Top 5 skills to be successful as a restaurant manager

A restaurant manager is responsible for effectively dealing with the back house and front house at the same time. Additionally, the manager takes care of the scheduling of work, checking payrolls, hiring and training staff, instantaneous communication, and the list goes on. For managing the restaurant the manager requires a range of hard and soft skills.

Necessary Skills To Be A Restaurant Manager

Restaurant managers learn required hard skills through their educational training. But required soft skills are cultivated over time with experience. It is majorly the soft skills of a restaurant manager that hold the staff together as a team.

Here are some essential soft skills to be a good restaurant manager.

1. A Responsible Leader

Restaurant managers need to have strong leadership and management skills to take charge of any unexpected situation that may come their way. They need to be prepared to command and organize restaurant staff whenever required.

As responsible leaders, they need to display team spirit so everyone in the restaurant feels that they are equally important. A restaurant manager should also be able to motivate all employees.

An ideal manager should know the basics of all the job roles in a restaurant to be able to guide and train all the members personally. A manager should prefer trying to cross-train their restaurant staff. Good captainship is a determining factor for the success of your restaurant so make sure your manager is a good leader.

2. Effective Communication Skills

A leader cannot succeed without clear and strong communication.

A restaurant manager interacts with various people on a daily basis. From communicating with customers, retailers, and restaurant staff to handling stakeholders. For running a restaurant smoothly the manager needs to give clear instructions.

The manager also needs to have powerful interpersonal skills. A well-socialized manager will not just be a good speaker but a good listener as well. Listening to the needs of your staff, customers, and tough dealers helps you communicate better with them.

The manager should also know when to be polite and when to be persuasive for sound management of the restaurant. Make sure your restaurant manager is equipped with effective communication skills.

3. A Conflict Resolver

Running a restaurant brings many challenges. Challenges at a restaurant range from problems in dealing with partners, conflicts within the staff, and taking care of customer satisfaction to technical errors. A manager thus needs to be a good problem solver to resolve issues. Having a good presence of mind makes a manager solve problems creatively.

An empathetic manager will be able to handle staff complaints brilliantly. If the manager promotes a friendly environment in the restaurant, the staff will be easily able to work as one team.

Conflict management becomes even more important when your customer is not satisfied. It is a prerequisite for a manager to be able to handle criticism well and amend issues immediately.

4. Ability To Multitask

It is not surprising to know that a manager takes care of multiple operations at a single time. So, it goes without saying that a manager should be a multitasking person.

Along with being able to multitask, a manager should ace time management. Restaurant managers should not only be punctual but should also be able to carve out logical timetables for all staff members. They should know how to divide tasks and be qualified to choose the right person for the right task.

A manager should also have strong discretion to be able to prioritize tasks. An experienced manager will know what can or cannot wait to deliver premium service to its customers.

5. Well Informed

Knowing the social, cultural, and economic milieu of the place where your restaurant is located gives an edge to your manager in deciding the next correct move.

A manager should be aware of the demography and background of their customer. It helps a manager in deciding which product they should buy and when. Which festival or upcoming season will reap the restaurant more profits.

Knowing the economics well can help the manager reduce unnecessary expenditure and in using the money wisely. The restaurant staff is the backbone of every restaurant and your manager is responsible to keep it aligned. Restaurant managers however have a lot on their plate. Provide your manager with a POS system for more efficient functioning and increase your bottom line readily.

Hope this blog helps you find the perfect manager for your restaurant. Want to learn more about how iconicERP can help you become a successful owner? Talk to one of our experts today.