Growing your restaurant manager career.2128934

Five top tips to take the next step. A challenging and multi-faceted role, restaurant management is a career which only the truly dedicated can do well, bringing a passion for service and success to a position that requires many skills, organization and delegation. Work your way up. Great restaurant managers haven’t just begun their career at the top of the ladder. They’ve climbed it, experiencing various positions within the machine that is a successful restaurant on their way. This climb means that great hospitality jobs understand from personal experience the challenges and importance of every person in the team, and this means that delegating tasks and supporting and encouraging the whole team comes more naturally. Climbing the ladder makes a strong manager, and the skills and problem solving learned along the way transfer perfectly into a wide range of ‘next level’ career options. Aim high. Though restaurant management is the top of the ladder within the restaurant industry, there are still many levels of manager. Some restaurants are small, with a handful of staff and small number of covers. These are a great place to cut your management teeth and learn the trade before moving up the ladder to a bigger restaurant with a bigger team.

The same skills are required, but the balancing act and commitment grow with the size of the restaurant – and aiming higher means bigger restaurants, or even a chain of restaurants. Every level means using those same skills on a grander scale. Faces, facts and figures. Restaurant managers know their business inside out. From the strengths and skills of every member of staff, and who brings out the best in who when planning the rota, to the details and costing of meal planning and stock control. Understanding each of these areas and tying it all together to ensure the smooth running of the business is vital, and the skills required to carry this out week on week make for expert delegators, project managers and business leaders. Plan your next move. Long hours and split shifts mean that the restaurant industry can have a high turnover of staff. To be successful and reliable, and thus sell yourself as a good investment for the next step you’re planning in your career, it’s important to plan your next step carefully, and look before you leap. Long hours and late nights are part of the position, and committing yourself to restaurant manager jobs means taking all that on. Rather than leaving a challenging position then looking for a new role, look before you leap. Decide what direction you want to move in, and start looking for positions in that area before you leave the role you’re already committed to. This not only means that you’ll have a steady income as you search, but means that your resume has no awkward gaps that could put potential employers off interviewing you for your dream job. Focus on your transferable skills. When you’re planning this next step think carefully about what specific skills you use day to day as a restaurant manager. Delegation. People skills. Organization. Creating rotas. Stock control. Problem solving. Thinking on your feet. There are a great many areas of the business that need your attention simultaneously – understanding this, and utilizing these skills, makes you an asset that many industries would benefit from having on board.