A career as a restaurant manager is diverse, exciting, and
fast-paced. The restaurant depends on the resourceful, flexible candidate, who
is organized, composed, and prepared for any situation. The work can be
difficult and demanding, but bringing your team through the trials yields an
unparalleled sense of satisfaction.
The job requires team-work and communication, but
ultimately, the success of the restaurant is in your hands. This remains as
true for a small, independent restaurant as it does for a bustling franchise
like the Church Street Keg Restaurant in Toronto.
"You wear a great deal of hats on any given day,"
says the Keg General Manager, Shawn Cuthbertson, "Accountant, Purchasing
Director, Sales Manager, Human Resource Administrator, Trainer, Coach, Plumber,
Electrician, Motivator, and Event Co-coordinator."
The tables are set, the staff has been prepared and set in
motion, the kitchen is a flurry of carefully organized activity, and the
restaurant manager stands ready to orchestrate a path through the daily
symphony of challenges and successes.
All in a Day's Work: Responsibilities of the Job
By the time the doors open for the day, the restaurant
manager's work is already well underway. A vast myriad of interesting tasks are
completed and woven together into the detailed tapestry of a smooth running and
efficient restaurant:
- Restaurant
managers may be responsible for planning, sampling, and evaluating new
dishes with the chef.
- Supply
requirements must be estimated and ordered from distributors.
- Equipment
repair and maintenance must be organized with contractors.
- Restaurant
managers ensure compliance with health and safety regulations.
- They
develop marketing strategies and monitor the success of ad campaigns.
Many other challenges await the enterprising restaurant
manager as well, but the most important of any of these tasks is managing your
employees. Like many hospitality jobs, foodservice jobs require extensive
teamwork. The success of your team will determine the success of your
restaurant and you are their coach.
A restaurant manager is responsible for hiring, training,
mentoring, motivating, and scheduling the staff. Developing a strong work
ethic, motivation, and drive for customer satisfaction in your employees can be
one of the most challenging, but also the most rewarding aspects of the job.
Learn from your Customers
At the end of the night, it all comes down to one thing:
customer satisfaction. The restaurant manager is called in to mediate any
situations that may arise with the customers and this is the ultimate
opportunity to demonstrate quality leadership to the restaurant and your own
personal skill as a professional representative of your restaurant.
A calm, composed voice is often enough to defuse a
situation. Be sure to listen to your customers, whether they have praise or
complaints, as complaints can be an excellent source of information on areas of
your strategy that could use some review. However, in situations where your
staff may be at fault, be supportive and avoid blame. Maintaining a happy,
confident staff will be as valuable in guaranteeing customer satisfaction in
the future as solving the current issue.
Diverse Opportunities Await
Whether you are an experienced restaurant manager or you are
just getting started on your career path, there are a wide variety of
opportunities open to you. Economic projections indicate that steady growth is
expected for all hospitality jobs over the next decade and restaurant jobs are
no exception. Combined with an aging work force, the growing industry will
permit experienced restaurant managers to advance their careers and new
restaurant managers to find a position that fits their lifestyle.
You will have the opportunity to strive for culinary
excellence in fine dining, manage your own inviting family restaurant, or
choose from a host of other options, as varied as the plates you will be
offering.
As with a lot of hospitality positions you have the skills
to work in a variety of locations in many different environments. "The
workload is diverse and the skills are interchangeable", Keg General
Manager, Shawn Cuthbertson says, "There are opportunities
everywhere."
There are two paths to becoming a restaurant manager. You
can rise to the management level through experience gained at a foodservice
job, or through education at one of the many colleges and universities that
offer degrees or certifications in restaurant and foodservice management.
However, experience and education are just a start. When Shawn Cuthbertson
conducts a restaurant interview, he is looking for a spark, "While
experience is relevant, it is not the greatest determining factor for me.
Enthusiasm and passion for the business are crucial. I look for high-energy
individuals who are very at ease with people. A willingness to learn and the
ability to multitask are crucial for success."
If you have a passion for teamwork, learning, organization,
and the fast-paced lifestyle of the restaurant floor, then you are ready for a
rewarding career in restaurant management.