Restaurant manager to head waiter/head waitress
A restaurant manager already meets 52% of what the head waiter/head waitress role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
58.8/ 100
1 How much of what a head waiter/head waitress is expected to do is already part of a restaurant manager’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 19 of its required skills as things a restaurant manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply foreign languages in hospitality
- control of expenses
- handle customer complaints
- identify customer's needs
- inspect table settings
- maintain customer service
What stands in the way is 16 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 head waiter/head waitress role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a restaurant manager background worth leading with.
- already held inspect table settings assisting and caring
- already held manage restaurant service management skills
- already held prepare tableware assisting and caring
- already held apply foreign languages in hospitality communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage stock rotation management skills
- already held supervise the work of staff on different shifts management skills
All 22 carried skills, including the 19 the head waiter/head waitress role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 6 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 assist clients with special needs required
- still to learn coach employees required
- still to learn execute opening and closing procedures 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 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 greet guests required
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- still to learn attend to detail regarding food and beverages required
- still to learn store kitchen supplies required
- still to learn plan shifts of employees required
- still to learn process payments required
- optional, not held sparkling wines optional
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 22 skills that carry over
- already held apply foreign languages in hospitality skill
- already held control of expenses skill
- already held handle customer complaints skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held inspect table settings 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 ensure maintenance of kitchen equipment skill
- already held food waste monitoring systems knowledge
- already held use resource-efficient technologies in hospitality skill
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 monitor check-out point optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held sparkling wines optional
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- optional, not held process reservations optional
32 held skills the head waiter/head waitress role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role arrange special events 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 conduct research on food waste prevention skill
- not needed by the target role create decorative food displays skill
- not needed by the target role create event-specific menus skill
- not needed by the target role design indicators for food waste reduction skill
- not needed by the target role develop food waste reduction strategies skill
- not needed by the target role develop inclusive communication material skill
- not needed by the target role develop working procedures skill
- not needed by the target role devise special promotions skill
- not needed by the target role energy conservation knowledge
- not needed by the target role enforce alcohol drinking laws skill
- not needed by the target role ensure infrastructure accessibility skill
- not needed by the target role ensure portion control skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate employees skill
- not needed by the target role hazard analysis and critical control points knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role keep up with eating out trends skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage the customer experience skill
- not needed by the target role monitor financial accounts skill
- not needed by the target role monitor sugar uniformity skill
- not needed by the target role monitor the process of wine production skill
- not needed by the target role mould chocolate skill
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role seek innovation in current practices skill
- not needed by the target role set prices of menu items skill
- not needed by the target role think creatively about food and beverages skill
- not needed by the target role train staff to reduce food waste skill
- not needed by the target role waste management knowledge
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held sparkling wines optional
Other moves recorded from restaurant manager
Common questions about this move
Can a restaurant manager become a head waiter/head waitress?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A restaurant manager already covers 52% of what a head waiter/head waitress is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 19 of which the head waiter/head waitress role treats as required.
What skills does a restaurant manager need to become a head waiter/head waitress?
16 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 6 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 restaurant manager to head waiter/head waitress?
Its learning distance is 58.8 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.