It’s always the hiring process that gives restaurateurs the most headache. We are talking here about people, dealing with people and choosing the most vital factor in your restaurant.

You may be leaning more toward technology and toward automating most of the operations but you can’t let go of good people especially if you have the chance to delegate your tasks to someone who is able to share the burden of your never-ending to-do list.

While hiring restaurant servers and chefs is a crucial task, choosing your authorized personnel who will manage your restaurant is even more crucial.

A good restaurant manager is able to adapt to any needed role in the restaurant, manage the staff schedules and issues, managing payroll, filling any position as needed like a pro and communicating with customers to ensure their optimal satisfaction.

So, what happens if the one person you trust to manage your business decides to leave for any reason?

What are the skills you should be looking for in your potential new restaurant manager?

Soft skills

Interpersonal skills

The restaurant manager is the spokesperson who conveys the messages of the owner to the employees and vice versa. Similarly, he communicates the restaurant’s values and conducts to customers especially in times of misunderstandings where he should exhibit the practices expected and set by the owner.

As an excellent communicator, a restaurant manager should be an excellent listener to his staff for constructive feedback especially when applying new operational changes.

He should also be open for transparency and honesty to receive all different opinions objectively in addition to having empathy when dealing with certain cases. A part of great interpersonal skills is being charismatic enough to persuade people and convince them with your suggestions and ideas.

Charismatic leadership, which is a recent leadership style adopted by managers, can influence employees, and encourage initiative and creativity.

Passion about the industry and focus on people

The know-how, the skills are all essential, but you need an enthusiastic person who is passionate about his job and his staff to motivate, lead and influence people. A selfless manager understands and values his staff and leads them by example in loving what they do to out-perform themselves.

Attentive Problem-solving skills

Work environment is full of conflicts especially when managing several employees with different interests. Conflicts are unavoidable so what you need is an attentive manager who senses problems and misunderstandings at the beginning before they evolve into bigger issues that might interfere with the workflow.

A good manager should encourage peace and friendliness among the staff while promoting a positive environment. In times of conflicts, he should be firm enough to hold responsible staff accountable.

Transparency here is a key factor in solving conflicts among different parties or even with customers.

Not only this, but he should also set an example of the expected behavior so employees can follow his lead.

Forward thinking with decision-making

What if your restaurant is fully booked for a corporate event? The restaurant manager should anticipate certain issues like cleanliness, inventory shortage, changes in the order. Same goes for leaves especially during festive season or any incident that might occur.

Certain situations need anticipation and prompt responsiveness in making decisions. It takes knowledge, experience, patience and forward thinking to make decisions during crisis or regular decision-making process.

Hard skills

Knowledge of restaurant operations management

You may not need a degree to run a restaurant, but you need knowledge in the restaurant operations to excel in this position. The person you should be looking for is an expertise in restaurant management or an employee who has already proven their abilities to run your restaurant efficiently.

Around 3 years of relevant experience in the hospitality is ideal to gain insights about different tasks and different habitual incidents.

Financial proficiency

Lots of the areas managed by the manager have a direct influence on your numbers from the staffing procedures to the inventory and waste management. Decisions made by the manager have a huge impact on the finances of the restaurant. The good manager should understand how to lower costs of labor, reduce waste by educating the staff and making decisions regarding portions of platters.

Technological know-how

Even if you are using a different system, a previous knowledge in using technology tools of the POS software is essential. The POS is the most cost-effective feature that needs to be applied in your restaurant. Therefore, a restaurant manager should be proficient and comfortable in using technology.

The next time you receive two weeks’ notice from your restaurant manager, don’t panic! Look for these skills and be ready to hire a new skillful manager.