JobPOVs
Explore

Full service & QSR

Restaurant Manager

Salaried, which mostly means unpaid overtime.

Typical pay

$48k-$85k

How you get in

Promotion from the floor, or a hospitality degree

Outlook

Steady; turnover keeps roles open

Restaurant managers run staffing, inventory, service and the numbers. It is the point where hospitality stops being a job and becomes a business problem — labor cost, food cost, and finding anyone reliable.

A day in the life

  1. 9:00aCount inventory, place orders with vendors
  2. 10:30aBuild next week's schedule around three callouts
  3. 12:00pWork the lunch floor, touch tables
  4. 3:00pInterviews — hiring never stops
  5. 5:00pPre-shift, then run the dinner service
  6. 11:00pClose, count drawers, reconcile the day

How to get in

Up from the floor

Duration

2-5 years

Cost

$0-$200 for ServSafe

Credential

ServSafe Manager certification

  1. Work as a server, bartender or cook and learn the operation
  2. Take a shift lead or key holder role
  3. Get ServSafe Manager certified — most jurisdictions require it
  4. Move to assistant manager, then general manager

Corporate management trainee

Duration

6-18 months

Cost

$0 — paid training

Credential

Internal certification plus ServSafe

  1. Apply to a restaurant group management training program
  2. Rotate through every station and back-office function
  3. Take an assistant manager placement
  4. Faster and more structured than the floor route, with relocation expected

Hospitality degree

Duration

2-4 years

Cost

$15,000-$150,000

Credential

Degree in hospitality or restaurant management

  1. Complete a hospitality program with required internships
  2. Work in restaurants throughout school anyway — the degree alone does not teach the floor
  3. Enter as an assistant manager rather than a server
  4. Better positioned for hotel, corporate and multi-unit roles

What people love

  • · Real business experience without a degree
  • · Clear path to GM and multi-unit roles
  • · Salary and benefits instead of tips
  • · Every market has openings

What wears people down

  • · 50-60 hour weeks on a salary
  • · Nights, weekends and holidays permanently
  • · Constant turnover means constant hiring
  • · You absorb every complaint from both sides

From people doing it

Add yours