted to various service environments. This helps ensure they can truly align with your restaurant's dynamic.

Let's say you are a maitre d' candidate claiming to be adaptable. Without specific examples like successfully transitioning from casual dining to fine dining, or managing both quiet nights and busy holiday rushes, this claim remains unproven.

Why is it important to specify interpersonal skills in a Head Waiter job description?

Specifying interpersonal skills in a job description helps attract candidates who are capable of building good relationships with both guests and staff. These skills are crucial for resolving conflicts, ensuring smooth service, and maintaining a positive dining atmosphere.

Common misunderstanding: Interpersonal skills develop naturally on the job.

While on-the-job experience helps, explicitly looking for these skills during hiring ensures you start with someone who already excels in these areas.

Let's say you are a maitre d' starting work without strong interpersonal skills. Learning to read guest moods, mediate staff conflicts, and build rapport with regular customers takes years, and mistakes during this learning period can damage service quality.

Common misunderstanding: Interpersonal skills are less important than operational ones.

Operational skills keep a restaurant running, but interpersonal skills ensure guests and staff are happy and engaged, which is just as critical for long-term success.

Let's say you are a maitre d' who excels at scheduling, inventory, and logistics but struggles with interpersonal connections. You might run efficient operations, but unhappy staff and dissatisfied guests will ultimately harm the restaurant's reputation and success.