| Restaurant managers work in some of the most | | | | the restaurant and managing daily operations? |
| glamorous, exciting environments you can imagine. | | | | Will I mind people calling me with questions on my time |
| From luxury resorts in exotic locations to high-powered | | | | off? |
| conference centers to the hottest restaurants, hotel | | | | What do I picture for the future, my family and how |
| and restaurant managers are working behind the | | | | we spend our time? Do a restaurant manager's hours |
| scenes to ensure the excellence of their establishment. | | | | fit into this vision? |
| If you are looking for a challenging, rewarding career | | | | Am I highly motivated? |
| and enjoy working with people, hotel or restaurant | | | | Do I like to work hard? |
| management could be right for you. The more people | | | | Do I like to reach daily, weekly, monthly and yearly |
| travel, the greater the need for Hotel/Restaurant | | | | goals? |
| Managers. As operations become more complex, | | | | What does this career offer that others do not? |
| employers are putting more emphasis on specialized | | | | One last thing to remember about a career in |
| training. The Penn Foster Hotel/Restaurant Manager | | | | restaurant management is that with all the training and |
| program can give you a real advantage over others. | | | | experience you get, you can move to many different |
| As a Hotel/Restaurant Managers you can work in | | | | industries and careers, for example, you can go from |
| restaurants, bed and breakfasts, or even manage | | | | restaurant management to office management, to |
| franchises for major hotel chains. You might be | | | | sales management to bank accounting, publishing and |
| assigned to organize a newly built or purchased facility, | | | | marketing. |
| or to reorganize an existing one. Managers determine | | | | Leading by example is a single principle for any |
| room rates, oversee restaurant operations, and | | | | success. Passing information through proper leadership |
| supervise the staff. | | | | is essential to the harmony and relationships among |
| Being a restaurant manager is a lifestyle, not a job. If | | | | your employees. Whether you are working at the |
| managers are going to succeed, they will put in 50 to | | | | Front of the House or the Rear of the House, |
| 80 hours per week with high stress levels at times. But | | | | leadership sets the course for the direction of your |
| once you get everything going, it can be a fun career | | | | operation. Knowing the basic principles of leadership will |
| with very good pay. Employers suggest that potential | | | | help you in every imaginable way in the restaurant |
| candidates should consider the following: What type of | | | | business. |
| restaurant business are you going into? There is a big | | | | Here are a few tips for future restaurant managers: |
| difference between fine dining, family style, fast food | | | | Take a moment to review your facility and operation. |
| and a sports bar or restaurant atmosphere. These | | | | Does your facility accommodate critical relationships |
| restaurants attract different employees. A fine dining | | | | established by the flow of food? Or, do your servers |
| establishment might draw more experienced, mature | | | | have to walk through the prep or production areas to |
| employees, while a fast food restaurant or sports bar | | | | access the ware washing area? Are your servers |
| might interest younger ones. Do you want to be a floor | | | | and kitchen employees able to move freely? Or, are |
| manager, a back-of-the-house manager or a general | | | | they always engaged in "right of way" debates? |
| manager? Each of these positions requires different | | | | When a facility is designed based on the flow of food, |
| skills. | | | | the quality of service, risk of cross contamination, and |
| When pursuing jobs, ask potential employers how long | | | | employee morale all improve. If your facility utilizes this |
| they have been in business, where they see the | | | | approach to design, you can attest to the results. If not, |
| business growing, what opportunities exist for | | | | consider how you can improve the current |
| advancement and what type of manager-training | | | | configuration or operational procedures to better follow |
| programs they have. If someone wants a career in | | | | the flow of food. |
| this field, try getting in with a franchise for training and a | | | | Menu marketing is an important aspect for the |
| stable income, many employers will advise. After three | | | | success of any foodservice establishment. Menus are |
| to five years, you can look at a privately held | | | | statements of the food and beverage items that are |
| restaurant where you can go in as a general manager | | | | provided by a restaurant based on consumer wants, |
| and demand a pay of $60,000-plus for your expertise | | | | needs and demands. Menus can be interpreted as a |
| or partnership. | | | | list of products that a restaurant offers, and it can be a |
| The Positives | | | | piece of literature or display used to communicate the |
| Restaurant management is great if you like a lot of | | | | products to the customer. From a marketing view |
| variety in what you do, like to work really hard and | | | | point, menus are more than the conventional function |
| enjoy working with people. It is a fairly easy field to | | | | of a communications and selling tool but also a tool that |
| break into without investing in an education; however | | | | must be formatted to increase restaurant profits. Menu |
| you can move up faster and not start at the very | | | | engineering provides the manager with information |
| bottom if you do have an education. | | | | about a menu item's profitability, as well as popularity, |
| The upside to restaurant management lies in the | | | | so that proactive planning, recipe design and customer |
| opportunity to advance quickly, the challenge and the | | | | pricing decisions can be made. Menu engineering is not |
| chance to acquire an array of management skills. | | | | a substitute for proper purchasing, food rotation, |
| Nelsen suggests asking yourself these 10 questions to | | | | standard recipes or any of the other basic kitchen |
| help you decide if this is the career for you: | | | | controls that can negatively impact your costs. Rather |
| Do I like to work with many different types of people, | | | | it is a method of evaluating every item on your menu |
| both as coworkers and as customers? | | | | relative to its present contribution to bottom line dollars, |
| Will I mind working all hours of the day and night? | | | | thereby allowing managers to recognize the items |
| Do I like to motivate people to do their best? | | | | they want to sell! |
| Will I enjoy the pressures of making a budget, staffing | | | | |