How to be the ultimate restaurant manager

Interested in becoming a restaurant manager to lead a team and create a successful business?

Being a restaurant manager requires a combination of skills and qualities that are learned through work experiences and also through formal education.

Academia is one such institution that offers two hospitality courses in Brisbane and Melbourne that will help you to accomplish your restaurant manager dreams.

What are a restaurant manager’s duties?

As a restaurant manager, your job is to oversee the practices, conditions, and staff across the entire restaurant, from front-of-house (FOH) team members to your kitchen brigade.

This involves many daily tasks, such as:

Communicating between the chefs and the FOH staff
Handling any disputes between staff members and between staff and customers
Orchestrating the roster
Overseeing staff duties, roles, and responsibilities
Ensuring guests are happy with their experience

In short, your two main goals are to oversee the efficient running and profitability of your hospitality venue!

What a restaurant manager should know

Here are five things you should know and exhibit as a restaurant manager:

1. You need to be a people manager too

As the manager of the restaurant, you need to remember that staff are an essential component of a successful restaurant.

Your staff are the lifeblood of your business. Look after them, and they will look after you!

2. It pays to invest in quality staff training

Many managers understand that staff training can be time consuming, but at the end of the day, is critical to a successful start with a new team member.

There are generally two ways people train their staff: learn by experience or learn from being trained.

Both ways of teaching have merits, and in many cases one shouldn’t exist without the other.

3. There are plenty of laws and regulations you must follow

Another key component of being a manager of an establishment is knowing the codes and laws behind things like staff labour rights Work Health and Safety (WH&S).

You need to abide by WH&S laws regarding hygiene and safety practices to ensure the safety of your team as well as the health of your patrons.

4. The customer is always right

So we’ve covered how to treat your staff, but treating your customers with integrity is essential too.

Where would you be without your customers? Remember that they provide the foundations on which you and your staff get their wages!

And with that, they should be treated with respect and gratitude. Your role is to serve them, create a fantastic atmosphere, and ensure they leave your establishment feeling happy, satisfied, and delighted.

Listening to their requests and what they desire is a priority. Treat them how you would want to be treated in a restaurant by:

Being attentive, making eye contact, and having a general overview of the group of customers in your restaurant at any given time
Ensuring their space is clean, comfortable, and clutter-free
Being patient, kind, and understanding
Being honest and apologise when things aren’t right

We can’t guarantee that you won’t meet your fair share of difficult customers, but maintaining a fair, calm, and respectful attitude will go a long way in preventing situations from escalating.

5. Consistency is key

We often say that no two days in a restaurant will ever be the same… so how can we then go on to talk about consistency?

However what we mean here is that you – as a restaurant manager – must learn and implement consistent tactics, methods, and systems to ensure harmony in your space.

That means remaining consistent in the way you approach issues, mediate conflict, solve problems, and manage expectations.

Is being a restaurant manager hard?

It may certainly have its challenges, but with the right education and training, we’re thrilled to help you soar in the brilliant hospitality industry.

Academia offers hospitality courses partially online that you can study as part of a major in either commercial cookery or patisserie.

Check out our two hospitality industry training courses that we offer in our Melbourne and Brisbane campuses below.

Diploma of Hospitality Management

The Diploma of Hospitality Management offers you the opportunity to learn from experts to create, manage, and thrive in a successful hospitality facility.

Want to do a hospitality internship in Australia? Our hospitality courses offer a placement program at a five-star restaurant, hotel, or other hospitality establishment. Best of all? Academia organises placement for you!

In addition to becoming a brilliant leader, you will also learn how to: