Is a restaurant manager a good career?

While most managers have at least a high school diploma and many have graduated from college with degrees in hospitality, it's not at all uncommon for someone to do so. No, it's not hard to become a restaurant manager. This industry is one of the few careers that offer the most flexibility for beginners to achieve the position. There are many ways to become a restaurant manager, depending on a person's natural aptitude and skill set.

Restaurant management can be very satisfying; managers deliver a tangible product and receive immediate feedback, hopefully positive. Restaurant managers have a variety of tasks every day, ample opportunities for promotion, and a job that is rarely boring. However, as with any job, being a restaurant manager has downsides. Restaurant managers work extremely long hours, sometimes 12 to 15 hours a day, up to seven days a week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While restaurant managers can make decent money and you can also outsource a lot of unpleasant tasks to your employees, restaurant managers also have to work on weekends, and your overall work-life balance is often quite poor. One of the perks of being a restaurant manager is that you can make many guests happy and make sure they have a great time. While compliance officers and many other people usually work with a computer all day long, you, as a restaurant manager, can work with your hands and actually see the progress of your work every day. Good restaurant managers are also in high demand right now and, therefore, you don't have to worry about losing your job, because even if this happens, you'll have many other restaurants where you can find a new job very soon.

The next step is that of deputy director, which is where most people go from hourly employees to salaried employees, and benefits become part of the debate. Remember that a career in restaurant management is that, with all the training and experience you get, you can move on to many different sectors and careers, says Nelsen, who went from restaurant management to office management, to sales management, bank accounting, publishing and marketing. Another problem with being a restaurant manager is that it can be quite stressful, since you will have to manage many things at the same time and if you forget something important, this could have a great adverse impact on your success as a restaurant manager. The requirements you need to become a restaurant manager vary, but the minimum requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent.

If you consider that managing a restaurant is simply giving orders to employees and counting the money at the end of the night, you are wrong. Running a restaurant isn't easy, so it usually takes a lot of skill and experience to become a restaurant manager. While most managers have at least a high school diploma and many have graduated from college with degrees in hospitality, it's not uncommon for someone who hasn't finished high school to start at the bottom of the restaurant food chain and make it to management, or even own their own restaurant. Another reason to become a restaurant manager is that you don't have to travel much and, therefore, you'll be right at home to be able to spend time with your family, while professional athletes and many others simply can't afford this luxury.

Zippia lets you choose between different easy to use restaurant management templates and gives you expert advice. Due to the repetitive nature of the game, you may sooner or later get bored as a restaurant manager and eventually lose motivation for what you're doing. .

Ernest Dargatz
Ernest Dargatz

Freelance food geek. Bacon expert. Certified internet buff. Typical coffee nerd. Avid coffee evangelist.