Head Waiter

The Dorchester; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Complimentary stays

Discounts for Dorchester Collection

Pension and financial benefits

Training and apprenticeships

Social events

Referral bonus £1000

Well-being support

Job summary

The Dorchester is seeking a Head Waiter for The Artist Bar in London. You will lead service excellence, manage a station, and collaborate with the team to uphold the hotel’s renowned standards.

You should have at least 1 year in a similar luxury role, strong F&B knowledge, and excellent English. The position is on site with shift-based hours and attractive employee benefits.

Qualifications

• Experience in a luxury hospitality role, 1+ year preferred.
• Strong knowledge of food and beverage service and station management.
• Excellent command of English, both spoken and written.

Responsibilities

• Deliver the 5-star guest experience by managing a station of 3-5 tables, taking orders, and ensuring accurate billing.
• Demonstrate flexibility in handling guest requests and operational challenges while maintaining standards.

Skills

Head Waiter experience

Luxury hospitality

English fluency

Upselling

Job description

Join us as a Head Waiter at The Dorchester's The Artist Bar, recently recognised as one of ‘The Sunday Times Top 10 Best Places to Work for’ in 2024-2026 and ‘Hotel of the year – London’ at the 2024 AA Hospitality Awards. We continually strive to build and nurture a culture where inclusiveness is part of our DNA, reflected in our values of passion, personality, respect, working together, and creativity. We believe that a variety of perspectives enriches our culture and drives our success.

We care about your career and are proud to have the absolute best people in the industry. When you join us as a Head Waiter at The Dorchester Hotel, you will have a unique opportunity to excel in your field. You will learn from your fellow Legends and our award-winning learning academy to achieve the highest standards in craft, service, and leadership.

What you’ll do

As a Head Waiter, you'll enjoy your work and take pride in delighting our guests:

• You will be responsible for delivering the ultimate 5-star experience ensuring that all guest needs are fulfilled during their visit or stay. This will include running a station of 3-5 tables, taking orders, making sure all billing is correct, having advanced menu knowledge, ensuring the restaurant is kept clean and tidy whilst following all standards of procedures that are in place to ensure our guests receives nothing but the best experience.
• You’ll also show flexibility and creativity in dealing with our guests’ special requests and in dealing with challenges that may arise during the day.

The items shared are the essence of a day in the life of a Head Waiter, but we’ll make sure you are provided with specifics on how we care for our hotel.

The operational hours of work are shift-based and may be subjected to change. These currently set as:

• Monday to Saturday: 06:00 - 01:15
• Sunday: 06:30 - 01:15

What you’ll bring

Essential Skills and Experience

• Previous experience in a similar role - at least 1 year within the Luxury Hospitality sector
• Intermediate to advanced food and beverage knowledge
• Advanced to Fluent in the English language

Preferred Skills

• Strong ability to upsell products
• WSET Certification

What you'll get

• Complimentary Stays: Enjoy complimentary stays with breakfast at Dorchester Collection Hotels every year.
• Discounts: with ourhotels, and benefit from discounts at various high street and online shops
• Employee Perks: Enrol from day 1 into the Royal London Private Pension scheme (we contribute 8% towards your pension); Benefit from seasonal ticket loan, rental deposit scheme, private financial advice, and eye care vouchers.
• Training and Development: Advance in your career by accessing various apprenticeships from Level 2 to Hospitality Degree Level 5. We partner with outstanding nationally recognised Apprenticeship providers.
• Social Events: Participate in vibrant social events, including a summer party, winter ball, pub quizzes, and cultural and milestone recognition celebrations.
• Referral Bonus: Earn a £1000 bonus when you recommend a friend.
• Well-being Support: Access immediate well-being advice because we care about our employees.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. If you need us to do anything to support you during the recruitment process (such as adjustmentsto how you apply, alternative formats of information, or adjustments to the assessment process itself), please do call People & Culture team on 02073197011 or email [e-mail] so that we can discuss how we can support you through this process.