If you love food, cocktails, wine, beer, if you like being your own boss, if you have always dreamt to have your own restaurant, this article is for you. You will learn more about a restaurant manager's job, what responsibilities they have, how they do on a typical day, etc.
The great thing about being a restaurant manager is that you fulfill a lot of different tasks. To look at the restaurant you own and knowing it's working well because of you, this is surely a very nice feeling. If the restaurant is your own idea, it's an even better sense of pride.
As we can read on Statistics Canada, "Restaurant and food service managers plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the operations of restaurants, bars, cafeterias and other food and beverage services. They are employed in food and beverage service establishments, or they may be self-employed".
They have many tasks to achieve in one week, which changes from time to time. As you can read on The Princeton « A Day in the Life of a Restaurateur », a typical day can look like this : « The owner keeps tabs on things like items to be ordered, customer complaints, and staff scheduling conflicts, all of which are recorded in the book. She studies the accounting records daily and stays on top of the restaurant’s financial situation. She may also take on duties like confirming reservations. Usually, she will also find time to glance through wine and food industry papers and read the restaurant review section in the newspaper ».
They can work in an office, at their home, but also replace employees for different positions on the floor : they need to continue working in the field to know everything about customer commentaries, service problems, employees propositions, etc.
You can learn in the industry by having one job after another and try to learn as many skills as possible, make contacts, etc. This is the best way to know if you like the industry or not! By trying the different positions in a restaurant, you can really learn how to manage from the inside. You can also study in a catering school, like the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ) for example. They have many programs, but the most interesting for you would be their Restaurant Management program.
It depends on many things : - What kind of restaurant is it? - Is it popular? It is well-managed? What is its reputation? - Are you managing a restaurant of many branches, or just one? The answer to these questions are going to directly impact your revenue, because a small business and a big one don't bring back the same profits.
There are a lot of things a manager can learn at school, but most of the skills will come with practice and experience. Of course, you can get Accounting classes, specific formations about the products you sell, etc. It will help you perfect your skills and your knowledge.
Many managers have a burn-out during their career. This job is very stressful and can drain a lot of energy if you don't organize your schedule well, because you always have something to do. In this job, you absolutely need a schedule with some breaks during the day, at night and on weekends (or at least two days per week), because if you don't, you finish by be working anytime, anywhere. Setting your limits and respecting your body are the best rules to follow!
There is absolutely no chance. There is a too big social aspect to this job that it could never be done by a robot. You need consciousness to connect every part of the job, which robots don't have. You need to be versatile!
Again, it depends on many things. As soon as you have made enough money to retire, you can, and it can be at any moment in your life. But for most people who work as restaurant managers, this job is more a life pleasure than a task or a duty.
In conclusion, if owning your own restaurant is a dream you'd like to realize, do it! If you have courage, will and motivation, noting stops you from your goal. It surely is a difficult job, but it's worth it. At the end of the day, when you go to sleep, you feel proud of the work you did, and you know that you made the difference. It's worth all the gold in the world!
Rationale: to inform or educate
Authority: government
Date: still relevant
Accuracy: probably true
Relevance: relevant for this document
Sources: cites sources
Rationale: to sell products and services (digital marketing)
Authority: government
Date: still relevant
Accuracy: probably true
Relevance: relevant for this document
Sources: no sources cited
Rationale: to inform or educate
Authority: research journal
Date: still relevant
Accuracy: probably true
Relevance: relevant for this document
Sources: no sources cited