Got your eye on a restaurant management position? Working your way up is the way to get there. In fact, 9 out of 10 managers started in entry-level positions, and have been promoted through the ranks. 

If you’re hoping to reach management, here are four traits that successful restaurant managers have in common, and some tips you can use to improve your skills.

1. Great Communication

What does it actually mean to be a restaurant manager?

It’s not just about making the schedule or staying well-stocked on linens (although those are important too).

On a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, a restaurant manager will: 

• Relay messages from the management team down to the staff, whether those are new policies or menu changes
• Raise issues with the rest of the management team, like a new employee who’s struggling, or a piece of equipment that needs fixing
• Train new employees or manage their training schedule
• Talk to customers to resolve complaints or receive positive feedback
• Provide positive or negative feedback to employees to help them improve

What do all those tasks have in common? They’re ways of sharing messages and keeping people informed. It’s all about communication.

To become a better communicator: 

Practice your listening skills. Don’t just wait for your turn to speak. Really focus on what the other person is saying so you can understand their problem and work on a solution.

Implement the feedback sandwich. This is when you provide positive feedback, then negative feedback, and then another bit of positive feedback. 
It could look like this: 

• “Hey Tim! Great job on your shift today. I know you were really busy, and you showed great hustle out there.” (Positive feedback)
• “Next time you get double sat, please come chat with me instead of getting testy with the host stand. I can talk to them to make sure they don’t make that mistake again.” (Negative feedback)
• “Table 14 told me they had a great meal, so thanks for taking good care of them!” (Positive feedback)

2. Cool Head Under Pressure

Restaurant managers have to be “on” nearly all the time. They’re usually operating in full view of the guests, so they don’t have the luxury of getting visibly flustered. 

While a tough shift can be frustrating, you are the “port in a storm” for the rest of the team. The staff is looking to you to guide them through the issue, whether it’s an unexpected bus of customers or a POS system that has decided to take the day off. If you can’t keep their cool, you can upset the staff and customers, and further escalate a situation instead of diffusing it. 

To work on keeping your cool: 

Practice counting to five before responding. Taking a few moments to process and take a deep breath will work wonders to keep you calm.

Start meditating. Regular meditation helps you to be comfortable with quiet and stillness. It also helps you to manage your breathing, which is key to keeping calm under pressure.

3. Neatness and Organization

The way restaurants are laid out, they rarely include much space for a manager’s office and document storage. The result is that paperwork goes missing, appointments are missed, and the tiny manager’s office gets messy quickly. 

Staying organized is a must. Most teams use a combination of online tools and physical documents. Shared calendars, scheduling software, and inventory programs make it easy for the whole management team to stay connected. And a simple filing system can help keep paperwork organized. 

A system is only helpful if it’s being used. So managers have to train themselves to use the tools they are given. 

To improve your organization: 

Do a self-assessment. Where are you struggling? If you wrestle with your scheduling software, spend an hour or two with the app’s tutorials. If the whole team is having a hard time keeping the office tidy, a label maker and filing cabinet can encourage everyone to keep things where they belong.

Write things down. Carry a small notebook throughout your shift where you can jot down notes about staff, equipment, and guest interactions that you need to share with the rest of the team. 

4. Reliability

As a restaurant manager, you know the value of a reliable team. You can’t run a restaurant if you’re not sure that the bartenders will show up!

Managers have to hold themselves to the same standards. You demonstrated your reliability—that’s how you were promoted to management in the first place. But you have to continue to display dependability, both for the rest of the management and for the employees. If you’re late for pre-shift or forget you were scheduled, you’re telling the rest of the team that your time is more important than theirs. 

To become more reliable:

Your calendar can be your best friend. Change to your schedule? Make sure it goes on the calendar with a 24-hour reminder right away. Don’t expect to remember everything! Instead, make it impossible to forget.

Don’t commit to tasks you don’t know you can accomplish. If the general manager asks you to do a project but you already have a packed week, explain the difficulty. Asking for help is always okay, but failing to deliver on a commitment is not.