Becoming a Food Service Manager

Restaurant Management Careers: Food Service Managers

If you are interested in restaurant management programs as a way to combine culinary training with business training, one of the career choices you’ll come across is a food service manager. Food service managers are typically the professionals in charge of a restaurant’s or hotel’s daily operations.

From overseeing staff members to making sure the quality of food being served is up to standard, the food service manager works in a supervisory role to ensure that each customer walks away satisfied.

Educational Requirements of a Food Service Manager

There are no strict degree requirements when it comes to food service management, and it’s a field in which many people work from the ground up in order to reach their professional goals. However, as the restaurant industry grows more competitive, it is becoming increasingly more important to have a two- or four-year degree in hospitality management or culinary training.

Ranging from certification programs to Associate degrees, Bachelor degrees, and even Master’s degrees, having a good education in restaurant management ensures that you will have great job advancement opportunities and that you’ll have the skills needed to oversee a large and diverse team that includes cooks, chefs, dishwashers, waitstaff, bartenders, and other hospitality professionals.

What Does a Food Service Manager Do?

Depending on the place of employment and the exact job descriptions, food service managers may run a single department (such as the banquet room at a hotel) or an entire organization (such as a restaurant). Daily tasks include:

Coordinating employees/departments

Overseeing the kitchen

Overseeing the dining room

Overseeing banquet operations

Manage inventory

Maintain equipment and supplies

Handle customer complaints

Oversee upkeep of the dining facilities

Manage administrative tasks (human resources, accounting)

Train new employees

Participate in the kitchen, service area, or clean-up, as needed

Maintain safety and sanitation levels

Handle daily financials

All of these tasks add up to quite a workload, and many food service managers work just as long of hours as chefs in a busy restaurant. However, the pay and the benefits tend to be higher than what entry-level cooks receive at an average of $46,000 per year.

In addition to getting a good restaurant management education, professionals can also become certified as Foodservice Management Professionals (FMPs) through the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.