What are the most important restaurant manager skills?
Important restaurant manager skills include leadership, communication, employee management, scheduling, customer service, inventory control, labor cost management, food cost awareness, conflict resolution, and decision-making.
How to Hire a Restaurant Manager
Define the Restaurant Manager Role
Before you start recruiting candidates, clearly define what you expect your restaurant manager to do. The responsibilities of a restaurant manager can vary significantly depending on the size of the restaurant, service model, number of employees, and management structure. Defining the role first helps you attract candidates with the right experience and prevents confusion after they are hired.
Start by identifying the areas of the restaurant the manager will oversee. Common responsibilities may include -
1. Managing employees - Supervising staff, assigning responsibilities, resolving workplace issues, and maintaining performance standards.
2. Creating employee schedules - Building schedules that provide adequate coverage while helping the restaurant control labor costs and avoid unnecessary overtime.
3. Monitoring restaurant operations - Ensuring opening, closing, cleaning, food preparation, and service procedures are completed consistently.
4. Controlling costs - Monitoring labor expenses, food costs, inventory usage, waste, and other operating expenses that affect profitability.
5. Maintaining customer service standards - Handling customer complaints, supporting employees during busy periods, and ensuring guests receive consistent service.
6. Managing inventory and purchasing - Monitoring stock levels, reviewing deliveries, reducing waste, and coordinating orders with suppliers when necessary.
7. Maintaining compliance - Making sure employees follow food safety procedures, workplace policies, sanitation requirements, and other applicable regulations.
You should also determine how much authority the manager will have. Decide whether they can hire employees, issue disciplinary actions, approve schedule changes, place supplier orders, authorize refunds, or make other operational decisions without owner approval.
Finally, establish measurable expectations for the position. A restaurant manager should understand which areas they are responsible for and how their performance will be evaluated. Clearly defining the role gives both the owner and manager a shared understanding of responsibilities before the hiring process begins.
Identify the Skills and Experience
Once you define the restaurant manager role, determine which skills and experience are necessary to perform it successfully. The right requirements will depend on your restaurant's size, service model, team structure, and operational complexity. Setting clear qualifications helps you focus on candidates who can handle the responsibilities of the position.
Start by evaluating the type of management experience the role requires. A small restaurant may need a manager with broad operational knowledge, while a high-volume or multi-unit operation may require someone with experience managing larger teams, complex schedules, and tighter cost controls.
Important qualifications to consider include -
1. Leadership skills - Look for candidates who can set expectations, coach employees, resolve conflicts, and keep teams accountable.
2. Restaurant operations experience - Candidates should understand daily service, opening and closing procedures, staffing requirements, and coordination between the front and back of house.
3. Labor management knowledge - A strong restaurant manager should understand scheduling, overtime control, labor productivity, and how staffing decisions affect costs.
4. Financial awareness - Managers should be comfortable monitoring sales, food costs, labor costs, waste, discounts, and other expenses that influence profitability.
5. Customer service skills - The manager should be able to handle complaints professionally, support employees during difficult situations, and maintain service standards.
6. Technology skills - Consider experience with POS systems, scheduling software, inventory tools, reporting platforms, and other restaurant technology your business uses.
7. Food safety knowledge - Depending on the position and local requirements, candidates may need food safety certifications or experience maintaining sanitation and compliance standards.
Avoid creating unnecessary requirements that could eliminate otherwise strong candidates. Years of experience alone do not always indicate management ability. Focus on whether the candidate has demonstrated the skills needed to lead employees, control operations, solve problems, and meet your restaurant's performance expectations.
Job Description
A well-written job description helps attract candidates who understand the position and meet your restaurant's expectations. Instead of using a generic description, clearly explain what the restaurant manager will be responsible for, what qualifications you expect, and how the role fits into your operation.
Start with a short overview of the position. Explain the type of restaurant, the size of the team, and the main purpose of the role. Then outline the manager's primary responsibilities so candidates can quickly determine whether their experience matches the position.
A restaurant manager job description should include -
1. Job title and role summary - Use a specific title, such as restaurant manager, general manager, assistant manager, or shift manager.
2. Core responsibilities - List duties related to staffing, scheduling, customer service, inventory, cost control, food safety, cash handling, and daily operations.
3. Required qualifications - Include the experience, certifications, education, or technical knowledge that are necessary for the role.
4. Preferred qualifications - Separate preferred experience from mandatory requirements so you do not unnecessarily limit the candidate pool.
5. Schedule expectations - Clearly state whether the position requires evenings, weekends, holidays, opening shifts, closing shifts, or flexible availability.
6. Compensation and benefits - When possible, provide a salary or hourly pay range along with bonuses, paid time off, health benefits, meals, or other incentives.
7. Performance expectations - Explain how success may be measured, such as labor control, employee retention, service quality, food cost management, or operational consistency.
Keep the job description specific but easy to read. Avoid vague language such as "handle all restaurant operations" without explaining what that means. Candidates should leave the job posting with a clear understanding of the workload, authority, responsibilities, and expectations.
A detailed job description can also make the later interview and evaluation process more consistent because every candidate is being measured against the same defined requirements.
Find and Screen Candidates
Once the job description is ready, focus on finding qualified candidates and screening them efficiently. The goal is to build a strong candidate pool without spending unnecessary time interviewing people who do not meet the basic requirements of the restaurant manager role.
Start by choosing recruiting channels that are likely to reach experienced hospitality professionals. These may include restaurant job boards, general employment websites, professional networking platforms, employee referrals, hospitality schools, and local industry groups. You can also promote the opening through your restaurant's website and social media channels.
After applications begin arriving, use a consistent screening process. Look for -
1. Relevant restaurant experience - Review whether candidates have worked in similar restaurant environments, service models, or management positions.
2. Increasing responsibility - Look for signs that a candidate has progressed from hourly roles into supervisory or management positions.
3. Team management experience - Determine whether the candidate has supervised employees, created schedules, handled conflicts, or managed performance.
4. Operational knowledge - Look for experience with inventory, food safety, cash handling, opening and closing procedures, and customer service.
5. Cost management experience - Strong candidates may have experience monitoring labor costs, food costs, waste, purchasing, or other restaurant expenses.
6. Job stability - Review employment history for patterns of very short positions, but avoid making assumptions without asking candidates for context.
7. Availability - Confirm that the candidate can work the shifts required for the position, including evenings, weekends, or holidays when necessary.
Create a shortlist based on the same criteria for every applicant. A simple screening scorecard can help you compare candidates based on experience, leadership ability, operational knowledge, and availability.
The initial screening process should identify candidates who meet the essential requirements before you invest time in detailed interviews. This makes the hiring process more organized and helps ensure that every applicant is evaluated consistently.
Ask the Right Interview Questions
The interview is your opportunity to evaluate how well each candidate can handle the responsibilities of the restaurant manager role. Instead of relying only on general questions, focus on situations the candidate is likely to face in your restaurant.
Use the same core questions for each applicant so you can compare responses consistently. Strong interview questions should reveal how candidates lead employees, solve problems, control costs, and make decisions under pressure.
Consider asking questions such as -
1. How do you handle an underperforming employee? Look for an answer that includes clear expectations, coaching, documentation, follow-up, and accountability.
2. How do you build an effective employee schedule? Candidates should consider sales forecasts, employee availability, labor targets, skill levels, and expected customer traffic.
3. How have you managed labor costs? Ask candidates to explain how they monitor scheduled hours, overtime, staffing levels, and labor productivity.
4. How do you respond to a serious customer complaint? Look for candidates who can remain professional, investigate the issue, resolve the immediate problem, and prevent similar problems from happening again.
5. How do you manage food costs and waste? Strong answers may include inventory counts, portion control, purchasing practices, waste tracking, recipe consistency, and employee training.
6. How do you handle conflict between employees? Candidates should demonstrate that they can listen to both sides, remain objective, reinforce workplace expectations, and reach an appropriate resolution.
7. What restaurant metrics do you regularly monitor? Look for familiarity with sales, labor cost, food cost, inventory variance, ticket times, employee turnover, and customer feedback.
Include situational questions that require candidates to explain what they would actually do. For example, ask how they would respond if several employees called out before a busy shift or if labor costs suddenly increased.
Pay attention to the reasoning behind each answer, not just whether it sounds polished. The best restaurant manager candidates should be able to explain how they make decisions, communicate with employees, and balance customer service with operational and financial priorities.
Verify Experience, References, and Qualifications
Before making a final hiring decision, verify the information provided by your leading restaurant manager candidates. Interviews can show how well someone communicates, but reference and background checks can help confirm whether their experience matches what they described.
Start by reviewing the candidate's employment history and comparing it with the responsibilities discussed during the interview. Pay attention to job titles, length of employment, restaurant types, and the size of teams they managed.
Key areas to verify include -
1. Previous management experience - Confirm whether the candidate actually held supervisory or management responsibilities in prior restaurant roles.
2. Scope of responsibilities - Ask whether they managed scheduling, hiring, inventory, customer service, cash handling, food safety, or cost controls.
3. Leadership performance - Professional references may be able to provide insight into how the candidate communicated with employees, handled pressure, and maintained accountability.
4. Employment dates - Verify dates when appropriate and ask candidates to explain any significant gaps or inconsistencies in their work history.
5. Required certifications - Confirm food safety, alcohol service, or other certifications when they are required for the position or your location.
6. Technical experience - If certain restaurant systems are important to the role, verify the candidate's experience with POS systems, scheduling tools, inventory platforms, or reporting software.
When contacting references, use a consistent set of questions. Ask about the candidate's responsibilities, reliability, leadership style, strengths, and areas that required improvement.
Avoid relying on references alone to make your decision. Instead, combine reference feedback with interview performance, demonstrated experience, and the requirements you established at the beginning of the hiring process.
Careful verification reduces the risk of hiring someone whose experience does not match the demands of the position. It also gives restaurant owners more information before moving to the final candidate evaluation and offer stage.
Evaluate Candidates
After completing interviews and verifying qualifications, compare your strongest candidates using the same evaluation criteria. The goal is to choose the restaurant manager who best matches the responsibilities, operating environment, and performance expectations you defined earlier.
Avoid making the decision based only on personality or years of experience. A candidate may interview well but still lack the leadership, financial awareness, or operational skills needed to manage your restaurant effectively.
Consider evaluating each candidate in these areas -
1. Leadership ability - Determine whether the candidate can set expectations, coach employees, manage conflict, and hold the team accountable.
2. Operational experience - Compare their experience with scheduling, inventory, food safety, customer service, cash handling, and daily restaurant procedures.
3. Cost management skills - Look at how well the candidate understands labor costs, food costs, waste, overtime, purchasing, and other expenses.
4. Problem-solving ability - Review how candidates responded to situational interview questions involving staffing shortages, customer complaints, or operational problems.
5. Communication skills - A restaurant manager must communicate clearly with owners, employees, customers, vendors, and other managers.
6. Schedule compatibility - Confirm that the candidate can consistently meet the availability requirements of the position.
7. Technology experience - Consider whether the candidate can work with your POS, scheduling, inventory, reporting, and other restaurant management systems.
Using a simple scorecard can make comparisons more objective. Assign consistent ratings to the most important qualifications and review the overall results before making an offer.
Compensation should also be part of the final evaluation. Confirm that the candidate's salary expectations align with your budget and the responsibilities of the role.
The right restaurant manager should not simply fill an open position. They should have the skills and judgment necessary to manage employees, maintain operating standards, control costs, and support the restaurant's overall goals. A structured evaluation process helps owners make a more informed hiring decision rather than relying on instinct alone.
Create an Effective Onboarding Plan
Hiring the right restaurant manager is only part of the process. A structured onboarding plan helps the new manager understand your expectations, operating procedures, team structure, and performance goals from the beginning.
Avoid assuming that an experienced manager can immediately adapt to your restaurant without guidance. Every operation has different policies, technology, service standards, financial targets, and management expectations.
A restaurant manager onboarding plan should include -
1. Review restaurant policies and procedures - Explain opening and closing routines, cash handling, food safety requirements, customer service standards, employee policies, and emergency procedures.
2. Introduce the team and management structure - Clarify who the manager reports to, which employees they supervise, and how responsibilities are divided among owners and other managers.
3. Train on restaurant technology - Provide hands-on training for the POS system, scheduling software, inventory tools, reporting platforms, communication systems, and other technology used in daily operations.
4. Explain financial expectations - Review labor cost targets, food cost goals, purchasing procedures, waste controls, overtime policies, and other financial responsibilities.
5. Set measurable performance goals - Establish clear expectations for staffing, service quality, employee retention, cost control, operational consistency, and other important areas.
6. Provide an onboarding schedule - Organize training by day or week so the manager can gradually learn each part of the operation instead of receiving too much information at once.
7. Schedule regular check-ins - Meet frequently during the first several weeks to discuss questions, performance, challenges, and additional training needs.
8. Review performance after the initial onboarding period - Evaluate whether the manager is meeting expectations and identify areas that may require additional coaching or support.
The onboarding process should give the new restaurant manager a clear understanding of both daily responsibilities and long-term expectations. When managers know how success is measured, which decisions they can make independently, and where they can find support, they are better prepared to take ownership of the operation.
A strong onboarding plan also creates consistency. Instead of leaving training to informal conversations or observation, restaurant owners can establish a repeatable process for preparing every new manager to lead the team effectively.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How should I screen restaurant manager candidates?
Start by reviewing relevant restaurant experience, management responsibilities, employment history, operational knowledge, availability, and required certifications. Use consistent screening criteria for every applicant before selecting candidates for interviews.
What should I look for when hiring a restaurant manager?
Look for a combination of restaurant operations experience, leadership ability, communication skills, cost management knowledge, and problem-solving skills. The best candidate should also understand scheduling, inventory, customer service, food safety, and employee management.
What should be included in a restaurant manager job description?
A restaurant manager job description should include the job title, responsibilities, required qualifications, preferred qualifications, schedule expectations, compensation, benefits, reporting structure, and performance expectations.
What should I include in a restaurant manager job posting?
Include the job title, role summary, core responsibilities, required experience, preferred qualifications, schedule expectations, compensation range, benefits, and key performance expectations. The posting should clearly explain what the manager will be responsible for.
