Top Reasons It Pays to Earn a Bachelor’s in Food Industry Management

The culinary industry is a large and fascinating field, and it contains a variety of different career choices that you might have considered. While it might seem like a natural fit to become a chef if you are crazy about cuisine, that is certainly not the only option out there. In fact, many of the most successful professionals in the field work in food industry management.

If you feel that you have both a love for the culinary arts and strong leadership capabilities, then pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the field could be the best way for you to prepare for a successful and potentially lucrative future.

What Does the Bachelor’s of Food Industry Management Entail?

Perhaps the most popular, and most helpful, degree to consider earning in order to break into the field of food industry management is the bachelor’s degree.
While this specific degree will certainly vary slightly from college to college, it typically includes anywhere from 120 to 130 credits, and it generally takes students four years to complete.

The beauty of this degree, despite the length of time it takes to finish, is that it prepares you almost completely for a successful career in a management position.

A bachelor’s degree in food industry management might involve some general education classes to round out your knowledge, but the focus will be on industry-related classes that boost your knowledge and increase your skill set.

Some of the classes that you can expect to take while attending college could include food sanitation, food hygiene, food presentation, culinary art, budgeting, food purchasing, food service systems, culinary art and nutrition.

Of course, students tend to have some flexibility in their courses, and they can pursue the subjects that interest them the most.

Why a Bachelor’s Degree?

In order to secure a career in the field of food industry management, there is no question that some kind of formal education is a necessity. While there are a range of diplomas and certificates available that can be worth pursuing, those who are truly ready to invest the time and effort should strongly consider a full bachelor’s degree.

Since this degree takes a full four years to complete, it will adequately prepare you for a range of different careers. Even if you decide not to work in the food industry, the management skills are easily transferable to other fields later on in your career.

In addition, a bachelor’s degree is the most sought-after qualification among hiring managers. That means that having a bachelor’s degree will make you more employable after graduation, and it can put you in the position of having a greater earning potential and more job prospects than a similar candidate with a lesser degree.

Learn how you can earn your bachelor’s degree in food industry management online.

Choosing Where to Earn Your Bachelor’s Degree in Food Management

Once you have made up your mind to pursue a bachelor’s degree in food industry management, you will need to pick the right place to earn that degree. You’ll have your pick of culinary arts schools, cooking schools and more traditional colleges and universities.

To add to the mix, you can opt to pursue your bachelor’s degree online, which is becoming an increasingly popular option for busy students, those with families or anyone who already holds a full-time job but wants to advance their careers.

Choosing between all of these options can feel overwhelming, but the best thing to do is determine how far the campuses are from your residence, how flexible your schedule is and whether you are more interested in the management or the culinary side of the equation.

All are great options, and the right choice for you will be a personal decision. Remember that there are no “bad degrees”. If you earned a bachelor’s degree from any accredited online or traditional college, it will make you eligible for new careers and promotions in the industry.

Prerequisites for this Degree

Before you can get started on the various courses that make up a bachelor’s degree, you will need to apply to the program of your choice, get accepted and then formally enroll. Each college and culinary school has its own set of prerequisites that all potential applicants need to meet in order to be accepted.

Across the board, however, colleges tend to request that applicants have a high school diploma or the equivalent of a general education degree. Beyond that, the requirements vary according to the competitiveness of the school and the major.

Some of the things that you can expect them to ask for might include copies of your high school transcript, your grade point average on a 4.0 scale, any SAT or ACT scores you may have, references from previous employers or teachers and even a written admission essay detailing why you want to pursue this degree and how you intend to use it.

Potential Careers to Pursue After Graduation

After approximately four years of study, hard work and preparation, it will be time for graduation! With a bachelor’s degree under your belt, you will be ready to become a food service manager, a career with an average salary of $47,960, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

This career includes overseeing and supervising the daily management of a restaurant, and tasks could include anything from interviewing potential new employees to maintaining a food purchasing budget or dealing directly with customers of the eatery.

However, it is important to remember that your bachelor’s degree can also prepare you for related careers as well. Some of the similar employment opportunities that may be a better fit could include hotel manager, human resources manager, cook, culinary consultant or restaurant purchasing director for a chain of establishments.

Other Tools Helpful for a Successful Career

The key to finding a career in food industry management is, without question, having a bachelor’s degree in the field. However, there are some other things that can go a long way in helping you secure employment.

Having restaurant experience, whether as a cook, a hostess or an assistant manager, can play a significant role in getting you hired in the future. Getting the official Foodservice Management Professional designation from the National Restaurant Association can also be a wonderful thing to add to your resume.

Attributes Found Among the Most Successful Food Industry Managers

If you aren’t completely sure that this is the right field for you, then give some thought to your natural abilities and attributes. There are a few key characteristics found among the most successful food industry managers, and having them yourself is a great sign.

These attributes include excellent business skills, the ability to communicate well with others, leadership abilities and the physical stamina and endurance to spend 12 or 14 hour days in the kitchen and on the restaurant floor.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in food industry management can be the ultimate key toward becoming a successful professional in the world of culinary arts. Explore your options by visiting Cooking-Culinary-Arts-Schools.org.

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.

Managers Play A Crucial Role In The Success Of A Restaurant

While most people know about the latest culinary arts masterpieces created by celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver, many might not know the name of their favorite restaurant’s manager. This is because although restaurant managers are vital for the success of any restaurant, most of them do not perform their duties in the limelight. Restaurant managers make sure that their establishments are run profitably and efficiently while maintaining their ethos and reputation. Their job is to coordinate a vast range of activities – a range that becomes bigger the larger the restaurant. Managers carry the responsibility of the business performance of the restaurant they manage, as well as maintaining impeccable standards of service, food, safety and health. 

To achieve this they have to have strategic planning skills to steer the restaurant in a certain direction over the long term. They also need detailed organizational skills to plan shifts and the day-to-day running of the restaurant. On top of this they are also involved in developing new markets for the restaurant and attracting more customers from the existing target market.

Typical tasks include:

Business related activities

• Being responsible for the financial success of the restaurant.
• Drawing up budgets and analyzing sales levels and profitability.
• Arranging discount schemes and promotional events.
• Preparing regular reports, including food control, staff control and sales.
• Drawing up and carrying out plans for staff development, profit and sales.
• Working with executive chefs to plan and coordinate menus.

Front-of-house tasks

• Coordinating all operations of the restaurant.
• Managing personnel and giving them feedback where necessary.
• Dealing with complaints from customers.
• Making sure that all staff members are dressed according to company policy.
• Organizing table reservations and welcoming customers.
• Advising guests about wine and menu options.
• Recruiting new staff members and motivating and training existing staff.
• Organizing and overseeing the shifts of waiting, kitchen and cleaning staff.

Housekeeping tasks 

• Maintaining impeccable standards of hygiene, safety, health and quality control.
• Monitoring inventory levels and ordering new supplies when required.
• Organizing cash drawers and petty cash when needed.
• Assisting in any other area of the restaurant when required.

Qualifications

While experience plays an important role, a restaurant management degree could be an important step towards a great career in this industry.