A restaurant manager is a restaurant operations spearhead. The right hire can act as a foundation that launches your restaurant business to success.
But to hire a restaurant manager worth their weight in gold, it’s critical to consider the finer details of the role. More specifically, what a restaurant manager is, what they do, and the skills that distinguish the good from the great.
To ensure you hire the perfect restaurant manager for your restaurant, keep these considerations in mind when creating the job description and interviewing potential candidates.
What Is a Restaurant Manager?
A restaurant manager is the person responsible for overseeing restaurant operations. Their goal is to ensure the restaurant runs smoothly, that staff know what to do and where to be, to fix any restaurant management issues, and to uphold customer satisfaction.
A good restaurant manager will keep your business running at an optimal rate and increase profits. It’s a critical position for any restaurant business and finding the right person for the job should be done with utmost care.
Types of Restaurant Managers
Next, let’s take a look at the type of restaurant management positions you’ll most commonly find in the restaurant industry.
- General Manager: The general manager is in charge of both BOH (back of house) and FOH (front of house) staff and operations. They are responsible for managing the entire restaurant, working with various departments and third parties like suppliers, and managing customer complaints and relationships.
- BOH Manager: The BOH manager is the operations manager for all back-of-house operations. Back-of-house refers to all the behind-the-scenes restaurant operations, like managing kitchen staff and inventory and ordering.
- FOH Manager: Opposite the BOH manager, the front-of-house manager handles all the front-house restaurant operations, like working with customers, managing tables, and organizing and managing floor staff.
- Bar Manager: If your restaurant has a big bar area, a bar manager would be responsible for managing staff, schedules, drink menus, ordering, and the like – all to ensure smooth bar operations and good customer relationships.
- Assistant Manager: The assistant manager helps the general manager. The assistant manager takes care of similar duties as the general manager and assists them however they need. These roles are mostly available in large restaurants that require extra restaurant management.
Each type of manager will have specialized skills for their field, but their responsibilities and skill sets overlap considerably. All the below duties and skill sets apply to all types of restaurant managers.
Restaurant Manager Responsibilities
These are the most common duties a restaurant manager will have to oversee. However, the exact duties differ from restaurant to restaurant. Make sure to mention outlier duties in the job description.
Staff Management
A restaurant manager is responsible for hiring new staff, like posting on online job boards. They’re also responsible for training new employees.
Staff restaurant management also includes managing staff scheduling through restaurant employee scheduling software.
Lastly, a restaurant manager is responsible for continued employee development. This includes continuing training, doing evaluations, and making sure the staff are on par with the best in the restaurant industry.
Customer Management
Restaurant managers are constantly working with people, including customers. A good restaurant manager must be able to effectively manage customer relationships, utilize restaurant CRM software, and deal with customer feedback and complaints.
They’re also responsible for monitoring how staff interact with customers and improving it where necessary.
Supplier and Inventory Management
Restaurant managers are critical in vendor management and negotiations. Restaurant managers establish relationships and contracts with suppliers, negotiate for the best possible price, and work hard to maintain favorable relationships.
Beyond suppliers, a restaurant manager is also responsible for ordering inventory, keeping track of inventory, and checking ingredients and food quality to maintain a high standard.
Marketing Management
Whether it be planning an email marketing campaign or introducing a private events program to your restaurant, a restaurant manager creates, manages, and oversees marketing strategies to increase restaurant revenue.
If there is not a social media manager present, the restaurant manager might also be responsible for the social media accounts.
However, when you hire a restaurant manager with this duty added, you have to clearly state it in the job description. Social media management is not a basic responsibility for most restaurant managers, but rather an added one.
Accounts Management
Restaurant managers are responsible for the restaurants’ accounts. This includes using accounting software, creating a restaurant budget, and sticking to it. The best restaurant managers monitor expenses and cut costs where possible – without jeopardizing employees or food quality.
Menu Management
The hospitality industry is competitive and restaurants need to continue developing their menus to stay relevant. A restaurant manager is responsible for collaborating with chefs to develop new and exciting menus, without losing the original restaurant brand or spark.
Restaurant managers also manage restaurant pricing to maximize restaurant profitability.
Health and Safety Management
Lastly, a restaurant manager needs to ensure the restaurant is always compliant with local health and safety laws. That includes scheduling within labor law limits and keeping all food up to regulation standards. Restaurant managers are responsible for implementing and enforcing sanitary measures in all sectors of the restaurant.
Markers of a Great Restaurant Manager
A restaurant manager has a lot of duties. To effectively manage all these responsibilities and to hire a restaurant manager worth their weight in gold, look for these specific skills.
- Effective Communication: Restaurant managers are always working with people and need great communication skills. This includes the ability to be polite, handle customer complaints without causing drama, and manage conflict between employees. Without effective communication skills and emotional intelligence, they won’t manage.
- Technical Proficiency: Restaurant managers use a lot of software to manage BOH and FOH operations. Technical proficiency in CRM software, employee scheduling software, and restaurant accounting software should be a minimum requirement.
- Critical Thinking: Problems are a dime a dozen in the hospitality industry and a restaurant manager needs to be able to handle them quickly. Critical thinking is necessary for a restaurant manager to deduce problems – sometimes even before they happen – and offer and implement effective solutions.
- Financial Awareness: Because restaurant managers are in charge of the financials, financial awareness is a must. Not only should a restaurant manager have some basic understanding of business finance, but they also need to have an intimate and instinctive drive to increase business profits.
- Good Time Management: A restaurant manager is responsible for managing their own time and the restaurant’s time. Time management and workflow organisational skills in necessary for smooth employee and restaurant operations.
- Management Experience: Management experience, even as an assistant manager, is a must – especially if you are running a large operation. A restaurant manager with experience will understand restaurant operations and trends and have industry insider knowledge, making them a great asset to have on your team.
Hire a Restaurant Manager: Quick Top Tips
To hire a restaurant manager with the right abilities, keep the following tips and considerations in mind during the hiring process.
- Hire In-house: Don’t hesitate to hire in-house. Employees who are familiar with your restaurant will have a much easier time adjusting. They’ll also have in-depth knowledge of the restaurant that a newcomer won’t have. So, if there is any employee with restaurant management potential, give them to opportunity to apply.
- Be Clear About Responsibilities: Set hard limits in the job description. If there are specific skills or duties you need the restaurant manager to have, make it very clear in the job description. For example, social media management skills.
- Ask Questions: During the hiring process, ask questions relating to restaurant operations. Ask candidates to walk you through mock scenarios and evaluate how they would handle emergencies. It’ll quickly reveal who has the experience and critical thinking skills to handle the stresses of the restaurant industry.
- Check References: If you’re tempted to skip on references, don’t. Always check references and check as many as you can. Look for common denominators among the references. This will paint a more accurate picture of the candidate's management style and experience.
- Hire Matching Values: Don’t ignore the importance of business values. If you hire someone with a more laid-back nature while the owner and stakeholders value a business and profit-oriented approach, there will be conflict. Check candidate values and approaches and make sure they match your business goals.
Conclusion
A restaurant manager is responsible for all restaurant operations. Their goal is to increase operational efficacity, manage staff and customers, and increase sales. In the right restaurant manager’s hands, your restaurant business will thrive.
To hire a restaurant manager that matches your needs, consider the duties and skills necessary for a manager. Compare these key points with your needs and use them to create a job listing targeted at your perfect fit. Keep our quick tips in mind when you hire a restaurant manager.
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