Traits of a Successful Restaurant Manager

Being a manager of a restaurant can be demanding but rewarding at the same time. You have to be able to multitask and work in a very fast-paced environment. It can be a pretty lucrative career in certain restaurants if you are willing to work hard and work your way up the ladder. Here are some tips on how to be successful as a restaurant manager. 

Be Involved

Nobody likes a boss who tells you what to do all of the time but does not help out. The best managers are people who can roll up their sleeves and get dirty. They are the ones who lead by example and demonstrate what they expect. 

A great manager also stays up to date on the things that matter. Your employees will appreciate you taking their concerns seriously and handling repairs and maintenance requests. If you are needing to replace your appliances, you should check out True Refrigeration. 

Communicate Openly

The most highly effective managers communicate positivity to their staff members. You do not want to be a manager who only communicates with your staff when they do something negative. Or only for discipline purposes. 

If there is going to be a big change in the business that will directly affect your employees, you should let them know immediately. They will respect you for your open honesty. It is also as important to admit when you make a mistake and apologize when necessary. Praise your staff when they do a great job. 

Be Consistent

When you work in the restaurant industry you may soon notice that each day can bring new challenges. This can be stressful for the staff members, but it also can make work fun and interesting. When there is a hard day, instead of spreading negativity, you need to be a pillar of strength and consistency. 

You cannot take your bad day out on your employees. You have to stay in control and be reliable. Your staff members need to be able to count on you when things get tough. This will build trust amongst your establishment and improve morale. 

Build Culture

The culture of a work environment starts at the top with the leadership. If you want a work culture where you are upbeat and have good interactions with each other, you have to portray that. Whatever it is that you want to see in your employees, you need to reflect that each day. 

When you are trying to decide what type of atmosphere you want to see, consider these words:

• Fun
• Energizing
• Positivity
• Teamwork
• Flexibility
• Honesty
• Reliability
• Trustworthy
• Caring
• Integrity
• Hardworking
• Ethical

Plan Ahead

A large part of making sure that the hard days are survivable is to have a plan. If you know there is a big holiday coming up and you know you will be very busy, plan for that. Make sure that you have enough staff members scheduled to be able to handle the workload. This will relieve the burden on all of you. 

Also, make sure that you provide enough food and supplies to support a large event or holiday. It would be very wise of you to go through your inventory in advance and make a list of what you are low on. Then take the time to purchase what you will need. 

Problem Solve

When there is an issue or conflict, your team will be looking to you for a resolution. You never want to be too busy to help your staff members who are in a crisis. If there is a personality dispute between two or more of your employees, it is your responsibility to sit them down and get to the bottom of it. 

If there is an irate customer, the manager is the person to resolve the issue. Your employees should not have to deal with disrespect from customers, so you as the manager will need to deescalate the situation. If you need training in this area, there are plenty of books and resources on the topic for you to learn from.