Restaurant managers are the backbone of any dining establishment, ensuring everything runs smoothly from opening to closing.
With business or hospitality management expertise, these professionals are vital for a restaurant’s success and efficiency.
In this article, you will learn:
- What is a restaurant manager duties checklist
- What are the restaurant manager’s responsibilities and duties
- What is a restaurant manager’s daily routine
What is a restaurant manager?
A restaurant manager oversees the daily operations of a restaurant, ensuring efficient service, managing staff, maintaining customer satisfaction, and handling financial aspects like budgeting and inventory.
They play a crucial role in business and hospitality management, ensuring the restaurant runs smoothly and profitably.
According to Toggl, the total expenses for recruiting and onboarding a new manager, including benefits and taxes, can range between $62,500 and $70,000 per year.
Restaurant manager duties checklist
A restaurant manager duties checklist is a comprehensive guide that outlines the essential responsibilities of a restaurant manager, ensuring all critical areas of restaurant operations are covered.
This checklist helps managers stay organized, maintain high standards, and ensure efficient and effective restaurant management.
We prepared this restaurant manager duties checklist to help you effectively oversee your establishment’s operations.
To make it easier, we’ve divided the key restaurant manager duties into categories, covering key areas. Let’s go to the details.
Operational management and customer service
Operations and customer service are critical to restaurant management. They ensure smooth daily restaurant functioning and exceptional customer dining experiences.
A restaurant manager responsibilities in these areas encompass various tasks to maintain high standards and operational efficiency. They include the following:
1. Ensuring consistent quality
Although the chef and BOH staff are responsible for food quality and the dishes served, a restaurant manager must set and monitor the standards. This is known as the restaurant SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), which ensures consistency and quality in all aspects of the dining experience.
A restaurant manager creates and updates SOPs to ensure operations and service delivery consistency.
2. Managing inventory
While monitoring inventory levels is naturally the responsibility of the kitchen staff, the manager is responsible for supervision. If supplies are out of stock and must be ordered, the manager also handles this. The aim is to reduce food waste and associated food costs.
Of course, managers can delegate inventory management to their employees, but they must first train them properly.
Implementing restaurant inventory management systems is very helpful in reducing waste and maintaining optimal stock levels.
Here, you can check top restaurant inventory management software.
3. Taking care of customer service
Food is the basis for every restaurant’s operation, but the restaurant owner and manager know that delicious food alone is insufficient to run a profitable restaurant. Another essential aspect is quality customer service. With it, your restaurant will be successful in the market.
The manager’s restaurant position is to properly train the staff so that guests are satisfied with their excellent customer service skills and want to return to the restaurant.
If there are any customer complaints, the staff must be able to respond effectively, and the manager’s communication skills are crucial in resolving conflicts in such situations.
Negative customer opinions may appear without this, impacting the restaurant’s reputation. It is essential to address both positive and negative reviews professionally, demonstrating that the restaurant values customer feedback and promptly resolves any issues.
Last but not least, remember to encourage customers to express their opinions. Listen to customer feedback and implement new improvements and solutions to show customers that their opinions matter.
4. Complying with health and safety regulations
As a restaurant manager, ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations is a critical responsibility that directly impacts the well-being of both staff and customers. This duty involves regularly inspecting the premises, equipment, and food storage areas to maintain sanitary conditions and identify potential hazards.
A great restaurant manager must stay updated with local, state, and federal health codes and implement any necessary changes when required.
5. Ensuring a restaurant is running smoothly
The restaurant industry is demanding, and managing a restaurant requires constant attention and presence. The hospitality manager has to address various situations as they arise, whether it’s suddenly running out of an ingredient needed to prepare dishes, an online order waiting to be accepted, or a malfunctioning blender.
In a restaurant environment, guests may not notice these “little things,” and ideally should not, but it is the restaurant manager’s job to identify and react quickly to such issues to ensure the continuity of the restaurant’s operation.
Staff management
Staff management is another critical responsibility of a restaurant manager. This key aspect is always included in any comprehensive restaurant manager job description, reflecting its importance in the smooth operation of a dining establishment.
Below, you can check the restaurant manager skills regarding staff management.
1. Hiring new employees
The restaurant manager is responsible for recruiting employees. However, this usually doesn’t apply to large restaurant chains and franchises, handled by a dedicated HR department, or to very small restaurants, where the restaurant owner is often responsible for searching for and hiring employees.
As a manager, your tasks may include preparing job descriptions, posting job advertisements, meeting with potential employees, and hiring them. Additionally, as a restaurant manager, you may also have the less pleasant task of firing employees.
Both laying off and hiring employees will help you create a strong team that will contribute to the restaurant’s profits.
2. Training restaurant staff
Another task of the restaurant manager is restaurant staff training, which includes preparing onboarding and a restaurant training manual for new employees, as well as assembling and managing training programs for permanent staff.
Training aims to improve customer service and increase staff efficiency, contributing to better restaurant performance. You may also want to introduce your staff to basic restaurant terms to improve communication.
3. Resolving team conflicts
Restaurant managers work with other people all the time. They are surrounded by employees and customers, making their communication skills very important.
If a conflict arises between team members, the restaurant manager must find a solution and resolve it. Similarly, conflicts or misunderstandings may occur between customers and employees. Again, the manager must step in to mediate and resolve these issues, ensuring guest satisfaction and a positive customer experience.
4. Time management and scheduling
As a manager, you must create schedules and help employees manage their working time as effectively as possible. Schedules must be adjusted to ensure smooth restaurant operations, control restaurant labor costs, and optimize overall costs.
Use restaurant scheduling software to efficiently manage employee shifts, reduce scheduling conflicts, and ensure optimal staffing.
5. Performance evaluation
It is also the manager’s responsibility to monitor employee attendance and punctuality.
Regular performance evaluations should be conducted to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the restaurant’s staff.
Financial management
Financial management ensures the restaurant remains profitable, operates within budget, and achieves long-term financial stability.
A restaurant manager’s responsibilities in this area include the following:
1. Controlling costs
One key aspect is controlling costs, including food, labor, and supplies. The manager makes ongoing decisions to increase the restaurant’s efficiency and profitability while minimizing losses.
- Restaurant Prime Cost: What It Is & How to Calculate
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- 15 Tips How to Control & Reduce Labor Costs
- 20 Tips to Reduce Restaurant Costs & Expenses (Real Examples)
2. Restaurant budgeting
Restaurant budgeting is a critical duty of a restaurant manager. It involves creating and managing financial plans to control expenses and optimize resource allocation.
By accurately forecasting revenue and expenses, the manager ensures that the restaurant operates within its financial means, maximizes profitability, and maintains a healthy cash flow.
3. Analyzing financial reports
Analyzing reports is another important task for managers because without checking restaurant metrics you won’t know if the business is profitable.
Typically, the manager and the owner regularly analyze data analytics to assess the financial condition and implement necessary improvements. This ongoing assessment helps make business decisions and enhance the restaurant’s performance.
4. Revenue management
Restaurant revenue management involves analyzing sales data to optimize restaurant menu pricing and table turnover rates for maximum profitability.
Effective restaurant marketing strategies play a crucial role in this process, helping to attract new customers, increase repeat visits, and boost revenue through targeted promotions and brand-building efforts.
5. Payroll management
Finally, payroll management is a key responsibility of the restaurant manager. It’s all about ensuring staff members are paid correctly and on time, including crunching the numbers on hours worked, tips earned, and overtime.
What is a restaurant manager’s daily routine?
A restaurant manager’s daily routine typically begins with reviewing the day’s reservations, staffing levels, and inventory to ensure smooth operations. Throughout the day, they oversee food preparation, monitor customer service, and address any issues that arise, from equipment malfunctions to customer complaints.
The manager also handles administrative tasks such as scheduling, payroll, and financial reporting while continuously circulating through the restaurant to maintain quality standards and motivate staff performance.
Check the restaurant opening and closing checklist to ensure a smooth transition between shifts and consistent daily operations.
Key Takeaways
- Operational management and customer service: Restaurant managers oversee daily operations, ensuring food quality, service, and cleanliness meet standards. They handle customer feedback and complaints.
- Staff Management: Restaurant managers are responsible for hiring, training, scheduling, and supervising staff. They also oversee ongoing staff development and conduct performance evaluations.
- Financial management: Managers analyze data regularly to assess the restaurant’s financial health and implement strategies to optimize profitability and reduce restaurant costs.
- Compliance and procedures: Restaurant managers are crucially responsible for ensuring health, safety, and labor regulations compliance.
- Following the checklists: Following the restaurant manager duties checklist and restaurant opening and closing checklist is essential to guarantee that all tasks are completed systematically.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are the responsibilities of an assistant restaurant manager?
An assistant restaurant manager supports the general manager in ensuring the smooth operation of the restaurant. Key responsibilities include, among other things, supervising staff,
customer service, operations management and inventory management:
What are the 10 responsibilities of a manager?
A restaurant manager has numerous responsibilities to ensure the smooth operation and success of the establishment. Here are ten key responsibilities:
- Staff management
- Financial management
- Customer service
- Operations oversight
- Inventory management
- Compliance and Safety
- Marketing and sales
- Administrative duties
- Maintenance coordination
- Performance evaluation
