Head sommelier to head waiter/head waitress
A head sommelier already meets 26% of what the head waiter/head waitress role asks for. The move turns on 26 required skills not yet in the profile.
79.5/ 100
1 How much of what a head waiter/head waitress is expected to do is already part of a head sommelier’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 9 of its required skills as things a head sommelier already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply foreign languages in hospitality
- coach employees
- maintain customer service
- manage stock rotation
- monitor work for special events
- plan shifts of employees
What stands in the way is 26 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 12 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 head sommelier background worth leading with.
- already held prepare tableware assisting and caring
- already held sparkling wines engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held apply foreign languages in hospitality communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage stock rotation management skills
- already held ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment handling and moving
- already held monitor work for special events information skills
All 12 carried skills, including the 9 the head waiter/head waitress role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 33 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 identify customer's needs 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 execute opening and closing procedures required
- still to learn handle customer complaints required
- still to learn maximise sales revenues required
- optional, not held educate customers on coffee varieties optional
- optional, not held educate customers on tea varieties optional
- 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
- 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 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
- still to learn manage restaurant service required
- still to learn monitor customer service required
- still to learn process payments 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
- 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 12 skills that carry over
- already held apply foreign languages in hospitality skill
- already held coach employees skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held manage stock rotation skill
- already held monitor work for special events skill
- already held plan shifts of employees skill
- already held prepare tableware skill
- already held recruit employees skill
- already held train employees skill
- already held ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment skill
- already held handle surveillance equipment 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 educate customers on coffee varieties optional
- optional, not held educate customers on tea varieties optional
- 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 process reservations optional
16 held skills the head waiter/head waitress role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assist customers skill
- not needed by the target role check wine quality skill
- not needed by the target role compile wine lists skill
- not needed by the target role comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- not needed by the target role manage medium term objectives skill
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role organise wine cellar skill
- not needed by the target role prepare alcoholic beverages skill
- not needed by the target role procure hospitality products skill
- not needed by the target role recommend wines skill
- not needed by the target role select glassware for serving skill
- not needed by the target role serve wines skill
- not needed by the target role types of wine knowledge
- not needed by the target role upsell products skill
- not needed by the target role wine characteristics knowledge
- not needed by the target role wine related sciences knowledge
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
Common questions about this move
Can a head sommelier become a head waiter/head waitress?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A head sommelier already covers 26% of what a head waiter/head waitress is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 9 of which the head waiter/head waitress role treats as required.
What skills does a head sommelier need to become a head waiter/head waitress?
26 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 head sommelier to head waiter/head waitress?
Its learning distance is 79.5 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.