Restaurant Manager Resumes & Guide

Restaurant Managers work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and juggling numerous balls in the air from wooing customers, directing staff and putting out fires (literally) are just part of a normal day. Your Restaurant Manager resume should be far from normal, though if you want to land the job of your dreams.

Start your journey by checking out our top-notch Restaurant Manager resume sample as a recipe to craft your own perfect resume document.

Whether you are currently a Restaurant Manager seeking a new challenge or a kitchen staff team leader trying to break into management, our write-up is equipped with loads of tips, to-do’s, and examples you are welcome to use.

Restaurant Manager Resume Sample

(Free sample downloads are at the bottom of this page)

Restaurant Manager Resume Writing Guide

Resume Sections

1. Contact Information:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Address
• Mobile Number
• Email Address
• LinkedIn/Altternative channels

2. Profile Summary:
View this as the hors d'oeuvre to your resume and include an eye-grabbing summary containing a broad overview of your background, years of industry experience, and special capabilities.

3. Qualifications Summary:
Not all Restaurant Manager roles require post-school qualifications, but if you want to land the higher paying roles associate or bachelor degrees are essential. Provide accurate details about your qualifications by including the institution, qualification name, and dates. Don’t forget to mention the qualifications you are currently completing too.

4. Relevant Restaurant Managing Experience:
Employment history should be clearly articulated with the duration of employment (month, date), restaurant name, and location. Bulleted job descriptions with action-packed accomplishment statements will add flair to your resume.

5. Other Employment Experience:
This will include events or work history outside of the formal food and beverage field, but which may be important for the employer to know about like part-time server gigs, working at the school canteen or once-off events where you prepared the food a family member’s birthday party. This section is especially important if you are looking for your first job in culinary management without formal experience as a Restaurant Manager. It would help if you revealed your food service repertoire gained unofficially, for instance, getting practical hours during at a Chef School or experience gained as an intern in catering or events companies.

6. Skills Summary/Key Skills:
Resume SEO is a very effective strategy to ensure that your application is ‘’visible’’ to applicant tracking systems (ATS). Incorporating keywords from the job posting will ensure that recruiters and hiring managers will review your resume.

7. Licenses/Certifications/Relevant Coursework/Training:
Start with your formal restaurant certifications and post-school diplomas or accreditations in food and beverage management. Also list any industry memberships, for instance, food hygiene, health, and safety or restaurant associations.

What to Highlight in a Restaurant Manager’s Resume

The restaurant industry is hectic on a normal day and even chaotic at times. Hiring managers in this field are often drowning in a flood of resume applications, and they use Applicant Tracking Systems to screen and rank applications based on keyword comparisons between the job spec and a candidate’s resume. Therefore, only the highest-ranking resumes will be ranked, and a resume without the relevant terminologies and buzzwords would not even be reviewed.

There are a few essential details employers and recruiters need to know about you regardless of work experience gained in restaurants, hospitality settings, or food service establishments.

The first aspect to highlight is the type of Restaurant Manager experience you have under the belt. The main categories that Restaurant Managers generally fall into are:

• General Manager:
  In this role, you are overseeing the entire establishment from pillar to post. Appropriate delegation is the name of the restaurant game, but general managers have to be hands-on enough to come to the rescue during times of crises. Inventory, menus, accounting, and staff matters fall under the responsibility of a Restaurant GM.
• Kitchen Manager:
  This type of restaurant manager is accountable for the day-to-day (or night) operations of the kitchen. Kitchen Managers set the tone for the “back of the house” and require exceptional leadership qualities to direct, inspire, and also professionally reprimand employees to ensure a smooth operation. In this role, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen reigns true as this environment is taxing, stressful, and of resembling organized chaos. A Kitchen Manager also oversees the management of food costs, ordering supplies, health & safety, and menu planning.
• Front of the House Manager:
  Patrons, customers, and clients are the number one focus of this role. Overseeing the front of house requires a diplomatic demeanor, fantastic multitasking skills, and being a pro at handling conflicts or complaints. The purpose of this role is centered around ensuring smooth customer flow, timeous integration between taking orders and serving them and offering the ultimate customer experience at all times.

Next on your resume menu, is the industry experience you have gained, in other words, the types of establishments you have worked for in the past. Restaurant Managers are employed by hotels, resorts, cruise ships, gourmet establishments, cafeterias, fast-food outlets, hospitals cafeterias, restaurant chains, café bars, brasseries, and corporate canteens.

Then comes the purpose of your role as a Restaurant Manager, which may vary according to the size of the establishment. If you are overseeing a small coffee shop, some of your duties may overlap into doubling as the barista or chef of the establishment. In a large fast-food outlet, your areas of responsibility could be more aligned to business functions such as human resources, financial management, marketing, and operations.

Typically, the managerial structure in restaurants is divided into back-of-the-house and front-of-the-house positions. In large chains, a corporate location headquarters exist, where the upper management and group administration takes place. A trick to a stellar resume is to divide your jobs descriptions into the primary functions of your restaurant manager role first and then elaborate with duties under each function, such as the example below.

• Inventory and Supplies:
  Restaurant Managers should ensure that sufficient stock is available at all times, from glassware to condiments and everything in between. This entails inventory needs analysis to plan for busier times and also to ensure that the restaurant is not overstocked which may contribute to food wastage or expiration of products. Examples of supply items you need to buy include: Kitchen supplies and appliances, Cooking tools, Counters and prep spaces, Dishes, glasses, and silverware, Furniture for both the front and back of the house, Paper products, Cleaning products, Decor items, Bar supplies
• Budgeting:
  On average, restaurants operate with relatively low-profit margins of around 3.5 percent. Stringent cash flow management is imperative to stay afloat. In this business daily budgeting becomes a necessity, and you need to showcase your ability to prudently manage costs like food, labor, payroll, IT, and marketing to offset against turnover resulting in substantial profit gains.
• Operations:
  Planning and directing the daily activities in the restaurant and also having a plan B (or C) ready to execute during crises times are fundamental to the responsibility of a restaurant manager. Adhering to safety standards, order management, making bank deposits, training staff, overseeing cash and card transactions, and dealing with irate patrons are examples of ad hoc activities that form part of operations. You should also indicate your experience with continuity planning, and show what back-up plans you have put into place to ensure smooth operations during adversities like a power failure, burst water pipe, or staff stay away from actions.
• Employee Management and Training:
  Restaurant Managers are responsible for recruiting, hiring, training, and dismissing (unfortunately) staff. Scheduling work rosters, approving leave, managing the payroll, and defusing employee conflict is part of the manager realm too. In this section, you need to highlight your leadership skills and provide examples of how you would motivate and inspire staff members.
• Menus:
  These are the tangible brand of your restaurant, which establishes the corporate identity of the restaurant. The two key areas of menu planning include pricing and content. A decadent menu is only an advantage when the items are priced competitively to provide value for money to the patrons, but simultaneously secure a profit for the business. The menu content and visual appeal of a fine dining restaurant differ greatly from one at a casual burger joint. Showcase your menu design skills by creating a portfolio on Dropbox or Google Drive and including the link in your resume.
• Marketing & Promotions:
  An enjoyable ambiance and great food is a good place to start, but this will mean nothing if no one is aware of your restaurant. Targeted marketing and promotional efforts are paramount to increase awareness about the establishment. If you have experience in creating loyalty programs or reward incentives, feel free to give more detail. Hiring managers will also want to know if you are comfortable with social media platforms to promote the business and notify customers of upcoming specials and discounts.

 

Make sure to include the following details:

• The locations you would like to work in, especially if you are applying to international or national food service chains with multiple locations
• A review and rating summary showing the popularity of the restaurants you have worked for previously
• Special skills that may add value, for instance, your competencies in other languages (Frenchs, Spanish), social media advertising or perhaps restaurant automation software and project management applications
• A list of all the industries you have worked in, for example, hotels, wedding venues, fast food establishments, fine dining restaurants, pubs, events companies, catering coordinators, and so forth.

Restaurant Manager Resume Summary & Examples

Your resume needs to stand out among other applications to get noticed by recruiters and hiring managers. To accomplish that, you need to write an exemplary career summary. Let's call it an entrée with intent. The ingredients for this career summary dish include an overview of experience gained (years and primary job function) special technical skills, a wow factor and lastly highest qualifications and accreditations.

Start your career summary with your years of experience in the industry and the primary duties you performed. When deciding what tasks to add, use the job description as your guide. For instance, if the job you are applying emphasizes expertise in managing a fine dining Restaurant or being familiar with online reservation software incorporate those phrases into your summary if applicable to your skills your resume if you have that type of skill. The more summary resonates with the purpose of the job, the better fit you will seem.

Next, add a line that showcases any outstanding qualities. These are wow factors or accomplishments you are most proud of that will add value to the company. A hiring manager would be interested to know if you have “strong people management skills, canny problem-solving abilities and if you can ‘’think on your feet in times of crises.

Lastly, add the finishing touch by mentioning the most applicable qualification or certification you have attained such as Bachelor in Restaurant Management or Certificate in Hospitality Systems

Examples Summaries:

Career Summary 1

Diligent Restaurant Manager with six years tenure in keeping a finger on the pulse of operations in highly prestigious fine-dining settings. Striving to achieve the highest quality standards in food preparation and customer service by executing rigorous training and development programs applicable to all new staff members. Boosted growth margins by 9% due to automated tracking of profitability and key operational metrics. Accredited member of the American Culinary Foundation.

Career Summary 2

Results-driven junior Restaurant Manager with three years’ experience in restaurant supervision of kitchen, bar, and service staff of a ranch-style steakhouse. Instrumental in creating local consumer awareness by various social media marketing strategies, resulting in being awarded best Family Restaurant in Orange Ville County. Holds a Safe Serve Manager Certification and currently completing a degree in Food Service Management. 

Career Summary 3

Accomplished Restaurant Manager with over a decade of experience in spearheading turnaround strategies for hotel restaurant with below-average profit margins and strapped cashflow resources. Background includes leading operations, processes, and teams based on lean startup principles to cut expenditure and overheads by 30% within 12 months. Registered as a Certified Culinarian (CC) with the American Culinary Federation and also ServeSafe certified.

Restaurant Manager Job Descriptions & Examples

An employer would expect to see the following proven foundational duties and skillsets within an applicant’s resume, depending on educational level and career stage.

Examples

A Restaurant Manager at a Motel or Inn may:

• Oversee food safety practices and equipment sanitation
• Direct dining room set up in the restaurant and the outside patio areas
• Responsible for cash handling and POS systems
• Manage inventory control and supplier liaison
• Create menus and pricing of dishes
• Supervise daily restaurant activities
• Responsible for training and onboarding of new staff members
• Tasked with opening and closing the dining room
• Conduct inspections in all areas of the restaurant before opening and closing
• Scheduled morning daily prep meetings with kitchen crew and servers

A Restaurant Manager at a Fine Dining Establishment may

• Perform audits on all areas of the restaurant to ensure the state of readiness before midday and evening service
• Conduct morning meetings with waiters to discuss menu specials
• Monitor food and supply expenditure
• Review the restaurant’s par stock and inventory levels
• Set sales and turnover targets for the restaurant.
• Participate in menu tastings with the Executive Chef
• Collaborate with Executive Chef in finalizing menu items
• Responsible for recruitment, selection, and training of personnel
• Inspect dishes before they get served

A Head Restaurant Manager at a National Fast Food Franchise may:

• Collaborate with head-quarters regarding new restaurant offerings
• Source ingredients and supplies from local farmers and contract growers
• Negotiate service level agreements with approved suppliers regarding pricing, delivery conditions, and payment terms
• Manage and audit restaurant inventory and stock levels
• Conduct frequent inspections on overall kitchen operations to ensure sanitation and food safety standards are followed
• Review kitchen preparation guidelines and introduce improvements consistently
• Evaluate the performance of all restaurant staff

Highlight Your Accomplishments

Under your accomplishment section, you may be tempted to copy and paste the list of duties you performed as detailed in your restaurant manager job description. That’s more than okay if you are prepared to land in the decline folder. Restaurant owners are primarily interested in numbers that affect the bottom line. Your accomplishment statements should highlight what sets you apart, what you are most proud of, or what you accomplished in your previous roles quantified by numerical values about percentages, dollar amounts, and time frames.
Let’s look at these examples, which show direct, measurable impacts of accomplishments:

Examples:

• Boosted customer interaction with 28% on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) with a newly created loyalty incentive resulting in a sales improvement of 19% in 30 days.
• Received a 100% health and safety rating for six consecutive months after implementing a weekly safety standards and health protocol training session compulsory for all staff to attend.
• Reduced overhead costs by 7% through stringent controls on overtime expenditures and inventory waste which improved cash flow resources from 15 days to forty days.
• Contributed to 96% customer satisfaction score in 2019, up from 90% in 2018.

Restaurant Manager Education Section & Example

The education section carries significant weight in your resume, and the better qualified you are, the more probable those interview invites become. Hiring managers are not merely interested in whether you have a degree or diploma. In the food service industry certifications, accreditations, courses, and online training programs would be to your advantage as well

Start with the commencement date and completion date for diplomas, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees. For courses, you can just list the date of completion. Next comes the full name of the qualification, then the full name of the institution, and then the City or abbreviated State name.

Here are some examples:

2018 – Current Bachelor's Degree in Restaurant Management, Seattle University, WA
Course Topics:
Hospitality Law, Food and Beverage Management, Human Resource Management, Hospitality Management

2017 – 2018 Practical Management Training Programme, School of Hotel Administration, Ithaca, NY

2015, ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification, American Food Safety Institute, Philadelphia, PA

2014 Member, National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, Alexandria, VA

2012 Diploma in Hospitality Management, Chicago Community College, Chicago, IL
Course Curriculum: Menu Planning, Point of Sale (POS) Systems, Customer Satisfaction, Dining Room Set Up, Marketing and Sales

Restaurant Manager Resume Skills

Working as a Restaurant Manager will require you to apply a combination of core technical and personal skills on a daily basis. Technical skills are developed through knowledge and training, which are both trainable and quantifiable. Personal attributes or soft skills are related to your personality, locus of control, and how you respond to external triggers in the environment around you. Your leadership competencies will be under scrutiny, so make sure that you include them into your soft skills section too. As a Restaurant Manager, you will be responsible for the general management and operation of the establishment. You will have a long array of people to manage from kitchen staff to servers, bartenders, front desk hosts, cleaners, and admin staff.

Using a skill’s matrix is a good idea to provide a bird's-eye view of your hard and soft skills for hiring managers to view instantly. Remember to garnish other sections of your resume by mentioning some of the soft and hard skills listed in the matrix to reinforce your message.

Qualifications/Certifications associated with Restaurant Managers

Action Verbs for your Restaurant Manager Resume

Professional information on Restaurant Managers

Sectors: Food & Beverage, Hospitality, Events, Tourism, Government, Education
Career Type: Functional, Professional
Person type:  Leader, Motivator, Implementer, Reviewer, Planner Education levels: From High School Diploma to Bachelor’s Degree
Salary indication: $43,241 and $63,376
Labor market: Subject to 9% increase from 2016 – 2026 (BLS)
Organizations: Hospitals, Restaurants, Pubs, Hotels, Catering Venues, Holiday Resorts, Fast Food Establishments, Schools, Military Establishments

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