Open to new opportunities

Waliullah Buksh

Head Bartender & Bar Supervisor · Gasteria Restaurant, Dubai

I create original drinks that guests come back for, and run the whole bar behind them: menu, team, ordering, suppliers, cost control and pre-opening setup.

Waliullah at the espresso machine, finishing a latte
7original drinks
8+Years in UAE hospitality
4Dubai venues
7Original signature drinks
1Complete mocktail menu
4.5Years from attendant to head bartender
PICAdvanced certified, to 2031
About

Creative drinks that sell, a bar that controls cost and waste, and a team that serves the same quality every shift.

Head Bartender and Bar Supervisor with 8+ years across four Dubai venues, from high-volume cafés to Italian fine dining. At Gasteria I run the full bar: beverage menu development, team training and scheduling, purchasing and supplier negotiation, inventory and beverage cost control.

Tasting notes

  • Original, trend-led drinks
  • Specialty coffee & latte art
  • Tight cost & waste control
  • Teams trained to one standard
  • Bars set up from scratch
The drink lab · all my own creations

Pick a drink. Watch it build.

Seven original recipes I created at Gasteria, plus the full mocktail menu I built for Osteria Mario. Choose one to see how it's layered.

Specialty coffee

Latte art, poured daily

Espresso dialled in by taste and extraction, silky milk texture and advanced free-pour designs.

Seahorse latte art
Seahorse
Rose with ferns latte art
Rose with ferns
Matcha bear latte art
Matcha bear
Espresso dial-inFree-pour latte artV60Matcha & specialty lattesOrigins & roast profilesCoffee menu development
Career journey

Four venues, one clear path

2018 – 2021

F&B Attendant

London Dairy Cafe (IFFCO)
  • Selected through international campus placement
  • Guest service, POS and table service
2021 – 2023

Senior Barista

Friends Avenue Cafe
  • Trained junior baristas on brewing and latte art
  • Helped build the coffee menu
2023 – 2025

Head Bartender

Osteria Mario Italian Restaurant
  • Created the full non-alcoholic cocktail menu
  • Standardised recipes; trained new bartenders
2025 – now

Head Bartender & Bar Supervisor

Gasteria Restaurant
  • Leads the whole bar program and team
  • Purchasing, suppliers, inventory and beverage cost
  • Created the signature matcha and lemonade range
Bar operations & leadership

Running the whole bar

Pre-opening & setup

Bar layout, equipment and smallwares, SOPs, checklists, recipe trials and launch training.

Team training

Train, supervise and schedule the bar team; coach juniors on recipes, presentation and service.

Ordering & suppliers

Purchase orders, quotations, price negotiation and approved suppliers for coffee, dairy, syrups and fruit.

Cost with quality

Recipe costing, portion control and yield awareness keep beverage cost in check without cutting standards.

Waste & inventory

Stock counts, par levels, FIFO rotation and delivery checks prevent shortages, overstocking and waste.

Market trends

Track what's trending and turn it into seasonal, high-margin drinks for promotions.

Qualifications

Certified & trained

Certification

Person-in-Charge (Advanced)

  • TSI Quality Services, Dubai Municipality PIC scheme
  • Cert. no. TSIQS-PIC-A-88358
  • Valid Jan 2026 – Jan 2031
Education

BA (Hons) Hotel Management

  • Travel & Tourism, Jamia Millia Islamia, 2015 – 2018
  • CGPA 8.77 / 10
Topper of the batch
Foundations

Industry training

  • Industrial training, The Surya Hotel, New Delhi, 2017
  • Campus placement to London Dairy Cafe (IFFCO), UAE, 2018
  • English · Hindi · Urdu