Head Waiter

Virgin Hotels Edinburgh; London Borough of Hackney; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 25,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Birthday paid day off

Annual leave up to 33 days

Health cash plan

Wagestream – access pay early

Discounted Room Rates

Teammate meals

Job summary

Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch is seeking a Head Waiter with a passion for exceptional service and a welcoming demeanor. The role focuses on delivering casual, friendly, and natural service that makes guests feel at home while exciting them with memorable experiences.

You will oversee beverage service, maintain standards, and ensure guests are of legal drinking age. Fluent English and the ability to engage at all levels are essential, as is a genuine commitment to guest satisfaction.

Qualifications

• Fluent English required to converse at all levels.
• 1–2 years’ experience in a full-service restaurant or lounge preferred.
• Passion for exceptional service and guest satisfaction.

Responsibilities

• Lead the service of beverages and ensure guest requirements are met.
• Prepare the restaurant daily and maintain cleanliness during shifts.
• Stock supplies and maintain hygiene; wash and polish glassware.
• Enter items into POS accurately and handle cash according to policy.
• Guide guests about hotel and city attractions; ensure ID for legal age.
• Provide 5-star service throughout the guest experience.

Skills

Fluent English

Job description

Head Waiter Job Description

Your mission, should you choose to accept it…

We are recruiting for a Head Waiter with a passion for exceptional service, a warm welcome personality!

The service is casual, friendly and very natural, making customers feel as if they were in their own homes, never forgetting that our main intention is to excite and remain in guest’s memory as a place of happiness.

As a Head Waiteryou will ensure the efficient service of all beverages, ensuring standards and guest requirements are met at all times.

You must possess a fluent level of English and have the ability to converse at all levels and with the wish to impress.

Why work with Virgin Hotels:

• A paid day off for your birthday!
• An extra day added to your holiday allowance each year you work with us (up to 33 days)
• A health cash plan to claim money back and get access to lots of ways to support your physical & mental wellbeing.
• Wagestream - access your pay early!
• Generous family friendly policies and allowances
• Discounted Room Rates
• Teammate meals provided
• Employee Assistance Program
• Season Ticket Loan
• Cycle2Work scheme
• Paid leave to volunteer to spend time with the causes closest to your heart, for every teammate.
• Free Code membership for 3 months – up to 50% off of your favourite London restaurants, bars and hotels for you to enjoy in your downtime.
• Guest Experience Stay – it is important to us that you experience Virgin Hotel not just as your place of work but also on the other side as a guest. So you and a guest have a stay on us, expose yourself to the club and enjoy a meal in Roast.
• Quarterly & Annual Employee awards
• Learning & Development Opportunities

We will provide you with the platform to show your skills, all you need to do is perform!

Who we are:

We love what we do and what we do is important! We believe that everyone should leave feeling better - this means not just our guests, but also our teammates. Everyone should go home feeling better because they learned something new or had fun working that day. Therefore, we hire unique individuals who work together to create amazing experiences for our guests. We recognise that every team member contributes to the whole hotel's success. No one is more important than anyone else, and unless we are in it together, we can't create that special experience for our guests.

The Hotel:

Bringing the brand back to where it all began, Virgin Hotel London-Shoreditch brings personalized hospitality to Shoreditch. Like its counterparts in the UK and US, the hotel offers the unmistakable Virgin experience, personalized hospitality, top-notch amenities, and a prime location in one of London's most vibrant neighbourhoods.

Located at 45 Curtain Road, the property will see a phased transformation of the 120-bedrooms and 14 Suites, as well as the hotel’s listening cocktail bar, Hidden Grooves . The hotel's offering also includes the Roast Restaurant. Guests further benefit from access to the rooftop bar, swimming pool, gym.

Role Responsibilities:

What exactly you will be doing…

• The Head Waiter must love people and have a passion for serving others and the community
• Preparation will be key. Prep the restaurant daily, maintain it during the shift and clean it nightly in preparation for the next shift.
• Maintain a clean, hygienic and organised work environment including stocking of supplies, washing and polishing glassware, folding napkins, cleaning menus, sanitising tables, etc.
• Stock the restaurant as necessary in accordance with company guidelines regarding stock requisition
• Adhere to company standards regarding food and beverage knowledge
• Orchestrate an extraordinary guest experience through positive guest interaction
• Be able to guide guests through aspects of our hotel and our city
• Ensure that guests are of legal drinking age by asking for an appropriate ID
• Handle a cash bank and adhere to company policies regarding money handling
• Accurately enter all items into POS system and charge guests accordingly
• Comply with sanitation standards and notify management of any issues
• Demonstrate a 5 star service ensuring all steps of service are accomplished during the guests experience.

Background must-have:

• Current right to work in the UK
• Preferred: 1-2 years’ experience in a full-service restaurant or lounge.

We believe that our team should be reflective of the world. We welcome all, regardless of race ethnicity, country of origin, sexual orientation, gender, disability, spiritual beliefs, or any other component of identity. Virgin Hotels celebrates diversity and welcomes teammates from all backgrounds. We are proud to be an inclusive and Equal Opportunity Employer