Day in the Life of a Restaurant Manager

Becoming a restaurant manager

The day starts by the manager getting up making sure that they look their best, as a manager needs to be setting an example for their staff and making a good impression on the customers. To get the restaurant ready to open at lunch time, the manager starts at 10.30.

 

Walking into work, they have a look around and make sure that the front of house is looking its best. The cleaners will have been in, so the restaurant is looking good—this is when restaurant managers often look round and feel proud of the position they have worked up to, since many start as a waiter and their dedication gives them the chance to gain the position they now have.

 

The manager will then go see the kitchen staff. The chef runs the kitchen well but the manager still has to make sure that he has everything in hand such as staffing levels and stock problems such as late deliveries—as the manager the responsibility lies with him. Because someone has called in unwell, the manager moves one of their front of house staff to work in the kitchen. All the staff have many different skills, as it is important to make sure they have a backup plan for such an eventuality.

 

They go back out to the front and look at today’s bookings. A group of eight has a lunch reservation, so they relay this information to the head waitress who then lays the tables accordingly. Before they open, the manager briefs the staff on what the specials are and which people have booked. They then make the health and hygiene checks for the day, such as checking fire exits are clear and temperature charts are all complete. Staff take their places before opening. The lunch period goes well, the restaurant has many reservations and a few walk-ins, and everyone seems to leave well fed and happy.

 

Although the restaurant closes for the afternoon work still goes on, as the manager has to go through all the paperwork for the restaurant, for example, the invoices need to match the stock and the books need to be looked at for the accountant next week. They also look at the staff schedule as it is coming into the summer months and some staff have booked holidays.

 

The manager then needs to prepare for the evening, checking that the till has enough change before the banks close, that the restaurant is stocked on condiments and that the kitchen staff are happy. They are then ready to go again, the evening is long and there is a complaint about the wait as they are low on staff, but the customer was happy with the offer of a discount. A diplomatic attitude is always the best way in this job as businesses will always want the customer to recommend them. As the evening winds up, the manager thanks the staff for their hard work—an important part of management. Then they are off home ready for another day.

 

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