Restaurant Manager

If you love food and watching a business thrive, then becoming a restaurant manager may be the ideal job for you. It revolves around following the company’ ethos and always keeping the customers a top priority. Want to find out more about this role? Read our guide below!

What is a restaurant management job?

Restaurant manager jobs ensure the business runs efficiently and profitably while leading a team of staff. They will be responsible for its performance, customer satisfaction, quality standards and health and safety . To work in a restaurant, you need to have excellent multi-tasking and interpersonal skills, as well as be superb at organisation and time-management. Under this job in a restaurant, the description states that strategic planning, daily management and accounting and marketing experience is essential.

What are the average restaurant manager duties?

Restaurant positions, like a head waiter or front of house manager, are responsible for the profitability, performance and staff. They will analyse sales, staff control, promotional events and food sales daily, weekly, monthly and annually. Setting budgets, executing plans, managing staffing, and stock levels are essential. Also, responding to customer complaints, recruiting staff and planning menus is part of restaurant work.

Fast-food restaurant managers can earn around £18,000 or as much as £30,000.

A restaurant assistant manager will liaise with senior employees and the head chef and prepare reports each day and week. They’ll need to ensure that the kitchen, waiting and bar staff work in a smooth operation and comply with licensing laws and legal requirements.

The entire team works like a machine, and if one cog is out of place, it can affect the whole operation. Waitressing duties involve responding to customer queries, meeting and greeting diners and offering advice about the menu and wine options. The responsibilities of a waitress also include organising table reservations and motivating colleagues. There may be some duties under the waitressing job description that also fall under the manager profile, like preparing cash drawers, ordering supplies and dealing with petty cash. You should know and understand each role’s duties in case of staff sickness, or illness means you need to take a hands-on approach for that shift.

How to become a restaurant manager?

If you’re working on your CV for a restaurant manager vacancy, there are some things you need to tick off the checklist. First of all, there are various ways you can enter this career and having a degree is not essential. Instead, employers look for individuals who have practical experience, great insight into business and strong communication and interpersonal skills.

A lot of people work their way up into the role of management. But, if you do want to go to university, you can study something related like, hospitality management, business, hotel and catering or management and then apply for a graduate scheme with large restaurant and fast-food chains afterwards.

Other individuals choose to train on the job and take up an apprenticeship in hospitality, which are usually available at level 3 and 4, which deal with supervisor and manager experience. Or, if you’ve already worked in a restaurant and want to progress, you can study a Level 3 Diploma in Hospitality Supervision and Leadership or Level 4 Diploma in Hospitality Leadership to help your career prospects. There are also professional bodies which can help candidates network and train during their careers, like the Institute of Hospitality and the Hospitality Guild.

Restaurant manager jobs ensure the business runs efficiently and profitably while leading a team of staff.

What skills do waiters need?

Many restaurant manager skills are useful to other staff members in the business - head of house, chefs and waiters. Working in a restaurant requires excellent communication, interpersonal, planning and organisation skills, as well as time-manging, problem-solving and teamworking skills. You will need to be able to lead, motivate and manage staff whilst under pressure within a fast-paced environment. There may be times where you have to handle customers and employees diplomatically and have to make decisions quickly and confidently.

The skills gained from waitressing that managers still use, involve having a hands-on approach, being extremely flexible and being able to work independently. You are never quite sure what will happen daily in a restaurant, so being responsive, having decent business awareness and sticking to the restaurant ethos is crucial. Particular employers may list specific requirements in their restaurant adverts for job vacancies. It’s worth researching employers and what’re they looking for before applying to find out if you have the necessary skills.

What is the average salary for a restaurant manager?

Those working with restaurant experience in fine dining can earn between £22,000 and £40,000, while those in casual dining settings can receive a wage within the region of £20,000 and £30,000. Fast-food restaurant managers can earn around £18,000 or as much as £30,000. Stipends vary depending on the employer, location and type of establishment. Salaries for high-end and boutique restaurants are usually higher than those in a branded, chain or themed restaurants. Some employers offer performance-related bonuses, pension, staff discount, free meals and health insurance.

Where to find a job as a restaurant manager?

Vacancies are in cafes, hotels, restaurant chains, cruise ships, pubs, independent businesses, clubs, conference venues and brasseries. There are restaurants and food premises all around the country - we can’t get enough of them! From the high street to the top bars in London and the rural countryside, the opportunities are endless.

If you’re working on your CV for a restaurant manager vacancy, there are some things you need to tick off the checklist.

What are the prospects for a restaurant manager?

Some individuals find a restaurant, start in a waitress job role, move up to a restaurant assistant manager before progressing to the senior management level. The career progression in this position can depend on location, size and type of employer you work for - are you based in a small cafe or a chain that has hundreds of sites across the UK? In most cases, you tend to work your way up following time, experience and training.

Employers look for people who are good with staff, finance and operations, as they want someone good with people and they trust to run the entire premises permanently. Although you may be able to speed up the process by taking on training and in-house qualifications - this will also show your commitment to the role.

Once you secure the restaurant manager position, you can progress by moving to bigger and more prestigious restaurants. Or you may choose to take up an area and regional management job if you work for a chain brand. Here, you may oversee several restaurants and manage an entire region of the UK. Another route is to work in the head office or within operations management as part of the central team. After some time, if you love the sector and have a passion for all things food, you could set up and run a restaurant yourself.