Bartender to head waiter/head waitress
A bartender already meets 16% of what the head waiter/head waitress role asks for. The move turns on 30 required skills not yet in the profile.
86.6/ 100
1 How much of what a head waiter/head waitress is expected to do is already part of a bartender’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the head waiter/head waitress role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A head waiter/head waitress role treats 5 of its required skills as things a bartender already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply foreign languages in hospitality
- execute opening and closing procedures
- identify customer's needs
- maintain customer service
- process payments
What stands in the way is 30 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A head waiter/head waitress role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a bartender background worth leading with.
- already held execute opening and closing procedures communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held educate customers on tea varieties communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held sparkling wines engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held apply foreign languages in hospitality communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held educate customers on coffee varieties communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held process payments management skills
All 8 carried skills, including the 5 the head waiter/head waitress role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 37 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn brief staff on daily menu required
- still to learn advise guests on menus for special events required
- still to learn maintain relationship with customers required
- still to learn plan menus required
- still to learn assist clients with special needs required
- still to learn coach employees required
- still to learn handle customer complaints required
- still to learn maximise sales revenues required
- still to learn train employees required
- still to learn check prices on the menu required
- still to learn check dining room cleanliness required
- still to learn control of expenses required
- still to learn measure customer feedback required
- still to learn monitor billing procedures required
- still to learn monitor work for special events required
- optional, not held monitor check-out point optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held process reservations optional
- still to learn assist VIP guests required
- still to learn inspect table settings required
- still to learn prepare tableware required
- still to learn supervise food quality required
- still to learn greet guests required
- still to learn manage health and safety standards required
- optional, not held use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality optional
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- still to learn manage restaurant service required
- still to learn manage stock rotation required
- still to learn monitor customer service required
- still to learn plan shifts of employees required
- still to learn recruit employees required
- still to learn supervise the work of staff on different shifts required
- still to learn attend to detail regarding food and beverages required
- still to learn store kitchen supplies required
- optional, not held ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment optional
- still to learn quality assurance methodologies required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a head waiter/head waitress role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 brief staff on daily menu practise this
- 02 check prices on the menu practise this
- 03 advise guests on menus for special events practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 8 skills that carry over
- already held apply foreign languages in hospitality skill
- already held execute opening and closing procedures skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held process payments skill
- already held educate customers on coffee varieties skill
- already held educate customers on tea varieties skill
- already held sparkling wines knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held food waste monitoring systems optional
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held food waste monitoring systems optional
- optional, not held monitor check-out point optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality optional
- optional, not held ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment optional
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- optional, not held process reservations optional
30 held skills the head waiter/head waitress role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assemble cocktail garnishes skill
- not needed by the target role change kegs skill
- not needed by the target role clean beer pipes skill
- not needed by the target role clear the bar at closing time skill
- not needed by the target role compile drinks menu skill
- not needed by the target role compile drinks price lists skill
- not needed by the target role comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- not needed by the target role create decorative food displays skill
- not needed by the target role detect drug abuse skill
- not needed by the target role devise special promotions skill
- not needed by the target role display spirits skill
- not needed by the target role enforce alcohol drinking laws skill
- not needed by the target role handle bar equipment skill
- not needed by the target role handle gas cylinders skill
- not needed by the target role handle glassware skill
- not needed by the target role handover the service area skill
- not needed by the target role local area tourism industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain bar cleanliness skill
- not needed by the target role prepare fruit ingredients for use in beverages skill
- not needed by the target role prepare garnish for drinks skill
- not needed by the target role prepare hot drinks skill
- not needed by the target role prepare mixed beverages skill
- not needed by the target role present drinks menu skill
- not needed by the target role serve beers skill
- not needed by the target role serve beverages skill
- not needed by the target role serve wines skill
- not needed by the target role setup the bar area skill
- not needed by the target role stock the bar skill
- not needed by the target role take food and beverage orders from customers skill
- not needed by the target role upsell products skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn quality assurance methodologies required
- optional, not held food waste monitoring systems optional
Other moves recorded from bartender
- cocktail bartender 74% covered · moderate
- barista 45% covered · substantial
- quick service restaurant crew member 38% covered · substantial
- sommelier 33% covered · substantial
- waiter/waitress 30% covered · career change
- hotel concierge 27% covered · substantial
- quick service restaurant team leader 24% covered · substantial
- night auditor 24% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a bartender become a head waiter/head waitress?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A bartender already covers 16% of what a head waiter/head waitress is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 5 of which the head waiter/head waitress role treats as required.
What skills does a bartender need to become a head waiter/head waitress?
30 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is brief staff on daily menu.
How hard is the move from bartender to head waiter/head waitress?
Its learning distance is 86.6 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.