Head waiter is the face of your restaurant

Not every restaurant can pay for the services of a high-class head waiter. And some novice restaurateurs do not see the need for this person at all. The presence of the head waiter in the restaurant’s hall itself speaks of the quality of the services provided here, the highest level of service, and a special attitude to the guests of the establishment. But is it really the duty of the head waiter to only accompany the guest to the table and a dazzling smile?

Who is the restaurant head waiter

The head waiter welcomes the guests and escorts them to the table. In addition, his duties include the management and control of waiters, porters, security guards, cleaners - in general, everyone who works in a restaurant, but does not apply to the kitchen. The head waiter smooths out conflict situations between guests and waiters, and also conducts staff training.

In order to be a head waiter, you need to have a special education and extensive experience in the restaurant business. This work is either the pinnacle of a career in this direction or an intermediate step on the road to opening your own restaurant.

The head waiter is a person who is simply obliged to love his work. Otherwise, he simply won’t be able to sincerely smile at the guests, gain the trust and respect of the staff, adequately cope with possible conflicts in the team or with the guests. This is work until late, and work on holidays. You can’t be sick, you can’t look bad, be depressed, preoccupied with your own problems. This is not just the administrator of the restaurant, this is the face of the institution, and the face should be impeccable.

Head waiter functions

The job description of the head waiter includes the following items:

• control of the appearance of the restaurant hall, bar counters, shop windows - from design to cleanliness and order at any given moment;
• control over the work of waiters: receiving orders and serving guests with waiters, as well as checking the correctness of accounts;
• listening to comments from guests regarding the quality of service, followed by measures to eliminate shortcomings;
• participation in the preparation of weddings, large-scale celebrations;
• control of discipline, labor law;
• the obligation to be the link between the restaurant owner and the staff: the introduction of innovations, monitoring the implementation of orders.

What a head waiter should know and be able to

The minimum requirements for a head waiter are special secondary education and at least two years of experience in the restaurant business.

Head waiter is a restaurant employee who:

• knows the decisions, orders, instructions of the senior management;
• perfectly knows and understands the rules and principles of the catering business, as well as the basics of personnel management, marketing and advertising, interior design techniques;
• knows the menu of the institution, can advise the guest, help in choosing wines;
• has a concept of ethics, aesthetics, psychology. He is able to create a good mood, to arrange the guest to himself and the institution. The head waiter should understand his people well, know how to motivate them and how to organize the most effective team work.

How to become a head waiter

The vast majority of good headwaits are former waiters. During the work as a waiter, you can find out the "kitchen" of the restaurant from the inside, all the subtleties, possible difficulties. Learn to work with people, get used to capricious or conflicting customers. And how much time will go on the way from the waiter to the head waiter depends on personal qualities, hard work and luck. This may take several months or several years. Ideally, if there is a special education - university, college, technical school, courses in the field of cooking or restaurant management. The head waiter, whose responsibilities are directly related to working with a wide variety of people, must be psychologically stable and have leadership skills. Any experience in communicating with clients, teamwork, in psychologically difficult conditions will help.

Is the head waiter a restaurant manager?

He manages the restaurant in four areas: sales, expenses, quality, staff. The restaurant administrator is, first of all, the manager. Thus, the manager is already a specialist of a completely different level. The head waiter does not manage the expenses or the staff of the kitchen, is not responsible for the content of the menu and the quality of the dishes. He manages the quality of service, as well as sales through the same quality, but he does not make up the menu, is not responsible for the profitability of the restaurant, does not control the budget. It’s just that work experience is not enough to grow from a head waiter into a restaurant manager; special education is required.

Where to study at the head waiter

Business academies have special training programs for head waiter and restaurant administrators. Teachers are not theorists, but practitioners with many years of experience: managers, restaurateurs, head waiter. Classes are held both theoretical and practical using restaurant equipment. As a rule, the best students, after completing the course, immediately get a job. Education is paid. The head waiter is a very popular profession on the labor market, and it is paid very well, so the money spent on training will return very quickly. The same can be said about the specialty "restaurant manager". With diligent study, a keen interest in the profession, you can very soon succeed in the restaurant field and grow from a waiter a diner into a maitre d 'hotel of a high-level institution.