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If you enjoy the fast-paced hum of a restaurant and also want to be the person in charge of that pacing and hum—or at least one corner of it—then restaurant manager might be a position to consider.
In this role, you can have a hand in different aspects of the restaurant business, expanding from food and drink into finances, human resources, and customer engagement.
It can be a lot, which is exactly what some people look for—you can encounter different challenges each day and meet different types of people. Read on to find out more about the skills and experience needed to become a restaurant manager.
Restaurant Management Hierarchy: The Various Roles
Many jobs exist under the umbrella term “restaurant manager.” Not all restaurants have the same management positions, and they don’t all use the same titles. But here are some common roles.
Manager (or Assistant Manager)
Managers or assistant managers are usually the leaders of their particular shift. They’re the “first rung” on the managerial ladder.
These managers support their staff through operational activities, like providing additional customer service, correcting errors and providing advice to other employees, problem-solving, checking out sidework, and cutting staff on a slow day. They may also be responsible for training new employees and scheduling.
Within this category, you may have a bar manager who curates the cocktail menu and beer and wine lists, as well as keep tabs on the bartenders and bar guests. A kitchen manager is in charge of the day-to-day of the kitchen, ensuring the prep and line cooks are accomplishing their duties. And a floor manager is out in the dining room (aka “the floor”), where they’ll keep the shift running smoothly from the host stand to the kitchen door.
Facts About Restaurant Management
- 90% of restaurant managers started out in entry-level jobs
- 80% of restaurant owners started out in entry-level jobs
- 90% of restaurants have fewer than 50 employees
- Restaurants have more minority managers than any other industry
Source: National Restaurant Association
Restaurant Assistant General Manager
Just like the executive chef has their sous chef, a general manager may have an assistant general manager (AGM).
Some smaller restaurants may not need this position. But if the restaurant has a large staff of servers, plus a large group of managers, an AGM can be invaluable in helping the General Manager lighten their load.
They may be responsible for hiring, scheduling, and training. Or they may oversee the other managers who handle these tasks. The AGM may also order supplies like silverware, coasters, sanitizer, aprons, and server books. And they may be the main point of contact for the Point of Sale (POS) provider and other vendors.
This position has a lot of responsibility and is often the first salaried position in the restaurant hierarchy.
A restaurant assistant general manager may help oversee various positions in a larger restaurant.
General Manager
A general manager (GM) is focused on the big picture. They will implement new policies, and they may approve payroll, make sure bills are paid, and manage hiring and firing. Their tasks could also include marketing efforts, like special events, promotions, and social media.
Permitting issues could be under the GM’s purview as well, like renewing liquor permits or business licenses.
Good GMs may also take some floor shifts alongside the floor managers. This keeps them immersed in the restaurant life, so they can keep an eye on staff performance or guest complaints.
Regional Manager
Large restaurant groups may also have a regional manager who keeps a bird’s-eye view on their group of restaurants.
Regional managers work to make sure that each restaurant is profitable, and that they are maintaining food and service standards. The experience at one IHOP restaurant location, for example, should be very similar to the experience at another. Having someone oversee the operations of a group of restaurants helps them maintain consistency.
A regional manager oversees the operations at multiple locations.
What Skills Are Necessary for Becoming a Restaurant Manager?
Restaurant managers have to combine people skills, food and restaurant knowledge, and financial competency into an efficient package to succeed.
Here are just some of the skills managers may need to bring to their restaurants.
Creative Problem Solving
It’s 8 p.m. on a Friday. You have a packed dining room, a kitchen rail full of tickets, and they’re three deep at the bar.
Suddenly, the power goes out.
What do you do?
If you’re the manager that day, everyone from staff to guests will be looking to you for answers and solutions. Can you think on your feet and come up with a plan that keeps everyone happy and protects the restaurant?
Creative problem-solving is a key skill for successful restaurant managers and one that you will build over your time working in the industry.
Strong Leadership and Communication
Managers hire, onboard, and train new staff. They’ll be responsible for promotions and accolades, as well as write-ups and terminations. They also help to resolve issues between team members.
A great restaurant manager has to be able to handle all of these situations with both compassion and firmness.
At Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, students can explore some of these topics in their Restaurant Operations course, which includes work on training, motivating, and disciplining staff, as well as creating a positive work environment. They could also study Business and Professional Communications to help them manage these interpersonal relationships.
Hospitality & Restaurant Operations Management students at Escoffier may also take a dedicated Leadership and Development course to help them with individual and organizational leadership.
Restaurant managers should be good communicators with strong leadership skills.
Financial and Cost Control Skills
Restaurant managers can have a major impact on the restaurant’s bottom line.
Are they actively working to reduce waste and increase average spend per customer? Do they give away too much product? Are they shopping for the best prices on supplies? Are they carefully managing the schedule to make sure there aren’t too many employees (or too few) at any one time?
Depending on the program, Escoffier students can take Foodservice Math and Accounting, which helps them to understand expenses, costs, and revenue, and analyze income statements. Cost Control, another course, introduces students to sales forecasts and tools to increase profitability.
Organization and Follow-Through
With so many details to manage, from staffing to inventory to equipment to legal and health code compliance, restaurant managers have to be organized. A missed permitting or licensing deadline could mean the shutdown of the entire restaurant.
In the Facilities Operations and Compliance course, Hospitality & Restaurant Operations Management students are introduced to the regulations that they’ll have to manage, as well as some basics of building equipment and maintenance.
Great Customer Service
Providing great customer service is a skill that must be continually developed.
Top-notch customer service requires empathy, listening, problem-solving, and patience. Ideally, you would make every customer happy. But in reality, that’s just not possible. You have to do your best to solve their problem while maintaining your poise and patience.
In Escoffier’s Hospitality & Restaurant Operations Management program, students take the Professionalism and Service Standards course, which focuses on polishing these skills, so you can both impress guests and set a good example for the rest of the staff.
Customer service is almost as important as great food in any restaurant.
Food and Menu Knowledge
Even though the restaurant manager isn’t the one cooking the food, that doesn’t let them off the hook!
Servers, hosts, and bartenders may come to you with questions about how food is prepared, or they may need to verify whether a dish is safe for someone with an allergy. The manager needs to know how to answer these questions on the fly to save time and get the guest the answers they need ASAP.
Computer and Tech Knowledge
Although restaurant managers don’t spend full days on computers, they do have to manage schedules and inventory, and those tasks require some tech savvy.
You’ll also have to understand the restaurant’s POS system, so you can void or comp items, apply discounts, add new menu items, and troubleshoot problems.
In the Operations Technology and Innovation course, Hospitality & Restaurant Operations Management students can get a look at the benefits of automation for restaurants, and how they may be able to help with efficiency and cost savings.
Restaurant managers need a variety of skills, including some basic tech savvy.
How to Get Started in a Restaurant Management Career: Work in a Restaurant
This might seem obvious, but to become a manager in a restaurant, you…need to have worked in a restaurant. This is a career where on-the-ground experience is key, and you shouldn’t expect to jump straight into an upper management position.
Nine out of ten restaurant managers started in entry-level positions, according to the National Restaurant Association. Industry experience is important for learning the ropes around a restaurant, but it’s also key in helping you to later understand and empathize with your employees. You’ll be more likely to see things from the host or dishwasher’s point of view if you’ve done those jobs yourself.
If you want to become an assistant manager, you should develop the skills necessary to your particular department within the restaurant, which involves a more granular understanding of a very specific role or roles. But if you want to oversee multiple restaurants within a franchise, you might take a different path; you should still understand the various roles, but you won’t need the depth of expertise in any one area that a specialist would.
Culinary or Management Education Can Provide a Leg Up
While most future managers start in entry-level roles, an education may help them to progress through the ranks more quickly, and earn that restaurant management position faster.
In culinary school, you can explore the many facets of restaurant management and roles for a detailed understanding of the business. You can potentially shorten your learning curve, plus a degree or diploma can demonstrate to a potential employer that you are serious and committed.
Culinary school also proves to future employers that you’re serious about your restaurant career. Hiring and training new managers is expensive, and a prospect with an investment in their education looks reliable and committed.
Plus, a hospitality-focused education can help future managers to have a better grasp of concepts like effective leadership, cost control, and customer service. These are key skills for restaurant managers.
Network and Ask Questions
There’s nothing passive about restaurant management. It’s a fast-paced career with a lot to know.
When you work in a restaurant, it can be helpful to stay curious and ask a lot of questions of people whose work you admire, both within and outside of your place of employment. Networking can be beneficial. Make sure to be respectful in how you ask, and to be mindful of time constraints. But employees who show a desire to know more tend to stand out, and the more people you know in the restaurant business, the better your chances to advance.
Polish Your Resume
Back in the day, restaurant hopefuls visited restaurants in person to hand out resumes. In fact, some still do. Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts graduate Shane Witters Hicks got two job offers on his first day of handing out resumes.
But now, most job hunting is done online. You can look on general job boards like Indeed, Monster, and Craigslist. There are also service-industry-specific job sites, like EConnect, Poached or Culinary Agents.
Plus, Escoffier students and graduates have access to Career Services, which includes job listings, resume writing help, and job interview prep.
Once you secure that entry-level position, your best path forward is to excel at your current role while you work on growing the skills you’ll need to be a great manager! And make sure your supervisors know about your goals. Remind the boss that management is on your path, so your name will come up when a position becomes available.
If there’s nothing due to become available soon at your current restaurant, you may need to make a move to a new establishment to get your first management job.
Start Here to Get There
Restaurants are high-energy and fast-paced. Being a leader of all that activity can be invigorating and thrilling.
It’s a lot of work. But a background in the industry, supported by a dedicated education, can make it manageable. A degree in Hospitality and Restaurant Operations Management from Escoffier can be a great place to start.
Are you planning the next stage in your life? If restaurant management is in that plan, let us help you build the skills you’ll need to excel.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CULINARY AND PASTRY CAREERS WITH THESE RESOURCES:
- What is Hospitality & Restaurant Operations Management?
- How to Find a Mentor to Help You in Your Culinary Career
- 5 Alternative Careers Out of Culinary School
This article was originally published on June 16, 2021, and has been updated.
*Information may not reflect every student’s experience. Results and outcomes may be based on several factors, such as geographical region or previous experience.
