How to Become a Restaurant Manager

Many people enter the food service industry to one day become a restaurant manager or own a restaurant. As a restaurant manager, you will have a high level of responsibility for your employees and premises. It is a high-pressure role but very rewarding for those with the right personality and skillset.

Many restaurant managers learn the ropes by working their way up from entry-level positions, giving them an excellent overview of what a restaurant is and what it takes to run things successfully. However, many restaurants and chains are starting to hire externally, preferring candidates who have been trained in leadership and administration.

Regardless of how you ultimately become a restaurant manager, you need to ensure that you impress those at the top with a perfect restaurant manager resume. Highly-skilled and competent candidates who would make great restaurant managers may not get the chance to interview if their resumes are lacking.

This article will explore the steps you need to take to become a restaurant manager. It will cover the necessary skills, training, and qualifications you may need to earn to secure your dream position.

What Skills Are Required To Be a Restaurant Manager?

It is perhaps unsurprising that those in management positions will need a wide range of skills and aptitudes to succeed. As a restaurant manager, you will need to handle employees, finances, operations, and all other aspects required to make a restaurant a success.

Managers require both soft and hard skills. Soft skills are general competencies that can be applied to any role or position, no matter the sector. Soft skills that a restaurant manager will typically require include communication, the ability to handle pressure, multi-tasking, creativity, and negotiation.

Hard skills are those specific to the role. These can help demonstrate any specialties and areas where you can train employees. Hard skills a restaurant manager might possess include business management, supply chain expertise, restaurant operations, loss prevention, and business law.

What Training Does a Restaurant Manager Need?

As mentioned, many restaurant managers learn what they need to know by working their way up the ladder within the restaurant. They may start as a waiter or waitress to learn the restaurant environment before moving up to a supervisor or assistant manager role. They learn critical management components along the way before putting all the experience together and becoming a manager.

However, if you are looking to bypass the slower, more organic route to management, there are programs and qualifications you can obtain to demonstrate your potential as a restaurant manager.

What Qualifications Should a Restaurant Manager Obtain?

If you want to enter management via professional accreditation, then several options are available. An associate’s or bachelor’s degree in business management will provide education across various areas that a restaurant manager will be expected to be proficient in, including financial management, business law and ethics, leadership and management, and human resources. Many courses will also offer placements to allow for practical experience.

The National Restaurants Association also offers the ManageFirst program, which provides management training specifically tailored to the restaurant industry.

Additional Certifications

As well as training and formal education, restaurant managers may also require industry-specific certification in certain areas. Food hygiene and handling is a big one. It is mandatory in several states. ServeSafe is nationally recognized as a leading food safety program.

If your premises serves alcohol, you will need certification that will allow you to do so when becoming a manager. Most certifications require renewal every few years to account for new legislation and updates.

If you found this article helpful, why not check out this piece on the fundamentals of opening your own restaurant.

Owning and running a restaurant comes with a whole host of challenges, with sanitation and safety a big one. For help knowing where the germ hotspots are in your restaurant and cleaning best practices, please see the tips below.