How Can I Become a Restaurant Manager?
For many people, working in the hospitality industry is a dream come true. The shifts are often later in the day, many careers in hospitality allow you to meet interesting people from around the world, and it can be ideal for anyone with an outgoing personality.
If you have natural leadership abilities and an interest in the culinary arts, then the perfect career choice for your future might be that of restaurant manager.
Explore the steps you will need to follow in order to become a successful restaurant manager in the competitive hospitality industry.
Understand What Restaurant Managers Do
The first step in becoming a restaurant manager is getting a realistic picture of what individuals with this career do on a regular basis. In some ways, the position of restaurant manager can be divided into three separate categories. The first is the true definition of hospitality, and it includes meeting with customers, dealing with any complaints or conflicts and ensuring that restaurant guests have a wonderful and memorable experience.
The next aspect of the job is leadership. Restaurant managers are essentially responsible for the entire restaurant, and they have to inspire, encourage and delegate tasks to staff. The manager of a restaurant might also be tasked with resolving conflict between employees, creating the work schedule and hiring new staff as needed.
The third and final part of a restaurant manager’s job is the business administration side. This involves everything from determining how much food is needed each week from suppliers to calculating how much to charge customers for each entree in order to turn a profit for the restaurant.
Realize the Pros and Cons of this Career Choice
Becoming a restaurant manager can be a fulfilling and exciting career, and it is often the perfect fit for the right candidate. However, it is important that any aspiring restaurant managers get to know both the pros and cons of the industry before they enroll into a degree program to prepare. Drawbacks to this particular career can include long hours, working nights and weekends, lots of responsibility without lucrative pay and much of the day spent on your feet. However, the advantages range from average median salaries of $47,960 to the potential to meet people from around the world to the ability to combine a love of food with an interest in hospitality.
Gain Experience in the Hospitality Industry
Before you can become a manager in a restaurant, a bar, a spa, a hotel or any other part of the hospitality industry, you will need to gain some work experience. This step can be completed before you ever enroll into a degree program, or it can be done simultaneously to help you afford tuition. Don’t be discouraged if you start out at an entry-level position at a restaurant. Although you might have aspirations of being a manager in a large, well-known eatery in a city like Los Angeles, Chicago or New York City, everyone has to start somewhere. For you, that might be working as a restaurant host, or serving as the assistant manager of a fast-food restaurant while you earn your online degree. The experience you gain at this time will look great on your resume, will prepare you for a management career and will show potential employers that you are a team player who can thrive in any position.
Further Your Culinary Knowledge
Although restaurant managers need to handle administrative tasks and lead others in the workplace, they also need to have some background knowledge in the culinary arts. While you certainly don’t need to become a chef just to find a career as a restaurant manager, knowing as much as possible will only be an asset. To this end, spend some time reading cooking blogs online, browsing cookbooks or even trying out recipes yourself in order to learn the basics in the kitchen. You might also want to venture out and try new restaurants, order unusual things from the menu and learn as much as possible about different ingredients and flavor combination. Everything you learn now will be helpful when it comes time to order ingredients for your chefs each week from local grocery suppliers, give recommendations about what wine to pair with beef or understand what kind of menu items will be the most appealing to potential customers.
Earn a Degree or Certification in the Field
Ultimately, the number one thing that will help you to become a restaurant manager will be a degree, certification or diploma of some kind. Whatever your budget, your career plans or your scheduling, there is a degree that can fit into your lifestyle with ease. A business administration in hospitality management degree is often the best choice for aspiring restaurant managers. If you choose to earn this degree, you will be able to select from the two-year associate program or the four-year bachelor’s degree program. Either way, you will be focusing on subjects like food safety, sanitation, food production analysis, purchasing and cost control, restaurant marketing, corporate managerial finance and event planning or management.
Decide Between Online and Traditional Degree Programs
Whether you enroll into a six-month restaurant manager certificate program or a four-year bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, you might want to think about the potential for online study. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of students who attend accredited online colleges rather than the traditional campus counterpart, and there are a number of reasons for doing so. First, online degrees can offer the flexibility that many students need. You can study according to your own schedule, and you can move through course materials at your own pace. Plus, it is ideal for anyone who needs to work and study at the same time. Finally, an online degree is the ultimate in convenience. As long as you have access to a computer and an Internet connection, you can stream classroom lectures live, watch recorded seminars from your favorite local cafe or participate in online discussions after your children go to bed. To top it all off, many online degrees are actually cheaper than the campus alternative.
Consider an Internship or Apprenticeship Training in a Restaurant
Gaining work experience in a restaurant is integral to success as a hospitality manager, but actually learning from a leader in the industry can also be helpful. If your college offers an internship program, consider participating. This will involve shadowing a successful restaurant manager, helping wherever possible and asking plenty of questions. Alternatively, you could contact popular restaurants in your area, mention that you are currently enrolled in a degree program in the field, and find out if there are any pair or unpaid internships available. Keep in mind that unpaid stints can often turn into full-time, paid careers after graduation. Becoming a restaurant manager isn’t always easy, but it can be a rewarding experiencing. With a hospitality degree in hand, you will be eligible for countless different employment positions in restaurants around the world.
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