5 tips for becoming a better restaurant manager

First things first, congratulations! You have worked hard and that commitment has been rewarded. You are likely quite proud of yourself for moving your career in the food industry forward to the next level. However, with that joy and pride, you may also be experiencing a great deal of nervous energy.

Taking on a restaurant management position is a big job and you are stepping into a role that will require you to be organized, communicative, detail-oriented and, of course, patient. You are a leader now and, with that, comes a great deal of responsibility.

The best way to become comfortable in your new role is to make that role your own. You should seek advice and feedback, but don’t forget to tailor it to your own personality and style. Second, seek out the tools, processes, and technology that can make supervising a team easier.

So, take on these new leadership duties with confidence and excitement. Let everyone know that you are ready to take your team to the next level.
How can you do that? Here are 5 simple ways:

1. Show confidence

Restaurant management is all about leadership, which requires giving your team confidence in your ability to make the right decisions and motivate others. The most organized, intelligent and friendly person in the world will not make a good manager if they are uncomfortable leading. You may not immediately feel confident, and you will probably need time to grow into your role. However, when it comes to your employees, work to instill their confidence in you on day one. An easy way to accomplish this is to become the person they can turn to during busy periods. The ability to make effective operational decisions during chaotic times will show the team you have things under control. Let their belief in you motivate a true belief in yourself.

2. Get organized

Have you ever had a boss who never knew what was going on? They were always searching for documents, couldn’t find the paychecks or never seemed sure who was working that day? A disorganized restaurant manager makes their job, and the jobs of their employees, much harder. They also give the impression that they are unaware of what is going on and are often taken advantage of. It is easier than ever to get organized and stay organized as a manager. To keep an organized schedule, you can use Homebase to notify your employees, and keep the schedule up-to-date wherever you are.

In addition, you can color code the schedules, save templates to be used in the future and keep track of everything without ever touching paper (or white-out). With everything at your fingertips, no matter where you are, employees know that YOU know what is going on at all times.

3. Develop Open Lines of Communication

While you should always be confident and organized, a good manager is also constantly listening to her/his team. Communication is key to any relationship and the more that you check in with your employees, the better. From email to texts to Dropbox, you and your employees should be sharing information regularly, but it can be a lot to manage. Homebase can help by putting your important communications in one place.

In the Homebase mobile app, you can use the messenger to send and receive messages, create groups, and even send pictures. You can keep a dialogue open with your employees even if they’re on different shifts, and be confident your messages are being received.

4. Understand your Job

Managing a business is not just about managing people, it is also about making sure that the company is turning a profit. Your job is to monitor labor costs, sales and other indicators to make sure that money is not being wasted. With Homebase, you can monitor labor costs on a day to day basis and break that information down by department, timeframe and more. Monitoring for tardiness or hour overages will also help you to see the big picture.

Your job in restaurant management is to lead a group of people so that they can work efficiently and make money for the business. Many employees will not be as committed to this cause as you might like and may be more interested in their own paycheck. It is your duty to think in terms of what is best for the business.

5. Lead by Example

This may just be the most important job that any boss has. However, it can be hard. In order to get results from people, they need to see your commitment and your hard work. They need to see that you come in on time and that you are organized and on top of things. If you want for them to be in communication with you, then you must be in communication with them. If you want happy, cheery servers or cashiers, then you must be a pleasant and perky manager. So, don’t tell them what you want – show them!
Getting to this point in your profession is a huge achievement and you are no doubt excited to get started with this new chapter of your career. However, it is not easy to move up the ranks. There is sometimes a perception (from the outside looking in) that the bosses have cushy desk jobs and that their days are easy. That just isn’t the case. You may not be bussing tables or checking out customers anymore but you will find that your responsibilities are much bigger and more time-consuming. However, modern technology has taken a great deal of the guesswork out of management. There’s never been a better time to lead a team!

Getting to this point in your profession is a huge achievement and you are no doubt excited to get started with this new chapter of your career. By focusing on personal improvement, team communication, and leading by example you will be ready to elevate your team. This is by no means a simple task, but you were chosen for a reason and your boss believes in you.

Were you recently promoted? Feel free to share your experiences here or tweet @joinhomebase.

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