One of America’s favorite pastimes is dining out, and it wouldn’t be possible without the skillful restaurant managers who (mostly) work behind the scenes to ensure that diners have a memorable experience. If you’ve worked in a restaurant kitchen or as a waiter, you may have thought about becoming a restaurant manager. Since you’ve developed a deep appreciation for the art and business of running a restaurant, you’re confident in your abilities to do so. In order to be able to demonstrate this, you’ll need to build a skill set, which you can most likely do through a combination of restaurant work and formal education.
Levels of training for restaurant managers
First, think about what kind of education you’ll need to succeed as a restaurant manager and other high-level positions in the industry before you start looking for a college.
These are the most commonly reported educational levels among restaurant managers
Food service managers include restaurant owners and managers. Management positions are available in all types of restaurants, from fast food chains to fine-dining restaurants, as well as in banquet halls, cafeterias, and other food service facilities found in workplaces such as office buildings, manufacturing facilities, and schools. Job titles such as food and beverage director, caterer, banquets mangers, and restaurant general managers all fall under this category of employment.
As a food service manager, it’s unusual to have a college degree at all. By O*NET’s estimates, more than half of all food service managers have a high school diploma. Another 15% of the workforce did not graduate from high school. This career path does not require a college degree at any level, but 18 percent of food service managers say they have completed some college work without completing a degree.
As long as your ultimate goal is to become a manager at an upmarket restaurant, resort, or hotel, you should still go to college. These employers are the ones most likely to be impressed by, or to even require, a post-secondary education. The best and most effective practices in the restaurant industry can be learned through a college education, which can help you develop your skills.
Chefs with the Highest Levels of Education are Most Likely to Have
Other high-ranking positions exist in a restaurant as well. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an executive chef, for example, is in charge of the kitchen’s operations, including the supervision and coordination of food preparation professionals’ work as well as tasks such as menu planning and kitchen employee training (BLS). College and post-secondary education are more common among chefs and head cooks. According to O*NET, an associate’s degree is required for more than half of all chefs and head cooks. There are only 10 percent of chefs who have a bachelor’s degree, and 17 percent of chefs have postsecondary certificates.
Food service supervisors, food production supervisors, and cafeteria managers have lower educational requirements than restaurant managers. A high school diploma is required by 44 percent of first-line supervisors, according to O*NET, and less than a high school diploma is required by 37 percent of the workforce.
Are There Requirements for Restaurant Managers?
On-the-job training is not a bad thing. Many restaurant managers begin their careers as cooks or waiters at fast food restaurants or corporate chains. They can advance in the organization as they gain expertise and demonstrate their abilities. Some restaurant workers learn practical skills by working in a restaurant, but going to college is often necessary so that these skills are utilized at their full potential. A major in hospitality or business administration might be a good choice if you decide to attend college in order to pursue a career in restaurant management.
Become a Restaurant Manager with a Degree in Hospitality Management
Studying hospitality management in college can prepare you for a career in the food service industry. Tourism, event management, luxury hospitality, hotel management, and restaurant management are all forms of hospitality management that are all intertwined with business. Class topics for a general major in hospitality might include food and beverage management, hotel management, legal aspects of tourism and tourism marketing, hospitality human resources management, and hospitality finance. When pursuing a degree in hospitality management, you’ll learn how to delegate tasks to your staff, how to make sound financial decisions for your business, and how to keep up with the latest food and beverage industry trends.
By taking electives or pursuing an academic concentration, students can often tailor their education in hospitality management. Some of the most useful electives for aspiring restaurant managers include bar and beverage management, food and beverage cost control, food safety management and compliance, planning and design of food service facilities, and principles and practices of restaurant management. Hands-on training is an essential component of any hospitality degree program. In addition to internships with outside restaurants, hotels, and other hospitality organizations, students have the opportunity to learn these skills in student-run restaurants. Students who work in these restaurants learn a wide range of skills, including planning the menu, preparing and serving the food, and handling the administrative responsibilities of keeping the restaurant’s operations on track.
College degree programs in hospitality management can be found at every academic level, from certificate programs to four-year bachelor’s programs to doctoral degrees. These courses can be found at a wide range of educational establishments, from small community colleges to large research universities.
Having a business degree is a must for restaurant managers.
There are many aspects of restaurant management that apply to any business, even if your primary focus is on the restaurant industry. Even if a restaurant manager has extensive experience in the industry, they may choose a business administration or business management degree instead. The food service industry and the practical skills required for success in this field are already familiar to you, but you must learn the business aspects of a restaurant management role, including both the concepts and the practical skills, in order to be successful in this field as well.
Aspiring restaurant managers should consider pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration because it provides a solid foundation in the business world while also allowing them to focus on a specific area of interest. It’s common for a business administration degree to include classes in financial accounting, financial economics and business law as well as marketing and human resources and management. Concentrations in hospitality or restaurant management, as well as more general ones in HR, marketing, and accounting, are excellent choices for aspiring restaurant managers.
Associate and bachelor’s degree programs in business administration (BBA) are available. You can also pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) later in life if you have a bachelor’s degree.
There is no substitute for working your way up from fry cook while interning, whether at a student-run restaurant or an established eatery. Some of the tasks you perform may be similar to those of non-student restaurant employees, but this is merely an opportunity for you to gain real-world experience while developing the leadership abilities you’ll need to run high-end restaurants in the future.
Is There a Minimum Education Requirement to Run a Restaurant?
You don’t have to be in charge of every aspect of the restaurant to be a manager. Even if you’re in charge of the day-to-day operations, the restaurant’s owner must still approve all major decisions. A restaurateur, a professional who owns and runs a restaurant, including serving as the chef, is what many aspiring restaurant managers really want to be.
Education Requirements for Potential Restaurant Owners
If you want to open a restaurant, the best way to get started is by becoming a chef. The ability to cook is a prerequisite for working as a chef in established restaurants and eventually for creating a menu and preparing food in your own establishment. Technical schools, community colleges, and four-year universities all offer culinary arts programs in addition to specialized culinary arts schools.
In a culinary arts degree program, you can expect to learn about food safety, sanitation, food product identification, ingredient pairing, palate development, culinary math, and knife skills in the beginning. Culinary students learn how to prepare a variety of dishes and ingredients, from meat and poultry to seafood and vegetables. They also learn how to make soups, sauces and salads as well as sandwiches, vegetables and grains. For example, a student of culinary arts will learn and practice both dry-heat and moist-heat methods of cooking. These include techniques such as chargrilling, roasting, frying, and steaming. A wide range of desserts, including classic and contemporary versions of the classics and modern twists on the classics, are taught.
It’s not an easy job to manage. Customers and employees alike are putting a lot of pressure on you. A typical day may bring a slew of unexpected challenges, including an angry Yelp reviewer and a flaky hostess who doesn’t show up on your busiest day of the month – but you must maintain a positive attitude and excellent communication skills.
A Restaurant Management Degree Is Necessary for Employment
Your job as a restaurant manager can include a wide range of duties, depending on your specific position and the type of food service establishment where you work. This includes hiring and training new employees for the restaurant’s various departments and scheduling shifts for those employees. Food and beverage ingredients for the restaurant’s dishes are also purchased by the restaurant’s owners. Administrative responsibilities of restaurant managers include budgeting, payroll, and other forms of employee documentation. Among their responsibilities is overseeing the preparation of food and inspecting the cleanliness, maintenance, and kitchen practices to make sure they are in compliance with food safety regulations, a task that is unique to the restaurant industry.
They are responsible for ensuring that the restaurant runs smoothly, even though their primary role is to oversee and manage the restaurant’s operations rather than to cook or wait tables themselves. As a good restaurant manager, you should be willing to help out with tasks such as serving customers, cleaning tables, and taking credit card payments yourself. The manager of a restaurant is responsible for addressing and resolving any customer complaints about service or food quality, to the customer’s satisfaction.
Restaurant managers may seem like a no-brainer, but there are a few things to keep in mind before making the leap. According to the BLS, almost half of all food service managers (47 percent) work in casual dining establishments. In addition, there are 35% of food service managers who own and operate their own establishments. Special food services, which employs 3% of this profession, and accommodations, which employs 2%, round out the top five industries where food service managers can find work.
A food service manager can command a salary well above the national average. BLS estimates that the median pay for all food service managers will be $56,590 in 2020. With a median salary of $67,090, food service managers in the lodging industry make the most money in the industry. Most food service managers made less than $33,880 per year, but the highest-paid ones made more than $94,770 annually.
Restaurant manager’s employment opportunities are increasing at a rapid pace. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that employment opportunities for food service managers will rise by 46,200 during the decade from 2020 to 2030, at a rate significantly higher than the average of 15%.
