Restaurant Consulting NYC | The Role of the Restaurant Manager | 4Q Consulting, LLC

The Role of the Restaurant Manager
4 Basic Areas of Focus

You’ve decided to hire a Restaurant Manager.  As the owner, you will want to define the manager’s focus while they run the day to day operations of your business.  Whether you groom an internal candidate or hire an experienced manager to run your business profitably, you will need to provide them with a roadmap of your expectations of their responsibilities.

The following four tips suggest the global basics for any restaurant manager to help your business run effectively and more profitably:

1. Manage Costs
Managing costs is a critical function in the restaurant. The largest controllable costs include labor, food & beverage and waste. A good manager will need to know how to staff at the level of service you want, work with the kitchen to maintain costs and oversee standards and procedures to minimize waste, while maintaining the budget.  Managers need to be able to record and explain all costs.

2. Manage Quality
Managers are your eyes and ears when you are not in the restaurant.  You rely on them to uphold your product quality standards.  Managers should know and maintain food preparation procedures, food storage standards and presentation quality at all times.  They must be able to train the staff to uphold these standards and correct mistakes in real-time.

3. Manage Service
Managers play an important role in providing superior guest service.  Proper oversight of the flow and function between front-of-house and back-of-house and how this impacts the guest experience.  Managers must be properly trained to handle any situation that comes up in course of service and must guide the team through these situations.

4. Manage Team
Managers are role models for the rest of the staff.  They are your point person for maintaining your company culture. Managers should treat all staff members fairly, consistently, positively and respectfully.  They must set the example for acceptable behavior, without exception.

Managers are the walking embodiment of your employee handbook; you are paying your restaurant manager to ensure that your restaurant runs efficiently and profitably.  By clearly communicating job expectations and objectives, the owner can be certain that the manager understands their role.

Don’t know where to begin?  Ask yourself, do you have the proper written procedures and operational guidelines in place so your manager can help you be as profitable as possible?  4Q Consulting, LLC can develop customized operational guidelines and training programs to meet your needs.  Call us today for a free business consultation!

All original content copyright Noelle E. Ifshin, 2012-2013.