Maitre D’ job descriptions, comprehensive guide for first-time job seekers

Well-written maitre d’ job descriptions showcase what the job entails in terms of the skills that are required, roles and duties to be carried out, maitre d’ salary range plus other useful information. If you are a first-time job seeker who have had no luck, our guide is among the rare maitre D’ job descriptions you have been looking for. It will provide useful details to help you prepare a job-winning resume.

Maitre d’ responsibilities and duties

Maitre d’ basically means the main caretaker of the hotel or head waiter/waitress of the hotel. The main role of a maitre d’ is to meet and greet guests warmly as they arrive at the hotel and then direct them to their areas of interest. Other duties include attending to all calls that come in through the restaurant, serving guests, scheduling tasks for waiters, solving customer issues as they arise, asking the customers for feedback, escorting guests to the exit and other hospitality duties as assigned by the hotel.

Working environment

A maitre d’ is usually stationed near the entrance of the main restaurant. He/she is expected to maintain his/her cool even when things are out of order. When the restaurant is full, for example, the maitre can decide to direct the guests into a waiting area and take their orders while trying to make them feel comfortable as much as possible by either offering them something free on the menu or by just starting a polite conversion.

As a maitre d’ hotel, you will be required to work between 40 and 50 hours a week. You are expected to be always on call because the hotel might need your help on busy days even if you are not the one on duty. On busy days, the working conditions can be very noisy, stressful, and tiring. If you have no passion for the job, quitting will most likely be inevitable.

Maitre d’ requirements

A professional maitre d’ possesses the following:

• A clear understanding of the hotel’s menu

They must understand all the items served by the hotel. This way, they can comfortably explain the items on the menu to the customer.

• Friendliness

Guests at a hotel need to be received warmly. A maitre d’ needs to be a naturally sociable and friendly person who enjoys being around other people.

• Leadership skills

If you are the kind of person who enjoys giving out orders, this might just be the job for you. As the head waiter/waitress, you will rarely take orders from anyone. The orders must come from your side and therefore, you must possess leadership skills to fit into the role.

• Educational requirements

Training is mostly carried out while on the job. Even so, the suitable candidate for a maitre d’ position must possess a culinary related degree, diploma or a certification in hospitality services.

• Previous working experience

As mentioned above, previous working experience can be a possible alternative route for landing the job other than educational qualifications. Previous work experience as a waiter for 2-3 years will give you better chances than any degree/diploma would.

• Barista skills

As a maitre d’ hotel, you must possess barista/coffee making skills. This is because most guests will start by asking you to prepare a cup of coffee for them after the warm welcome.

• Waiting skills

The basic maitre d’ hotel’s role is to wait for guests to arrive without any knowledge on whether they will come or not. Regardless, the maitre d’ must always be in position patiently waiting for the guests to arrive.

Maitre d’ career Advancements

If you have always wanted to become a celebrity, a job as a maitre d’ could make you one, without a doubt. This is because maitre’ ds can land managing roles at some of the biggest restaurants in the world once they gain good experience.

How to become a highly sought after hotel d’ maitre fast

The following are the steps to becoming a star hotel d’ maitre:

• Do a hospitality or culinary related course
• Get a job or become an attaché as a waiter/waitress
• Work on your resume and connect with several restaurants for employment

Maitre d’ hotel salary

The average yearly pay for starter maitre’ ds ranges from $35000 and $55000. The exact figure will depend on educational achievements, previous experience, and many other factors.

Now that you have gone through one of the best maitre d’ job descriptions, it’s time to evaluate where exactly you are on the steps of becoming a star hotel d’ maitre and do the necessary!