Effective restaurant management requires a certain type of personality. Restaurant industry is high pressured and extremely demanding. Therefore, it is not a surprise, that there are only very few people who can do this job correctly. In order to be successful at restaurant management you need to have a particular set of skills.
Below is a checklist of 5 essential traits every successful restaurant manager must have:
- Stress Resistance
If you want to be a good restaurant manager you must be able to deal with pressure. If you get easily overwhelmed by some events then this can be a truly poor example for your staff and then they will be unlikely to have confidence in your judgement.
Things can go wrong on every shift and sometimes it might all seem impossible to handle, but your role as a restaurant manager is to deal with all of these problems in a calm and effective manner.
- Decisiveness
Another important factor of restaurant management is that you don’t second guess yourself all the time. If you tend to change your mind about things sooner or later it will cause the staff to lose trust in you and possibly they may even start to undermine your reputation. Of course it is normal to question decisions and learn from mistakes, but appearing indecisive to your staff is totally unwise and will be seen as weakness from their perspective.
If you are successful at restaurant management then your staff is likely to think that you always know what to do. It is also essential that the decisions you make are seen as reasonable and carefully weighed.
- Respecting Your Staff
Successful management is not always about being a boss, but it is also about being helpful and respectful to your colleagues. Don’t forget that people must be treated like people, therefore, members of your staff should feel free to approach you in case they have any problems.
It is also important that they are not afraid to offer some fresh ideas and criticisms regarding customer service, business management or business development as a whole. Ruling by fear is no longer considered an effective management strategy in the hospitality industry.
Sarah Donovan, General Manager at DF/Mexico, says “Mutual respect is integral to the successful management of my restaurant. We work as a team and the kitchen assistant is just as important as the GM. I always say, ‘if you work for me, I will work for you.”
- Professionalism
Setting a good example is the best thing you can do for your staff as a manager. You should work harder than everyone else and approach your work with complete professionalism. Interestingly, leading by example increases productivity of the employees much better than working under pressure.
The most experienced at restaurant management will know this business from a to z; everything from cleaning the toilets to the food prices. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the managers must clean the toilets themselves, but they should know what exactly is needed to do this correctly.
Crispin Sugden, General Manager at Pitt Cue, says “no job is too small. The ability to understand that, no matter if it’s helping out with the potwash, cleaning the toilet if there has been an incident or taking orders. The fact you are a manager means that you should set the example. If your team see you doing this, they fast learn that this is the way to work.”
5. First impression
It takes just a few seconds to form the first impression about someone, therefore, the ability to create a positive first impression is a must have for any restaurant manager. In order to succeed in it you must work on your verbal and nonverbal communication tactics. Do you smile when you first meet someone? Research shows that people are more likely to communicate and build partner relationships with optimistic and positive people.
However, in our digitalised age one can create a first impression about someone even before meeting in person. That is why it is extremely important to take care of your online reputation as well. One of the most powerful tools that has already helped thousands of businesses and individual specialists build up their reputation online is professional headshots photography. For this purpose, you can book a professional photographer on demand with Splento, the leading platform for hiring top photographers for any of your needs even at a short notice.
Do you have any tips or advice on what it takes to be a successful restaurant manager? Include your comments in the section below.
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