When looking for a restaurant manager, most resources and searches focus on what a restaurant manager should do rather than who a restaurant manager should be. Being a successful restaurant manager may be something that an individual can be trained for, but it isn’t a position that every individual will thrive in. Not only do restaurant managers need to be able to motivate staff, but they also need to be able to keep a cool, professional demeanor during the job’s most stressful moments. The combination of a high pressure environment mixed with the need to maintain a high standard of excellence means that a unique and specific individual is required to excel in such a position.
Hiring individuals for the job based only on one’s training or experience is the exact reason why the restaurant management field sees such a high attrition rate in this position — the individual can get the job done, but they hate it. They don’t enjoy the challenge because they lack the basic, innate motivating factors required to really succeed in the position. They’re a poor fit for the job, and for the company.
Why High Turnover Kills Businesses
Having a high turnover rate in any position of any company can lead to a company’s demise, but having a high management turnover is the most deadly of them all. Having a management team that’s constantly changing means that the rules and procedures are also constantly changing, are forgotten, or aren’t enforced. The result of this can go in both or either direction:
a) The staff will become confused and frustrated. This will then lead to a high turnover of entry and mid-level staff, meaning that experienced, company-loyal potential future restaurant managers are walking out your company’s front doors. The end result is that you’re stuck in a dangerous cycle of having a recurrence of managers who are unfamiliar with the company’s culture, staff, procedures, and processes.
b) Your poorly-managed staff will lead to a decrease in service and quality, and as a result, a decrease in customer satisfaction. When customers are dissatisfied, not only will they never return to your establishment, but they’ll also spread the word about your dreadful service and you’ll lose potential customers.
The Roles and Responsibilities of a Restaurant Manager
Before we delve into the personality traits that make a great restaurant manager, it’s important to understand what the general roles and responsibilities of one are. Some of these include:
- Ensuring that the restaurant is clean and in order
Not only should every area of the restaurant appear clean (the front, parking lot, kitchen, washrooms, etc.) but sanitary conditions need to also be maintained. - Ensuring that service is running smoothly
A manager is responsible for overseeing all of the different areas of restaurant service, including wait list management, addressing customer complaints, holding pre-shift meetings with staff, speaking to customers, opening and closing the restaurant, and looking for new ways to improve service to customers. - Checking inventory
Though many managers may appoint an assistant manager or another member of the staff to do general inventory checks, the final inventory count rests on the manager’s shoulders. They need to ensure that food, beverages, alcohol, cups, plates, and other materials are all sufficiently stocked so that customers will have a pleasant experience. - Training
Most training duties will be a manager’s responsibility. New hire training, disciplinary training, new menu items, or new processes all must be planned out by the manager before the training is executed. - Checking sales trending
A restaurant manager needs to keep tabs on what’s selling, what isn’t, how many customers they’re having come in, total sales, average sales, etc. is so that they can report back to upper management. - Hiring and firing
Not the most pleasant part of the job, but when it comes to the hiring and firing of staff, managers are often the ones who have to perform both tasks.
The Personality of the Ideal Restaurant Manager
Rather than tell you that a good restaurant manager is able to “effectively manage costs” or “deliver great service,” there are underlying personality traits that an individual can possess that will not only ensure that these jobs are done, but that they’re done extraordinarily well. We at ClearFit dug deep into the restaurant manager job role and found that the traits listed below are what separated poor to mediocre restaurant managers from the excellent. We separate these into four different categories: how one manages themselves, how one manages work, what motivates someone at work, and how they work with others.
Management of Self:
- Self-Regulating — Managers who are best fit for this job need to be able to control their behavior and responses in any type of situation or event that may arise.
- Stress Tolerance — Strongly tied to self regulating, managers need to be able to stay calm and think logically in times of high stress.
Management of Work
- Organized — Without a desire to stay organized, a manager in almost any line of work will find the job stressful if they aren’t inclined to keep things in order.
Work Motivational Factors:
- Interest in People — Given the amount of new faces a manager will be seeing on a daily basis, those who thrive in this position really find a thrill in meeting and getting to know new people.
- Preference for Structure — Managers need to be able to create goals and prioritize tasks, and the best way to get this done is if there is a logical structure in place.
Working with Others:
- Service-Oriented — As the restaurant industry is a service industry, it’s important that a restaurant manager be very customer service focused in their line of work.
- Takes Leadership — Some of the best managers out there will tell you that they don’t simply manage; they lead their team of staff on a daily basis.
- Considerate of others — This includes being considerate of both customers and staff.
- Influences others — One who’s naturally inclined to take on a leadership role that includes open communication should also feel the drive to influence and encourage others.
Time and time again, we at ClearFit have established that more important than hiring someone based on their experience or training is finding a person who’s a great fit for both the job and your company. Whether you’re a hiring manager looking for a restaurant manager, or you’re an aspiring restaurant manager wondering if this job role is right for you, to really make it in this field, keep these qualities in mind.
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