What should I include about the venue atmosphere 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, it's important to clearly describe the atmosphere of your venue. Include details about the dining environment, whether it's formal, casual, or family-friendly, and the type of dining experience you offer, such as intimate, bustling, or themed. This helps candidates understand the setting they will be working in and the guest expectations they need to meet.

Common misunderstanding: Atmosphere doesn't matter for maitre d' roles.

Some managers think venue atmosphere is not important in job descriptions, but it directly affects how maitre d's manage teams and interact with guests.

Let's say you are a maitre d' working in a formal fine dining restaurant versus a casual family pub. The fine dining role requires detailed service protocols and formal guest interaction, whilst the pub needs friendly, relaxed customer service. Different atmospheres need different skills.

Common misunderstanding: Cuisine type describes atmosphere completely.

Some managers think mentioning cuisine type is enough, but atmosphere includes décor, noise level, and overall venue feeling that affect service style and maitre d' duties.

Let's say you are a maitre d' at a Japanese restaurant. Simply knowing "Japanese cuisine" doesn't tell you if it's a quiet sushi bar requiring precise, respectful service or a lively teppanyaki restaurant needing energetic, entertaining interaction with guests.

How do I describe the restaurant's service style in a Head Waiter job description?

Describing the service style in a Head Waiter job description involves detailing how the service is delivered. Mention if your restaurant offers table service, buffet, family-style, or fine dining. Highlight expectations such as speed, efficiency, and interaction level with guests. This information will help potential candidates gauge if their skills and experience align with your service delivery standards.

Common misunderstanding: All restaurant service is the same.

Some managers think service style is similar everywhere, but each restaurant has different service expectations and methods that maitre d's must understand.

Let's say you are a maitre d' comparing fine dining service to fast-casual service. Fine dining requires detailed wine knowledge, formal presentation, and multi-course coordination, whilst fast-casual needs quick order processing and efficient table turnover. Different styles need different skills.

Common misunderstanding: Famous restaurants don't need service details.

Some managers think well-known restaurants don't need to explain service style, but even famous venues should clarify expectations for candidates who may not know the brand.

Let's say you are a maitre d' applying to a well-known restaurant chain. You might not know their specific service protocols, training methods, or guest interaction style. Clear descriptions help you understand if your experience matches their standards.

What unique aspects of my restaurant should I highlight in a Head Waiter job description?

Highlighting the unique aspects of your restaurant in a Head Waiter job description can attract the right candidates. These might include signature dishes, a renowned chef, special service methods, or entertainment options. Also, mention any awards or recognitions that set your venue apart. This helps candidates understand what makes your restaurant special and why they might want to be part of your team.

Common misunderstanding: Only food makes restaurants unique.

Some managers focus only on menu items when describing unique features, but location, history, technology, and service methods also make restaurants special and attractive to candidates.

Let's say you are a maitre d' learning about your restaurant's unique features. Besides signature dishes, you need to know about the historic building, waterfront location, live music, or tablet ordering system. These features help you understand the complete guest experience you'll be managing.

Common misunderstanding: Save unique features for interviews.

Some managers keep unique restaurant features secret until interviews, but mentioning special aspects in job descriptions attracts better candidates who want to work somewhere distinctive.

Let's say you are a maitre d' reading job descriptions. Seeing mention of an award-winning wine list, celebrity chef, or unique service style creates excitement and attracts you to positions with those specific features rather than just any restaurant job.