Head waiter/head waitress to restaurant manager
A head waiter/head waitress already meets 47% of what the restaurant manager role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
62.1/ 100
1 How much of what a restaurant manager is expected to do is already part of a head waiter/head waitress’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 restaurant manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A restaurant manager role treats 19 of its required skills as things a head waiter/head waitress already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- control of expenses
- ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment
- handle customer complaints
- identify customer's needs
- maintain customer service
- manage health and safety standards
What stands in the way is 17 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 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A restaurant manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a head waiter/head waitress background worth leading with.
- already held manage restaurant service management skills
- already held inspect table settings assisting and caring
- already held prepare tableware assisting and caring
- already held manage stock rotation management skills
- already held supervise the work of staff on different shifts management skills
- already held apply foreign languages in hospitality communication, collaboration and creativity
All 22 carried skills, including the 19 the restaurant manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 32 missing skills fall into 8 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 arrange special events required
- still to learn develop food waste reduction strategies required
- still to learn devise special promotions required
- still to learn identify suppliers required
- still to learn manage staff required
- optional, not held develop working procedures optional
- optional, not held evaluate employees optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- still to learn train staff to reduce food waste required
- still to learn develop inclusive communication material required
- still to learn ensure infrastructure accessibility required
- still to learn order supplies required
- optional, not held compile wine lists optional
- optional, not held create decorative food displays optional
- optional, not held create event-specific menus optional
- optional, not held think creatively about food and beverages optional
- still to learn set prices of menu items required
- still to learn design indicators for food waste reduction required
- still to learn monitor financial accounts required
- optional, not held keep up with eating out trends optional
- optional, not held monitor sugar uniformity optional
- optional, not held monitor the process of wine production optional
- optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
- optional, not held seek innovation in current practices optional
- still to learn ensure portion control required
- still to learn comply with food safety and hygiene required
- still to learn manage the customer experience required
- optional, not held enforce alcohol drinking laws optional
- still to learn hazard analysis and critical control points required
- still to learn waste management required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a restaurant manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ensure portion control practise this
- 02 set prices of menu items practise this
- 03 train staff to reduce food waste 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 22 skills that carry over
- already held control of expenses skill
- already held ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment skill
- already held handle customer complaints skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held manage health and safety standards skill
- already held manage restaurant service skill
- already held manage stock rotation skill
- already held maximise sales revenues skill
- already held monitor customer service skill
- already held monitor work for special events skill
- already held plan menus skill
- already held prepare tableware skill
- already held quality assurance methodologies knowledge
- already held recruit employees skill
- already held supervise food quality skill
- already held supervise the work of staff on different shifts skill
- already held train employees skill
- already held use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality skill
- already held apply foreign languages in hospitality skill
- already held food waste monitoring systems knowledge
- already held inspect table settings skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held energy conservation optional
- optional, not held mould chocolate optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held compile wine lists optional
- optional, not held create decorative food displays optional
- optional, not held create event-specific menus optional
- optional, not held keep up with eating out trends optional
- optional, not held monitor sugar uniformity optional
- optional, not held monitor the process of wine production optional
- optional, not held mould chocolate optional
- optional, not held think creatively about food and beverages optional
- optional, not held conduct research on food waste prevention optional
- optional, not held develop working procedures optional
- optional, not held energy conservation optional
- optional, not held enforce alcohol drinking laws optional
- optional, not held evaluate employees optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held seek innovation in current practices optional
23 held skills the restaurant manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise guests on menus for special events skill
- not needed by the target role assist VIP guests skill
- not needed by the target role assist clients with special needs skill
- not needed by the target role attend to detail regarding food and beverages skill
- not needed by the target role brief staff on daily menu skill
- not needed by the target role check dining room cleanliness skill
- not needed by the target role check prices on the menu skill
- not needed by the target role coach employees skill
- not needed by the target role educate customers on coffee varieties skill
- not needed by the target role educate customers on tea varieties skill
- not needed by the target role execute opening and closing procedures skill
- not needed by the target role greet guests skill
- not needed by the target role handle surveillance equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
- not needed by the target role measure customer feedback skill
- not needed by the target role monitor billing procedures skill
- not needed by the target role monitor check-out point skill
- not needed by the target role monitor stock level skill
- not needed by the target role plan shifts of employees skill
- not needed by the target role process payments skill
- not needed by the target role process reservations skill
- not needed by the target role sparkling wines knowledge
- not needed by the target role store kitchen supplies skill
3 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 hazard analysis and critical control points required
- still to learn waste management required
- optional, not held energy conservation optional
Other moves recorded from head waiter/head waitress
Common questions about this move
Can a head waiter/head waitress become a restaurant manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A head waiter/head waitress already covers 47% of what a restaurant manager is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 19 of which the restaurant manager role treats as required.
What skills does a head waiter/head waitress need to become a restaurant manager?
17 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is ensure portion control.
How hard is the move from head waiter/head waitress to restaurant manager?
Its learning distance is 62.1 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.