How to Record a Restaurant Supervisor Video Job Ad

Restaurant supervisor is the role where people discover whether management suits them. It's more than being a good waiter—you're coordinating the floor, solving problems in real-time, being the person others look to when things go wrong. But it's not yet full management—you probably don't own recruitment, P&L, or strategic decisions. The candidates who thrive are those ready to lead but still developing, or those who want shift ownership without career management pressure. Your video job ad should clarify which version you're offering.

Step 1: Open with the Opportunity

Supervisor candidates generally want one of two things. Speak to the right audience.

Management track candidates: They're treating supervision as a stepping stone. They want to know: what will I learn that prepares me for management? Will I get exposure to rotas, P&L basics, hiring? How long do supervisors typically stay before promotion?

If your assistant manager was a supervisor 14 months ago, say so. If progression depends on someone leaving and timing is uncertain, be honest. Vague "development opportunities" satisfy nobody.

Position the role as an investment in their career. The additional responsibility, even for modest pay increase, makes sense because of what they'll learn.

Responsibility-without-burnout candidates: Others want to lead shifts without managing spreadsheets. They don't want 55-hour weeks, area manager meetings, or the stress of full P&L accountability. They want to run good services, develop junior staff, and have a life outside work.

This is legitimate. If your supervisor role offers genuine work-life balance that management doesn't, that's your pitch to this audience.

The ownership element: For many, the appeal is being trusted to run things. The manager goes home, and you're in charge. Problems are yours to solve. The team looks to you. For candidates ready for this, that responsibility is the main attraction.

Step 2: Show Your Restaurant's Environment

Film during service. Supervisors need to see the floor they'd be coordinating.

Service flow: The room in action—pace, guest turnover, table density. How does service move? What's the energy level? A supervisor in a calm fine-dining environment does different work than one coordinating a high-volume brasserie.

Team scale: How many waiters and runners on a typical shift? What's the supervisor-to-staff ratio? Supervising three people is fundamentally different from coordinating twelve.

The manager relationship: Is there always a manager present, or do supervisors run shifts independently? How much backup exists when problems arise? What decisions are theirs, and what requires escalation?

Kitchen coordination: The pass, the communication style, the pace of food coming out. Supervisors often manage the floor-to-kitchen relationship during service—they should see what that looks like here.

Step 3: Paint a Picture of the Role

Supervisor responsibilities vary significantly between restaurants. Define what yours actually involves.

Floor coordination during service: Section allocation and table management. Monitoring guest experiences across the room. Spotting problems before they escalate—the drink that's taking too long, the unhappy table in the corner. Pace management and turning tables.

What decisions can they make? Can they comp a dessert without asking? Rearrange sections mid-service? Send someone home if it's quiet?

Team leadership on shift: Running pre-service briefings. Allocating side duties. Providing real-time coaching and correction. Managing breaks. Being the person junior staff ask when they're unsure. Setting the tone for the shift.

Do they input into performance discussions? Or is that entirely management's domain?

Guest escalation: Complaints reach the supervisor first. Food issues, service problems, unhappy guests. How much authority to resolve issues—can they remove items from bills, offer future discounts, make it right? What requires manager involvement?

Guest recovery ability separates good supervisors from great ones.

Operational responsibilities: Cash handling and end-of-night reconciliation. Key holding and closing security. Opening procedures and readiness checks. Till floats and banking. These operational elements are often where supervisor differs most from waiting.

Still service-focused: Most supervisors work sections alongside their team, especially during busy periods. The balance matters: 70% service and 30% supervision, or genuinely supervisory with occasional section coverage? Be honest about the split.

Administrative elements: Handover notes. Incident reporting. Reservation system management. Stock flagging. What paperwork or systems work exists?

Step 4: What Supervision Requires

Moving from waiter to supervisor requires different capabilities. Excellence at service doesn't automatically translate.

Leadership without authority: Supervisors lead teams but usually can't hire, fire, or determine pay. They need to motivate through influence—being respected, being helpful, being competent—rather than positional power. Not everyone who's good at service can lead peers effectively.

Service credibility: They need to be genuinely good at the job. Technical skills, product knowledge, guest handling—all strong. The team won't follow someone they don't respect professionally.

Composure under pressure: When services go wrong—kitchen backup, staff shortage, difficult guest—the supervisor handles it. Not escalating everything to management, but resolving what they can and staying calm. The team takes cues from the supervisor's energy.

Communication range: Supervisors talk to guests, team members, kitchen, and management—all differently. They relay instructions down and flag issues up. They translate between what management wants and what the team does.

Administrative reliability: Cash accuracy matters. Following procedures consistently. Attention to detail on the operational elements. Someone who's creative with shortcuts on admin becomes a liability.

Experience expectations: How much experience do you actually need? Two years of restaurant experience? Previous supervisory roles? Specific service style background? Be realistic—you may be developing someone into supervision rather than hiring ready-made.

Readiness indicators: Beyond experience, what shows someone's ready? Do they naturally help colleagues? Spot problems and fix them without being asked? Stay calm when busy? Want more responsibility, or just more money?

Step 5: Make the Offer Clear

Supervisor compensation should meaningfully exceed waiter rates to reflect the additional responsibility.

UK compensation context:

• Restaurant Supervisor: £12-14/hour, or £25,000-30,000 salaried
• Senior Supervisor: £13-15/hour, or £28,000-33,000

If the gap from waiter is tiny, good candidates won't step up. The pay increase should make responsibility worthwhile.

Tips and service charge: Same pool as waiters? Higher percentage? Different arrangement? This significantly affects total earnings and should be clear.

Schedule patterns: Which shifts do supervisors typically work? Always closers? Always weekends? Or spread across the rota? Weekly hours—contracted and actual.

Supervisors often work less desirable shifts by default. If that's true, be honest rather than discovering it creates resentment.

What the step-up offers: Beyond pay: key holding and trusted access, decision-making authority, training specifically for progression, schedule predictability if applicable. Make the value of stepping up tangible.

Development pathway: What training do supervisors receive? Management skills, customer service leadership, commercial basics? What does progression to assistant manager or manager look like—typical timelines, what's required?

If supervisor is often a permanent role rather than stepping stone, be honest about that too.

Benefits differences: Do supervisors get different benefits than waiters? Enhanced pension, different holiday allowance, meal benefits? These differentiators help justify taking on more responsibility.

Step 6: The Application Process

Supervisor applications may come internally or externally—adjust expectations accordingly.

For external candidates: CV emphasising any supervisory or leadership experience. A note on why they want responsibility and what they're looking for from the role. Availability and notice period.

For internal candidates: Expression of interest, conversation about readiness, development plan. Your job ad might prompt internal applications—that's often the best source for supervisors.

What to assess: Leadership potential—can they coordinate others? Reliability—can they be trusted with keys and cash? Service excellence—are they genuinely skilled themselves? Composure—how do they handle pressure?

Practical assessment: Interviews reveal less than observation. Shadow shifts with current supervisors. Trial shifts with supervisory responsibilities on quieter nights. Seeing how they handle actual operational pressure.

Honest expectation-setting: Candidates often underestimate the responsibility jump or overestimate the glamour. Frank conversations about the difficult parts—late closes, complaint handling, staff problems—lead to better outcomes than overselling.

Internal development path: If promoting from within, what's the development period? Training requirements? Gradual responsibility increase? Support during transition?

The supervisor role is where hospitality careers are often decided. Success leads to management; struggle leads to burnout or exit. Taking selection seriously—investing in development—benefits the individual and the restaurant.