What does a restaurant/bar manager do?

Restaurant/bar manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real restaurant/bar manager resumes:
- Manage staffing, scheduling, FOH monthly meetings and training.
- Manage multiple bars and restaurants by performing managerial duties such as staffing, accounting, inventory, and entertainment.
- Manage associates while bartending and serving in a family-own restaurant.
- Monitor restaurant and banquet bars and ensure exceptional food quality and service standards are met.
- Prepare sales and labor budgets on a daily basis and create schedules for all FOH employees.
- Introduce POS system to create an efficient system for sales orders, tracking inventory and bookkeeping purposes.
- Enter orders into POS system; conduct monthly inventory; and perform heavy cash handling and reconciliation functions.
- Estimate food, liquor, wine and other beverage consumption in order to anticipate amounts to be purchase or requisition.
- Receive drink order from wait staff and patrons, mix drinks, and serve wine, bottle or draft beer.
- Monitor and maintain proper store cleanliness, appearance and maintenance according to departmental standards.
- Adhere to quality expectations and standards, utilizing strong culinary knowledge to comfortably explain food preparations and terms.
- Enforce rules and regulations of the business in accordance with state and county ABC laws.
- Operate BOH for consistent sanitary procedures, food quality, presentation and productivity.
Restaurant/bar manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 36% of Restaurant/BAR Managers are proficient in Food Handling, Customer Service, and Wine. They’re also known for soft skills such as Business skills, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Restaurant/BAR Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Food Handling, 36%
Monitored all aspects of room service including preparation/presentation of food handling and timely order delivery to guests.
- Customer Service, 10%
Maintained inventory, developed a more efficient opening procedure, performed daily customer service relations and accounting.
- Wine, 5%
Estimate food, liquor, wine and other beverage consumption in order to anticipate amounts to be purchased or requisitioned.
- Guest Satisfaction, 5%
Coordinated with vendors on optimizing relationships to directly impact guest satisfaction through pricing, promotions and product.
- Restaurant Operations, 4%
Plan and coordinate with other departments for special events involving restaurant operations.
- Guest Service, 4%
Train new floor staff on guest service expectations and safety.
Most restaurant/bar managers use their skills in "food handling," "customer service," and "wine" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential restaurant/bar manager responsibilities here:
Business skills. One of the key soft skills for a restaurant/bar manager to have is business skills. You can see how this relates to what restaurant/bar managers do because "food service managers must understand all aspects of the restaurant business, including how to budget for supplies, comply with regulations, and manage workers." Additionally, a restaurant/bar manager resume shows how restaurant/bar managers use business skills: "managed all aspects of business including 8 employees, payroll, inventory, marketing, and bookkeeping. "
Communication skills. Many restaurant/bar manager duties rely on communication skills. "food service managers must give clear orders to staff and be able to convey information effectively to employees and customers.," so a restaurant/bar manager will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways restaurant/bar manager responsibilities rely on communication skills: "maintain the highest standards of customer service, cleanliness, integrity, efficiency and communication. "
Customer-service skills. This is an important skill for restaurant/bar managers to perform their duties. For an example of how restaurant/bar manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "food service managers must be courteous and attentive when dealing with patrons." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a restaurant/bar manager: "executed weekly food and liquor inventory/costs at the general manager's request.development duties focused on guests and promotions of team. ".
Leadership skills. Another crucial skill for a restaurant/bar manager to carry out their responsibilities is "leadership skills." A big part of what restaurant/bar managers relies on this skill, since "managers must establish good relationships with staff to maintain a productive work environment." How this skill relates to restaurant/bar manager duties can be seen in an example from a restaurant/bar manager resume snippet: "provide leadership to 55 employees with 3 managers, 1 restaurant, 1 bar, room service & minibar. "
Organizational skills. Lastly, "organizational skills" is an important element of what a restaurant/bar manager does. Restaurant/bar manager responsibilities require this skill because "managers have many different responsibilities, including scheduling and overseeing staff, budgeting, and maintaining financial records." This resume example highlights how restaurant/bar manager duties rely on this skill: "directed daily pre-shift and post-shift departmental meetings for servers, hosts, bartenders and kitchen team members to ensure organizational efficiency. "
The three companies that hire the most restaurant/bar managers are:
- Goodwin Recruiting19 restaurant/bar managers jobs
- Live Nation Entertainment5 restaurant/bar managers jobs
- Aimbridge Hospitality5 restaurant/bar managers jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable restaurant/bar manager resume templates
Build a professional restaurant/bar manager resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your restaurant/bar manager resume.Compare different restaurant/bar managers
Restaurant/bar manager vs. Server and shift manager
A food manager oversees the operations at various dining establishments, ensuring efficient food services and client satisfaction. Their responsibilities typically include managing the staff, setting schedules and guidelines, establishing objectives and budgets, liaising with vendors and suppliers, delegating tasks, and developing strategies to optimize overall operations. There are also instances where they may assist customers, arrange reservations, process payments, prepare and organize documents, hire and train new members of the workforce, and resolve issues and concerns. Moreover, as a food manager, they must lead and encourage the staff to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between restaurant/bar managers and server and shift manager. For instance, restaurant/bar manager responsibilities require skills such as "food handling," "guest service," "bars," and "room service." Whereas a server and shift manager is skilled in "math," "guest complaints," "work ethic," and "strong work ethic." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that server and shift managers earn slightly differ from restaurant/bar managers. In particular, server and shift managers are 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a restaurant/bar manager. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Restaurant/bar manager vs. Food manager
Managers are responsible for a specific department, function, or employee group. They oversee their assigned departments and all the employees under the department. Managers are responsible that the department they are handling is functioning well. They set the department goals and the steps they must take to achieve the goals. They are also in charge of assessing the performance of their departments and their employees. Additionally, managers are responsible for interviewing prospective candidates for department vacancies and assessing their fit to the needs of the department. Managers also set the general working environment in the department, and they are expected to ensure that their employees remain motivated.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real restaurant/bar manager resumes. While restaurant/bar manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "wine," "guest satisfaction," "restaurant operations," and "guest service," food managers use skills like "non," "math," "sales floor," and "servsafe."
Food managers may earn a lower salary than restaurant/bar managers, but food managers earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $38,631. On the other hand, restaurant/bar managers receive higher pay in the media industry, where they earn an average salary of $52,593.food managers earn similar levels of education than restaurant/bar managers in general. They're 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Restaurant/bar manager vs. Manager
An assistant manager/shift manager assists managers in maintaining an establishment's smooth workflow. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their company or industry of employment, it usually includes participating in setting goals and guidelines, establishing budgets and schedules, delegating tasks among staff, and monitoring operations, solving issues should there be any. They also perform administrative support tasks such as coordinating with internal and external parties, preparing and processing documents, handling calls and correspondence, organizing files, and implementing policies and regulations. In the absence of the manager, an assistant manager assumes their responsibilities to maintain efficient operations.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a restaurant/bar manager is likely to be skilled in "food handling," "wine," "guest service," and "bars," while a typical manager is skilled in "food safety," "financial statements," "management," and "powerpoint."
Managers make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $71,781. On the other hand, restaurant/bar managers are paid the highest salary in the media industry, with average annual pay of $52,593.When it comes to education, managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to restaurant/bar managers. In fact, they're 3.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Restaurant/bar manager vs. Assistant manager/shift manager
Types of restaurant/bar manager
Updated January 8, 2025











