How to hire a Restaurant Manager

How to hire a restaurant manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step restaurant manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a restaurant manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new restaurant manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Restaurant Manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your restaurant manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a restaurant manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

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   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a restaurant manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a restaurant manager that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of restaurant managers.

   Type Of Restaurant Manager	Description	Hourly Rate
   Restaurant Manager	Food service managers are responsible for the daily operation of restaurants and other establishments that prepare and serve food and beverages. They direct staff to ensure that customers are satisfied with their dining experience, and they manage the business to ensure that it is profitable.	$18-33
   Food And Beverage Manager	A food and beverage manager is a professional responsible for ensuring that quality food and drinks are being served at a restaurant or hotel. Food and beverage managers are required to be excellent with customers and should have great management skills to meet the organization's labor and financial goals... Show More	$18-34
   Food 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... Show More	$11-27

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Guest Satisfaction
   • Food Handling
   • Cleanliness
   • Restaurant Management
   • Guest Service
   • Culinary
   • Restaurant Operations
   • Wine
   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Safety Standards
   • Exceptional Guest
   • Develop Team
   • Food Service

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage staff by teaching them the correct procedures along with making sure they are working up to Marriott standards.
   • Manage associates while bartending and serving in a family-own restaurant.
   • Coordinate, communicate and delegate FOH responsibilities to staff to ensure excellent operations are consistently achieve.
   • Maintain corporate accounts on QuickBooks.
   • Master QuickBooks to track company expenses and revenue.
   • Supervise and train dining and in-room dining staff.

   More Restaurant Manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your restaurant manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A restaurant manager can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, restaurant managers' average salary in south dakota is 30% less than in new hampshire.
   • Seniority. Entry-level restaurant managers 43% less than senior-level restaurant managers.
   • Certifications. A restaurant manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a restaurant manager's salary.

   Average restaurant manager salary

   $52,202yearly

   $25.10 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level restaurant manager salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 12, 2025

   Average restaurant manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$61,771	$30
   2	Massachusetts	$59,852	$29
   3	New York	$58,466	$28
   4	Washington	$56,730	$27
   5	Maine	$56,141	$27
   6	Nevada	$54,341	$26
   7	Oklahoma	$54,256	$26
   8	Arizona	$53,993	$26
   9	Utah	$53,968	$26
   10	District of Columbia	$53,914	$26
   11	Mississippi	$53,174	$26
   12	New Mexico	$52,443	$25
   13	Texas	$51,334	$25
   14	Virginia	$51,234	$25
   15	Pennsylvania	$51,085	$25
   16	Florida	$50,781	$24
   17	Maryland	$50,597	$24
   18	Oregon	$50,570	$24
   19	Georgia	$50,479	$24
   20	Colorado	$50,363	$24

   Average restaurant manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Hillstone Restaurant Group	$75,672	$36.38	36
   2	Uber Technologies	$72,338	$34.78
   3	RH	$71,020	$34.14	17
   4	Round Table Realty	$69,691	$33.51
   5	Captain D's	$67,799	$32.60	20
   6	Mstreet Entertainment Group	$67,149	$32.28
   7	On The Border	$67,093	$32.26	36
   8	Hillstone Networks	$66,971	$32.20
   9	Polly's Pies	$65,614	$31.55	47
   10	Buca di Beppo	$65,386	$31.44
   11	Monarch Casino & Resort	$64,518	$31.02	2
   12	Famous Dave's of America	$64,230	$30.88	37
   13	Kohler Co.	$64,148	$30.84	3
   14	The Old Spaghetti Factory	$63,423	$30.49
   15	Chili's Grill & Bar	$63,244	$30.41	117
   16	Villa Restaurant Group	$63,229	$30.40	6
   17	Frisch's Big Boy	$62,809	$30.20	2
   18	Ted's Montana Grill	$62,597	$30.09	12
   19	Panda Restaurant Group	$62,210	$29.91	30
   20	Neiman Marcus Group	$61,241	$29.44	5

4. Writing a Restaurant Manager Job Description

   A job description for a restaurant manager role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a restaurant manager job description:

   Restaurant Manager job description example

   The IHOP Restaurant Manager reports directly to their General Manager. The manager directly supervises IHOP restaurant's employees. His or her primary responsibilities include managing operations in the front and back of the house with a high concentration on profitability and sales growth, while constantly maintaining IHOP's standards of quality and service.
   
   The following list details some of the specific responsibilities and expectations of an IHOP Restaurant Manager:
   
   Manage all areas to achieve positive and consistent sales growth while meeting or exceeding company goals in all profit and loss categories.
   
   Manage entire operation of restaurant during scheduled shifts, which include daily decision making, consistent staff support, positive and consistent guest interaction, proper scheduling and planning while upholding standards, consistent excellent product quality and maintaining high levels of cleanliness and sanitation.
   
   Provide employees with consistent and appropriate feedback to facilitate their development and enhance the overall operation. Ensure that all employees adhere to the company's uniform standards.
   
   Perform line checks in the galley throughout the shift to ensure proper specifications on weights, temperatures, cleanliness and organization.
   
   Ensure that the unit is properly staffed for all time periods. Staffing must be maintained at a level to guarantee overall guest satisfaction for the goal of increasing sales
   Interview, hire, and train the highest quality hourly candidates. Conduct orientations to ensure a positive first step for all new hourly employees, follow up with IHOPs training program. Prepare reports at end of shift, which may include Daily Sales Reports, Daily Cash Interims, Daily Labor controls, and other such processes that ensure the control of all company assets. Prepare food production checklists and ensure the proper implementation of all company recipes as required. Order food, small wares, uniforms and any other necessary products to unit par levels to maintain the highest levels of operational standards. Identify operational opportunities; create and implement plans to address opportunities. Approve and sign all food or beverage discounts of any kind. Ensure a safe working and guest environment to reduce the risk of injury and accidents. Promptly notify the Area Supervisor in the event of a guest or employee accident or injury. Ensure that proper company security procedures are in place to protect employees, guests and company assets, including security of storeroom, freezer and office. Keep immediate supervisor promptly and fully informed of all unit issues. Take prompt corrective action where necessary or suggest alternative courses of action. Complete job responsibilities and performance objectives in a timely and effective manner and in accordance with company policies and procedures. Always project a favorable image of IHOP to promote its goals and objectives and foster and enhance public recognition and acceptance of all of its areas of endeavor. Perform all duties and responsibilities as required or requested. Typically work indoors, but may occasionally work outdoors. Be willing to work nights, weekends, and holidays when restaurants are busiest. Be willing to work unpredictable hours to fill in for absent workers. Be aware of changing events in the local area to ensure proper staffing. Be willing to work at any local units or possibly relocate.

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find restaurant managers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your restaurant manager job on Zippia to find and recruit restaurant manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit restaurant managers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new restaurant manager

   Once you've found the restaurant manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new restaurant manager first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a restaurant manager?