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Running a restaurant is not easy, which is why it usually takes a lot of skill and experience to become a restaurant manager. In all aspects of restaurant operations, the restaurant manager is responsible for overseeing, managing, and directing the activities of both kitchen and service staff. The typical workweek of a restaurant manager revolves around monitoring inventory, creating work schedules, supervising subordinate staff, generating work reports, and addressing guest concerns when needed. Also, they usually work with an assistant manager who helps them with administrative duties to ensure that the restaurant always runs smoothly.


Like many roles in the foodservice industry, a college degree is not a common requirement for the role of a restaurant manager, although it is a great advantage. Many restaurant managers have worked their way up from being regular staff members, while some enter the job directly after graduating with a management or hospitality degree. On average, the salary of a restaurant manager is around $23 per hour or roughly $48,000 a year. Depending on their employer, they may also make extra income through shared tips.

What Does a Restaurant Manager Do

There are certain skills that many restaurant managers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed business skills, customer-service skills and detail oriented.

Learn more about what a Restaurant Manager does

How To Become a Restaurant Manager

If you're interested in becoming a restaurant manager, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 50.4% of restaurant managers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.0% of restaurant managers have master's degrees. Even though most restaurant managers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Restaurant Manager

Restaurant Manager Job Description

Restaurant managers are primarily in charge of ensuring that the restaurant they are assigned to is in top shape and that the overall operations are running smoothly. They manage all aspects of the restaurant such as quality control, food production, human resources, sales and profit, and even marketing.

Learn more about Restaurant Manager Job Description

Career Path For a Restaurant Manager

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a restaurant manager can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as general manager, progress to a title such as director of food and beverage and then eventually end up with the title director of food and beverage.

Restaurant Manager

Average Salary for a Restaurant Manager

Restaurant Managers in America make an average salary of $52,202 per year or $25 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $69,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $39,000 per year.
Average Restaurant Manager Salary
$52,202 Yearly
$25.10 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of Restaurant Manager

The role of a restaurant manager includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general restaurant manager responsibilities:

  • Ability to communicate the culture and expectations of american girl to the restaurant customers, both internal
  • Wynn resorts is a fortune 500 company led by hospitality industry visionary steve wynn. Currently operating in the top two casino gaming markets in the world, wynn is financially stable
  • Ensure company policy and brand equity standards are followed. Optimize profits by controlling food, beverage

There are several types of restaurant manager, including:

Manager

Role:

Responsible for overseeing the entire operation, the manager has a lot of responsibility on his/her or her shoulders. When we say the entire operation, we mean planning, directing, and leading the organization.


Managers should expect to work a little more than a normal 40-hour week. Since they're in charge, they're expected to be available. That's why managers end up typically working 50 hours a week, sometimes you may get away with only working 45 hours, though.


The education requirements for managers vary depending on who you work for. You might be required to have a bachelor's degree, but you might also get away with an associate degree. Now, there are some management positions that require a master's degree but, again, it really all depends on where you take your management career.

  • Average Salary: $58,651
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

General Manager

Role:

General managers are pretty important in the workplace. Employees look up to people in these positions for guidance on policies and management of daily operations. A general manager can be useful in almost every industry, that's why this is a great position if you're looking for lots of opportunity.


General Managers are generally found in business settings, but they can also work in industries like the sound recording industry. There's no limit to where you can take this position. The possibilities are truly endless.

  • Average Salary: $71,581
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Shift Manager

Role:

A shift manager is in charge of making sure everyone shows up to their assigned shift, as well as handing out responsibilities to each worker. A lot of shift managers work in the food industry, but they aren't uncommon in other industries, too.


Shift managers keep everything moving smoothly. They stock the area to set their team up for success and make sure that everyone is completely their tasks on time.


The hours for a shift manager vary from week to week and job to job. Sometimes you'll work an 8-hour day, other times you'll work up to 10 hours. Normally, you won't go over a 40-hour workweek though so that's a nice life-work balance.

  • Average Salary: $32,110
  • Degree: High School Diploma

States With The Most Restaurant Manager Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active restaurant manager jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where restaurant managers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Restaurant Manager Jobs By State

Restaurant Manager Education

Restaurant Manager Majors

29.7 %

Restaurant Manager Degrees

Bachelors

50.4 %

Associate

23.4 %

High School Diploma

15.0 %

Top Colleges for Restaurant Managers

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

2. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce

Mercedita, PR • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,914

Enrollment

4,155

6. University of Akron

Akron, OH • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,463

Enrollment

13,676

7. SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Morrisville

Morrisville, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,670

Enrollment

2,758

8. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

9. University of Alaska Anchorage

Anchorage, AK • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,580

Enrollment

10,482

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

Top Skills For a Restaurant Manager

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 14.2% of restaurant managers listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as business skills and customer-service skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Restaurant Manager Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Restaurant Manager templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Restaurant Manager resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Restaurant Manager diversity

Restaurant Manager Gender Distribution

Male
Male
55%
Female
Female
46%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among restaurant managers, 45.5% of them are women, while 54.5% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among restaurant managers is White, which makes up 55.9% of all restaurant managers.

  • The most common foreign language among restaurant managers is Spanish at 53.3%.

Online Courses For Restaurant Manager That You May Like

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The food safety course will help prepare you for safely working in a kitchen and food handler tests like Servesafe...

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Best States For a Restaurant Manager

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a restaurant manager. The best states for people in this position are New Hampshire, Alaska, California, and Massachusetts. Restaurant managers make the most in New Hampshire with an average salary of $62,293. Whereas in Alaska and California, they would average $60,870 and $60,726, respectively. While restaurant managers would only make an average of $59,749 in Massachusetts, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Oklahoma

Total Restaurant Manager Jobs: 1,043
Highest 10% Earn:
$72,000
Location Quotient:
1.15

2. Massachusetts

Total Restaurant Manager Jobs: 2,384
Highest 10% Earn:
$82,000
Location Quotient:
0.88

3. Connecticut

Total Restaurant Manager Jobs: 856
Highest 10% Earn:
$82,000
Location Quotient:
0.88
Full List Of Best States For Restaurant Managers

How Do Restaurant Managers Rate Their Jobs?

1/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Restaurant Manager Reviews

1.0
Dec 2019
Pros

Sometimes, free food but sometimes cooks are not that good so I'd rather paid for better food

Cons

Everything else, of course! What's to be liked when you work shifts, nights, always on holidays and go to the gym at 1am?


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Becoming a Restaurant Manager FAQs

How Long Does It Take To Become A Manager At A Restaurant?

It takes about four to six years to become a manager at a restaurant. Restaurant managers usually work in the food industry for several years before being promoted to a managerial position.

How Much Do General Managers Of Restaurants Make?

General managers of restaurants make about $65,000 a year. On the low end of the pay range for general restaurant managers is a salary of approximately $55,000 annually. Meanwhile, the highest-paid general restaurant managers make $80,000 in a year.

How Much Should A Restaurant Manager Be Paid?

A restaurant manager should be paid according to their education and experience levels. The median pay for restaurant managers is around $52,000 per year.

On the lower end of the pay scale, a person may make just under $50,000 annually. Meanwhile, restaurant managers at the highest pay bracket can expect a salary of around $77,000 in a year.

Is It Hard To Become A Restaurant Manager?

No, it is not hard to become a restaurant manager. This industry is one of the few careers that offer the most entry-level flexibility to achieve the position. There are many ways to become a restaurant manager, depending on a person's aptitude and natural skill set.

What Qualifications Do You Need To Become A Restaurant Manager?

The qualifications you need to become a restaurant manager vary, but the minimum qualification is a high school diploma or equivalent. This, paired with restaurant experience, will position a person to become a restaurant manager.

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