Food service managers run culinary businesses in various settings, including restaurants, hotels, and catering companies. The job is stressful with long hours, but managers must lead and manage their team, handle business operations, and prioritize safety and sanitation. Success requires dedication, business knowledge, and the ability to make a profit.
A food service manager is responsible for running a culinary business. People who do this work can work in restaurants, cafeterias, banquet halls, hotels and in catering companies. They can also work at resorts, cruise ships, summer camps, and pretty much anywhere else food is served.
Working conditions in this job are rarely pleasant. Hot environments, long hours and few breaks are normal. It’s a stressful position with little supervision. Work nights and weekends are often a fact, and there are few days off. The work isn’t easy, and those who can’t handle the stress, heat, and hectic rush of the kitchen don’t stay in this career for long.
A food service manager’s number one priority is to lead or manage their team of cooks and other kitchen workers. Because kitchen work is challenging, often low-paying, and stressful, the manager’s job is to encourage other cooks and strive to maintain high morale in the workplace. If things get too busy the manager is expected to step in and help the cooks until the rush is over. This means he or she needs to be familiar with every recipe and every kitchen station.
A food service manager is also typically responsible for running the business side of the company, or at least the food service department of the company. This requires you to take care of all the little details so the cooks and other workers can do their jobs. Managers must also be on top of all sanitation and safety issues, protecting workers and customers alike. They work one-on-one with customers and may also be responsible for all of the company’s financial transactions, such as making sure bills and other employees are paid. Marketing and promotion can also be your responsibility.
Being good at this job requires the manager to never stop trying to learn and improve his skills as a cook, manager, and professional. You need to have business knowledge and a lot of dedication. The ultimate goal of a food service manager, other than leading his team or managing the business side, is to make a profit for the company through his work. Without that, he or she won’t be working in the business for very long. Regardless of where a person is working, their number one priority is doing the job they were hired to do: running an efficient and productive kitchen, delighting customers and improving the business.
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