6 Things Great Restaurant Managers Have in Common

There are a number of things that make a restaurant great. Like attentive customer service, incredible food, and a comfortable atmosphere, among other things. But here’s the thing: none of this would be possible without great management to lead the ship.

If you’re new to restaurant management, recently promoted to a managerial position, or simply curious about what more you can do for your restaurant, take note of the 6 traits all great restaurant managers have in common.

1. Be a Know-It-All

There’s a very good reason why managers have to be a Jack of all trades when running a restaurant. Just look at all the different kinds of people you interact with:

• FOH staff
• BOH staff
• Administration
• Suppliers
• Technology providers
• Corporate
• Guests

A manager would be highly ineffective if they didn’t understand the different kinds of things brought to their attention. Which means you really do have to know it all if you want to keep everything running smoothly. Getting in the trenches and going through the same training as all of your staff members is a good place to start.

2. Be Prepared

One of the beautiful things about working in restaurants is the wealth of data available from the technology you use to run and maintain it:

• POS
• Website
• Online ordering or delivery platform
• Social media
• Marketing and ad campaign management
• Loyalty app
• Feedback software
• Inventory management software
• Accounting software
• Workforce management software

There’s almost an overwhelming amount of data available to restaurant managers. But that’s a good thing.

What may have felt like a guessing game in the past is now something you can easily win and manipulate. It’s simply a matter of knowing where to find your numbers, keeping an eye on them, and using them to accurately predict what will happen in your restaurant. The more you know, the better you can be proactive in shaping outcomes.

3. Be Agile

In any business, you can expect to have the occasional curveball thrown at you. However, not every business finds its managers in a position where they have to deal with those curveballs on the spot.

That’s why restaurant managers need to be agile and natural-born problem-solvers. Whether the chef tells you a key ingredient used throughout the menu has been 86ed or a guest has just slipped on an unchecked spill, you need to be there, ready to hear the issue and take swift and immediate action to resolve it.

4. Be Even-Tempered

It’s easy to get hot under the collar at work; even more so when you’re managing a restaurant. There’s going to be a lot that comes at you over the course of a workday, which is why it’s important to start out with the right disposition and mindset if you take on this role.

For managers to do well in this respect, they need to be:

• Mature
• Friendly
• Patient
• Fair
• Thick-skinned
• Respectful

If you can enter into every interaction — with staff, vendors, and guests — as the cool-headed ally (as opposed to the enemy), you can more effectively influence how situations pan out. You can also create stronger relationships with those you come into contact with.

In addition, by setting the right tone, you’ll find it’s easier to create a positive environment for your team to work in. In turn, you’ll improve morale, staff retention, as well as the quality of customer service provided.

5. Be Flexible

Restaurant management is not a 9-to-5 gig. And shifts usually don’t end after eight hours. Before you step into the role of manager, really consider what that means for your life and whether or not you’re up for it, mentally and physically.

6. Be Focused on Guest Satisfaction

Without guests, you have no business. And, in the restaurant industry, there’s no way to skirt by with half-baked service. You have to provide a top-notch and memorable experience for every single guest. If that fails to happen, it’s your job to make amends and try to restore the relationship before losing it forever.

So, when you’re on the floor, keep a close eye on what’s going on. When you’re in the back office, take a gander at the feedback or reviews they’ve left you. When you’re looking over last month’s inventory reports, think about what the data really means in terms of what your guests like and don’t like about your restaurant.

If you can get into the mind of your customers, you can better tailor the dining experience to suit their needs and expectations. And the better you do that, the greater returns there’ll be, especially in terms of the customer lifetime value.

6 Things Great Restaurant Managers Have in Common

“With great power, comes great responsibility.” Isn’t that what Peter Parker’s uncle once said? It’s true, too.

Think about the various roles in your restaurant. Most of them are dedicated to a singular path. They understand the role they play within the scheme of the restaurant, but it’s not their job to worry about what the bartender is doing or how the books will turn out at the end of the night.

That’s what restaurant management is for — to be everywhere and to know everything. And without the traits above, it’ll be quite difficult to accomplish that difficult yet very rewarding feat.