Restaurant Manager Jobs Overview
As a restaurant manager, you handle everything from ordering supplies to marketing the business. You help to keep the restaurant running smoothly and oversee several other employees. Restaurant manager jobs come with a lot of responsibility, so they're ideal for organized, motivated people.
You can expect to spend most of your day working in a restaurant if you get this type of job. Restaurant managers often work long hours and may start and end their day before the restaurant opens and after it closes.
All sorts of restaurants are interested in hiring restaurant managers. Some managers work at high-end restaurants in the fine dining industry. Others run fast food restaurants or help new franchise owners operate a new restaurant branch.
Salary for Restaurant Manager Jobs
Restaurant managers receive excellent compensation for all the time they spend at work. They earn a higher-than-average salary compared to many other positions in the restaurant industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage for restaurant managers is $61,310 a year.
Those who manage small restaurants make less while restaurant managers who oversee large or very high-end restaurants make more. The highest-paying field for restaurant managers is managing dining at a luxury hotel. To find out how much restaurant managers in your area make, use our Monster Salary Calculator.
Find Your Ideal Job
There are a lot of different restaurant manager jobs out there, so it's important to choose wisely. By carefully considering each listing, you can discover positions that suit your unique needs.
Consider Your Work Style and Preferences
Many restaurant managers start by thinking about their desired level of responsibility and their preferred work schedule. For example, if you don't want to work late-night shifts, you probably won't want to apply for a position at a pub that stays open until midnight. You'll also want to consider whether you're interested in running a large, busy restaurant or a small, quiet cafe.
If you want to specialize in a certain field, read the job listing carefully to see whether it matches your preferences. Some restaurant managers focus on areas like helping investors start up new restaurants while others prefer to run an established brand with clearly defined guidelines.
Review Your Skills and Long-Term Goals
In addition to thinking about whether the job works for you, you also need to think about whether you're a good fit for the job. Look at the list of requirements or qualifications that the restaurant manager job description includes to see whether or not you meet their guidelines. However, keep in mind that the restaurant industry is flexible, so if a job says something like "must have four years of experience in the food industry," they might accept two years of experience at a restaurant and two years of experience at a grocery store.
As you look for jobs, it can be useful to search for ones that will benefit your long-term career goals. If you hope to move into administration, you might want to apply for jobs with a focus on purchasing and hiring. Meanwhile, if you're interested more in the food side of things, you might look for work at renowned restaurants in your area.
Applying for Restaurant Manager Jobs
After finding some promising positions to apply for, you'll need to start preparing for the next stage of the job hunt. Follow these tips to ensure your application goes as smoothly as possible.
Review Each Job Posting Before Applying
Start each new application by going over the job posting you're interested in. Check to see which skills they require, and specifically use phrases found in the job posting such as "team player" or "motivated self-starter."
You should also use this quick review to make sure that you follow any specific requests the posting has. Being a restaurant manager is all about paying close attention to detail, so if the job post says something like, "Provide two references," you certainly don't want to forget to upload your references.
Write an Excellent Resume
Your resume is one of the most essential parts of any job application. It allows you to summarize your background and show why you'd be great for the job. Here are some important things to know about writing a resume:
- Keep things concise, and do not go over one page.
- Appeal to applicant screening software by including in-demand resume keywords such as scheduling, compliance, food safety, customer service, and hospitality.
- Format professionally with headers for each section and bullet points for details.
- Follow this sample restaurant manager resume, and use specific metrics to highlight your skills.
- Make things easier by getting expert assistance from Monster's Professional Resume Writing Services.
Send a Great Cover Letter
Cover letters aren't always a requirement in the food service industry, but they can certainly help make your application more appealing. When writing cover letters for restaurant manager jobs, the key is to keep it simple. Aim to sound friendly yet professional.
A strong restaurant manager cover letter should highlight past career successes and personal connections to well-reviewed restaurants. It's fine to add a little personality to the letter too, so you may want to mention things like what food you love at the restaurant you're applying to or why you're so interested in the restaurant management field.
Sign Up with Monster and Submit Your Application
The entire job application process is a lot easier if you sign up for free with us. Through Monster, restaurant managers get access to exclusive benefits like personalized job recommendations and free resume reviews.
Having a Monster account also makes it much quicker to store all your application details. You can save things like references, resumes, and cover letters, so applying for each new job is straightforward.
Should You Follow Up on Your Application?
Did you apply a while ago but haven't heard back yet? In these scenarios, a follow-up is an excellent idea. The typical industry guideline for follow-ups is that you should only send them if you haven't heard back for at least a week.
To send a follow-up, find the contact information for either the hiring manager who posted the application or someone in a leadership role at the restaurant. Send them a short, polite email following up on your application. You can use your follow-up email as an opportunity to express your interest in the position and check to see if the hiring manager would like any more details about your credentials.
Interviewing for Restaurant Manager Jobs
Interviewing for restaurant manager jobs is an essential part of landing your dream job. Here are some details to know before your restaurant manager interview.
Prepare Before You Go
"Just wing it," isn't usually advice that works well for a restaurant manager interview. This type of job is all about being serious, dedicated, and thoughtful, so you need to show you're willing to do some research before you get to the interview.
Make sure you look up the restaurant, learn a little about its history, and see what's on its menu. During the interview, you can use this information in your answers to help show your interest in working at that specific location.
Make Sure You Look the Part
Restaurant manager interviews are usually business casual. This involves wearing dress pants or a knee-length skirt with a blouse or a collared shirt. However, if the restaurant is very formal, you might want to upgrade your interview outfit to a suit.
Be Ready to Answer Interview Questions
Almost all interviews for restaurant manager jobs are in-person interviews. You may meet with people like the restaurant's owner or the head chef, and they'll ask you questions that assess your behavior and your knowledge of the food industry. Follow these tips to ensure you give stellar answers to every interview question:
- Look up common interview questions for managers, and brainstorm some ways to reply.
- Treat each question as a potential opportunity to describe ways you've excelled in the past.
- Remember that they are also checking to see whether your personality is a good fit, so try to match the interviewer's general vibe and remain friendly and polite.
- Consider using an interviewing template, like the STAR method, to organize your answers in a clear and informative way.
- Don't be afraid to ask for further information if you don't understand a question.
- Keep your focus on your skills and experience instead of oversharing about your personal life.
Following Up on Your Interview
After the interview, send a thank-you note to the person who interviewed you within 24 hours of the interview. This lets you start a channel of communication and show you are truly interested in the job.
If you don't hear back within a week, a more detailed follow-up is acceptable. In this email, you do not need to be pushy or overly eager. Instead, you simply need to emphasize that you're interested in the position and politely ask if there is any more information you could provide to help the hiring manager with their decision.
What to Do When You Get an Offer
What's next after the interview? If you're lucky, you'll end up with a job offer or maybe even multiple restaurant manager job offers! Getting an offer puts you in a great position to consider your career goals and choose the ideal job.
How Long Do You Have to Respond?
Most restaurant manager jobs won't expect an immediate answer. Instead of taking the job the second they offer it, you should ask if you have a day or two to look over the offer.
Even if you're already sure you want the job, it's still a good idea to ask for a little time to examine it. This ensures you don't miss any important details.
What Makes an Offer Good?
Of course, most people pay attention to the salary first when they get an offer. This is certainly one of the most important parts, and you'll need to do some research and ensure the salary is suitable for your level of expertise. However, you'll also need to consider other factors such as:
- How many responsibilities you'll have.
- What your schedule is likely to look like.
- How good the benefits package is.
- What networking opportunities the job provides.
- Whether the restaurant is stable and likely to succeed.
- How many employees you'll be overseeing.
Negotiating Your Job Offer
Restaurant manager jobs do have some room for negotiation. The most common thing managers negotiate is their salary. Assume that the restaurant has a range of acceptable salaries and offers you a salary on the lower end of that range, so you have room to ask for extra payment.
It's also worthwhile to negotiate other details as well. Things like a different job title or an extra task can help make your resume look more impressive in the future, and perks like extra vacation time can make your job more enjoyable.
Restaurant Manager Career Paths
If you plan on advancing your career, there are a lot of opportunities within the food industry. Many restaurant managers plan on opening a restaurant franchise or starting their own restaurant someday. You can use the firsthand experience and industry connections you build to help you achieve these goals.
Another option is transitioning to another position within the hospitality industry. Some restaurant managers use their excellent customer service to become hotel managers or store managers. With just a little extra experience in your chosen field, it's easy to pivot your past restaurant manager jobs into a future in hospitality.
There are also career paths outside the hospitality industry altogether. Restaurant managers can use their organizational and delegation skills to become managers in office settings. You can look into getting human resources jobs or try to become an office manager.
If you're thinking about moving to administration in another field, it's often useful to get experience in the industry you're interested in. Even a part-time job or a brief certification course can make it much easier to switch from restaurant management to general management.
Similar Occupations
In addition to managing a restaurant, your administrative and leadership skills may make you a good fit for these jobs: