How to become a captain waiter or Waiter supervisor

Official title: Captain waiter/Waiter supervisor

Also called: Captain (catering service), Captain waiter, Captain waitress, Food and beverage (F&B) executive, Food and beverage (F&B) supervisor, Food services crew leader, Food services floor manager, Head waiter, Head waitress, Maitre d'hotel, Restaurant captain, Waiter supervisor

Captain waiter/Waiter supervisor manages the food and beverage service in a hospitality outlet or unit. He/she oversees customer-facing operations and coordinates all actions involving customers such as welcoming guests, ordering, responding to enquiries or complaints, delivering the food and beverages and supervising financial transactions. He/she also trains and supervises staff working the floor, assigning their work stations and resolving work-related problems. He/she oversees reservations and ensures the shift runs smoothly and may perform administrative tasks such as managing payroll and writing budgets. He/she may also ensure compliance with regulations or establishment’s service protocols/standards.

Main tasks

• Setting tables with clean linen, cutlery, crockery and glassware
• Greeting customers and presenting them with menus and beverage lists
• Advising on food and beverage choices
• Taking orders for food and drinks and passing order to kitchen or bar staff manually or through Point of Sale (POS) systems and/or other software
• Serving food and beverages to clients at tables
• Clearing tables and returning dishes and cutlery to kitchen
• Presenting bills, accepting payment and operating POS machines and cash registers
• Taking reservations over phone

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $34,044 a year. The middle half earn $24,288 to $41,676 a year.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Waiter
• Sommelier
• Bartender/Mixologist
• Barista
• Bar/Lounge hostess

Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz

Questions people ask

How much does a captain waiter or Waiter supervisor earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $34,044 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $24,288 to $41,676.

Will AI change the work of a captain waiter or Waiter supervisor?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026