How to craft a compelling restaurant manager job listing

Effective restaurant management is one of the key components to a successful restaurant. Quality restaurant managers will streamline your restaurant operations, creating a flow between front of house and back of house that allows dining room and kitchen staff to work in perfect harmony. Their customer service and problem-solving skills take care of customer complaints in real-time, elevating guest service in a way that promotes loyalty and boosts your bottom line.

As a restaurant owner who may not be on property every day, having a good manager (or general manager for larger teams) to rely on is critical to make sure your business is operating as desired with positive cash flow, healthy profitability, and of course, a great dining experience. You’ll need someone who can reliably handle everything from hiring and staff training to pricing, safety standards, and social media.

From New York to New Mexico, full service and fast food alike, a quality restaurant manager will be worth their weight in A5 wagyu.

Whether you’re opening a new restaurant or expanding your team, keep these best practices in mind when looking for a restaurant manager.

The bottom line impact of effective restaurant management

Good restaurant managers wear many hats. They oversee a diverse group of team members, each responsible for myriad tasks within the complex web of restaurant operations. They’re on the line for a long list of day-to-day responsibilities, both in the dining room and for countless online orders. They have to take a long-term view of the business as well, using their insights to influence your restaurant marketing plan and other tools to increase sales.

Depending on the size of your restaurant, these restaurant manager duties may all fall on one person, or could be split up with a manager handling service-level tasks and a general manager responsible for financial management. And if you’re a restaurateur with years of experience, you may be able to take on some of these tasks yourself.

Regardless of who is handling these responsibilities, effective restaurant management will help accomplish the following:

• Increase retention and performance among restaurant staff, which lowers labor costs to boost cash flow
• Increase customer retention by creating an enjoyable dining experience with superior food quality and guest service, as well as adhering to strict food safety standards
• Increase profitability by optimizing inventory management, cost controls, staffing and work schedules, using point of sale data and consistent feedback to refine menu items, pricing, and the overall customer experience

Qualities of an excellent restaurant manager

The best restaurant managers have not just management skills to handle day-to-day restaurant operations, but true leadership skills, which are much harder to find. Hard skills like memorizing safety regulations, learning scheduling software, and working a POS system are nice to have, but can also be learned on the job relatively easily. Strong restaurant management comes from refined customer service skills and problem-solving abilities that often require years of experience to develop.

In the restaurant business, excellent customer service is everything, and that can only happen if the front of the house and kitchen staff work together as a cohesive unit. Great restaurant managers empower those team members to perform to the best of their abilities.

Effective restaurant management also includes deep knowledge of restaurant operations. While learning specific POS systems and payroll software may be required from place to place, having a basic understanding of how those platforms work will cut down on the learning curve. A solid understanding of restaurant financials is critical for maintaining profitability, as is the ability to communicate financial and technical information to both owners and staff where appropriate.

What to include in a restaurant manager job description

To recruit a great restaurant manager, think critically about your restaurant’s needs. First assess whether your team (and budget) is large enough to warrant a restaurant general manager, who will spend more time focused on the restaurant financials, or a manager to oversee operations.

Next, search for restaurant manager jobs that are already posted online, and use these as job description templates to form the foundation of your job posting. Consider including the duties that you see listed across multiple postings, but also be sure to customize your restaurant manager job description to meet your own requirements.

Restaurant manager responsibilities

These are some general responsibilities to list on a restaurant manager job description. Think about your restaurant operations and business goals, and include them in your job posting:

• Supervise front of house staff and facilitate communication with kitchen staff.
• Manage staffing, staff training, and scheduling.
• Ensure service style and standards are met and guest expectations are exceeded.
• Conduct regular performance reviews. Motivate, coach, counsel, and discipline all team members according to company SOPs.
• Assist in managing monthly food, beverage, and labor in an effort to minimize expenses and overtime.
• Identify guest needs and respond proactively to all of their concerns.
• Uphold and ensure safety regulations.
• Build relationships with guests, vendors, sister venues, and other hospitality venues.

Restaurant manager qualifications

A bachelor’s degree in hospitality management may go a long way on paper, but may not always be the best fit. The hospitality industry is unique in having more people rise through the ranks without a high school diploma than in virtually any other field. Job seekers with several years of experience in hospitality management will likely be much more accustomed to taking the helm than someone fresh out of college.

You won’t always be able to find, or afford, an experienced restaurant manager or college grad. Here are some other qualifications to list on your restaurant manager job description:

• Passion for food service and beverage service
• Problem-solving skills with ability to work well in high-pressure situations
• Strong listener with incredible communication skills
• Food handler’s certification
• CPR and first aid certification

Restaurant manager salary

A typical restaurant manager salary works out to an average of $22.40/hour in the U.S., but of course this number varies significantly depending on where you operate. A fine dining restaurant in New York will pay a much higher wage than a fast casual sandwich shop in Kentucky.

If you’re hiring your first restaurant manager and need help figuring out how much to pay them, online resources like Glassdoor can give you a general idea of restaurant manager salary in your area. For an even better understanding, consider contacting similar restaurants in your city that aren’t close enough to be direct competitors. Once you make it clear that you’re not trying to poach their talent, they’re likely to provide helpful information to ensure that you’re in line with market rates.

Yelp helps great restaurant managers become even better

Effective restaurant management requires tremendous dedication and can be very time-consuming. Restaurant owners who equip their managers with tools that save time and energy will see that investment pay dividends. 

Yelp for Restaurants, a full front of house system, is a remarkable tool for managers to handle myriad tasks with ease. Reservations, waitlist management, takeout, marketing, and more become a breeze, allowing your management to spend time tending to team members and customers. Get started with Yelp for Restaurants with a free demo.