Restaurant Manager Salary By Experience |
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| Experience Level | Low Hourly | High Hourly | Low Annual | High Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-1 Year | $12.12 | $24.34 | $25,200.00 | $50,630.00 |
| 1-5 Years | $13.84 | $25.28 | $28,790.00 | $52,590.00 |
| 5-10 Years | $14.01 | $28.71 | $29,140.00 | $59,710.00 |
| 10-20 Years | $15.23 | $32.28 | $31,670.00 | $67,140.00 |
| 20 Years + | $16.92 | $35.50 | $35,190.00 | $73,840.00 |
Restaurant managers are responsible for managing the operations in their dining establishment and ensuring that the customers are satisfied with their dining experience. Restaurant managers are involved with every aspect in running a restaurant from food preparation, kitchen inventory and staff supervision to marketing and promotion. The following are detailed descriptions of the particular areas of management that a restaurant or food service manager must become an expert in:
Floor management includes staff management, especially giving assignments to the members of the restaurant crews who are in direct contact with the customers and allocating the opening and closing duties evenly. Since the restaurant manager is generally the most senior front of house personnel, he or she must also provide motivation to those who work on the floor and bolster the atmosphere of the restaurant.
Kitchen management is another area a restaurant manager must excel at. This means working with the kitchen crew and keeping in contact with the head chef or the chief cook and monitoring other kitchen-based employees. Kitchen management duties also entail checking the supplies and inventory, as well as budgeting and food quality control. Inadequate and inefficient kitchen management often results in inconsistencies with the restaurant's food products.
Administration is another essential area for a restaurant manager. This particular assignment involves stock controlling, schedule assignments and rotations, analyzing labor costs and balancing them out, examining the cost and profit, and surveying and hiring new employees for the establishment.
Marketing is another attribute a restaurant or food service manager must be good at. Managers must be able to come up with ideas and concepts on how to bring in more customers as well as getting more out of the regular patrons without adversely affecting the financial health of the business. This may include promotions, partnerships, advertisements, creation of new food products, and expansions.
In the United States, the median restaurant manager income is $48,110 per year. However, in reality the salary rates vary greatly. Among the 183,940 professional restaurant managers working in the United States, the top 10 percent of the labor demographic are paid with an average restaurant manager salary of over $81,410 per annum. Restaurant managers in the bottom 10 percent earn less than $30,570 per year.
There are various industries that require the services of restaurant managers. That said, each sector has its own standards in defining a restaurant manager's salary grade. There are a number of influencing factors such as working atmosphere, stress levels, employment package and benefits, and working hours to name a few. Also, one needs to understand that restaurant manager pay rates are also determined by the existing demand for such personnel and the number of qualified managers who are eligible for positions.
In the United States, full-service restaurants have the highest concentration of working restaurant managers. The Bureau of Employment Statistics reports that the said sector is currently employing 64,940 managers who are paid at an average rate of $54,340, which is higher than the national figure. Coming in second are limited-service restaurants, providing jobs for 62,740 restaurant managing professionals and paying a $46,480 salary per year. Other employer types that offer high employment prospects are Special Food Services ($56,980), Traveler Accommodation ($59,680) and Management of Companies and Enterprises ($63,430).
Restaurant managers who work for grocery and related product merchant wholesalers receive the highest average salary rate in terms of employer type at $91,910 a year. General medical and surgical hospitals shell out the second biggest salary rate for restaurant managers at $71,110 per annum. Specialty hospitals, except for psychiatric and substance abuse, pay $66,930 a year to qualified restaurant managers. Other top paying sectors are amusement parks and arcades ($66,180) and civic and social organizations ($65,060). All sectors except general and surgical hospitals have less than 320 employed restaurant managers.
While there are no strict education requirements for the position, most restaurant managers have an associate degree in restaurant management as a significant number of employers prefer their employees, particularly those who hold supervisory or managerial positions, to have some formal education and training.
Other restaurant managers had their start as waiters or waitresses, cooks, and counter attendants. A number of food service establishments fill managerial slots by promoting experienced personnel and scheduling them for training sessions.
Still, most employers are keen on hiring candidates who have a bachelor's degree in hospitality management, or food service management. Among the subjects included in the instruction is food planning, preparation, kitchen sanitation, business management, accounting, business law, and computer science. Education in community schools and vocational training centers also entail laboratory study with internship to further equip students with expert skills and knowledge.
While not strictly enforced, many food service establishments prefer to give managerial positions to candidates who have the Foodservice Management Professional (FMP) designation. This particular certification is awarded by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation to restaurant managers who have passed the organization's criteria, which includes passing a written examination, finishing particular training programs, and satisfying experience requirements.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a decline in the restaurant manager profession by 3 percent between 2010 and 2020. The decline is brought about by the significant number of food service establishment and restaurants closing down in recent years. According to the said government agency, the total number of restaurant managers in the country will decrease from 320,600 in 2010 to approximately 310,000 by 2020.
With the industry slowing down, the competition for employment is expected to be tight. Many restaurant managers will lose their jobs, but those who have a degree in hospitality and food service management will have the best prospects.
Advancement for restaurant managers usually means moving from small-scale restaurants to larger and more upscale food service establishments. This is because larger restaurants offer more challenges and better restaurant manager salary rates. Upscale food service establishments include fine-dining restaurants, hotels, and cruise ships. Those who work in fast food chains may be promoted to the position of regional manager or executive manager in the chain's main office.
Other restaurant managers may opt to open their own establishments. Some may find teaching food service management programs at a postsecondary level a fulfilling job as an alternative.
Listed below are the professions closely related to the restaurant manager occupation:
Looking at the whole picture, the restaurant manager's job is simply to keep the restaurant operational in adherence to standards and satisfy customers' dining needs without compromising food quality and public safety. While it may sound simple, the balancing act involved in managing a restaurant successfully can be quite demanding. Since most restaurants serve the public, restaurant managers are among those who work long, irregular hours. Managers must also excel in working under pressure and employ tact and patience in dealing with customers and employees.