What you need to become a restaurant manager

What is it like to be a restaurant manager?

While you love everything about creating delicious food and serving customers, you’re keen to take your career to the next level and step into a management role.

And you want to know what that looks like.

From the new responsibilities you’ll be taking on to the additional skills needed for hospitality management, taking on this sort of role is a major step up from working the front lines.

If you aim to climb the ladder of leadership in hospitality management, you need to know what you’re in for – and that’s exactly what this article is will help you understand.

Interested in our hospitality courses in Brisbane and Melbourne? Get in touch with our course advisors for a chat today! Enquire online now.

What a restaurant manager does: a day in the life

A restaurant manager does a lot of tasks. It’s one position where you’ll need to wear many different hats, often on the same day.

So if you are aiming for the position of restaurant manager, you’ll need to be competent in a number of different roles…

Management

As a restaurant manager, you’ll be in charge of managing every aspect of the business and ensuring that the business operations are running smoothly and efficiently.

Supplies, deliveries, kitchen management, menu planning, maintenance, health and hygiene… a restaurant manager oversees all these aspects and more, ensuring that everything is running as smoothly as possible.

Customer service

Just because you’re a manager doesn’t mean that you can leave your customer service hat in the cupboard – in fact, you may need it even more!

As the manager, any customer matters that your staff are unable to handle may be escalated to you.

Because of this, you’ll need even stronger customer service skills than as a frontline worker in order to deal with these cases.

Team management

You’re leading a team of people – as such, you’re going to have to be good at understanding each member, and managing interpersonal conflict within your team.

Managers are also responsible for work schedules, staff promotion, and defining each staff member’s roles.

Other important responsibilities include screening applicants, training new staff members, and ensuring your team members can rely on you for any kind of conversation or helping hand.

Finances

Maths and finance may be something that you don’t really imagine a restaurant manager doing – in reality however, learning about finances is an absolute must.

As a restaurant manager, you’ll be in charge of managing inventory and stock levels – duties that have a financial component to them. You’ll also be in charge of tracking revenue and expenses.

Many of your duties will overlap with the financial side of the business such as budgeting, pricing and equipment upgrades – as such, a good understanding of business finances and even basic bookkeeping is key.

Is a restaurant manager a good career?

Even if it is your passion to cook good food, serve others and solve other customer-related issues, advancing to the next level of your career and becoming a restaurant manager is a major step.

You need to ask yourself whether or not it’s the right direction for you.

If you ask us, restaurant management is both a rewarding and challenging career. It’s more than worth it however!

Just take a look at the size of the hospitality industry in Australia.

Aussies love a good bite, which means that this industry – and by extension, restaurant managers – are primed for growth and stability for years to come.

Of course, it also requires certain skills and knowledge.

The skills listed above are absolutely key – however, they aren’t the only skills and attributes you’ll need as a restaurant manager…

What makes a good restaurant manager?

Passion, energy, and a positive attitude

Restaurant managers will need a strong sense of passion and energy day-in and day-out. It can be a tiring gig, so this passion and energy can be a big help in keeping morale up!

A good restaurant manager focuses on people

And not just on customers, either.

You’ll need to understand each member of your team, including their strengths, weaknesses and personality.

All of this is crucial not just for assigning responsibilities and creating rosters, but also for managing interpersonal conflict and maintaining a positive, productive, and cohesive team.

Good restaurant managers also focus on motivating their staff, developing their potential and taking time to coach them as well.

Organisational skills

Like we mentioned before, you’ll wear a lot of hats as a restaurant manager.

Good organisational skills are key to ensuring important responsibilities and tasks don’t slip through the cracks.

What kind of education do you need to be a restaurant manager?

Diploma of Hospitality Management (SIT50416)

Combining theoretical and practical applications, the Diploma of Hospitality Management online builds competency in leadership, management and other higher-level responsibilities in a business.

Our hospitality management Diploma offers a range of different streams, meaning you’ll be able to obtain a hospitality management certification that’s built around which direction you want to take your career.

Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management (SIT60316)

The Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management takes your leadership, management, finance, and overall operations skills to the next level, building on the training offered as part of a Diploma of Hospitality Management.

This course gives you a greater opportunity to work alongside top management within the hospitality industry, and can open all sorts of doors you might not be able to otherwise.

Complete your Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery, Certificate IV in Patisserie or Diploma of Hospitality Management to enrol in this course.

Work experience

Knowledge and expertise in commercial cooking are not enough to succeed in the hospitality industry. As a hands-on industry, you need hands-on experience to apply for many roles.

And that’s exactly what our hospitality management courses offer.

In addition to classroom learning, our hospitality management courses include workshop-based lessons, as well as work placement for you to put your training into practice in a real-life restaurant or hotel.

Academia partners with the best establishments to give you the best internship experience in top hotels and restaurants in Melbourne or Brisbane. View our industry partners here.