A restaurant manager's job can be described as many things -- hard,
fun, stressful, rewarding, dangerous, as well as just plain work. How restaurant
managers view their jobs often depends on their particular situation.
Emanuel Valergakis is the general manager of a deli and bar. He says the
part of his job he likes best is simply dealing with people.
"This line of work is ideal for someone like myself who enjoys working
with the public, who doesn't want a 9-to-5 job, who enjoys conversing
on a wide variety of topics and can't stand a routine. It has the added
benefit of slightly off working hours, so that you rarely have to drive in
rush hour traffic. The only thing that I don't like about it is that
you often have to work weekends and holidays," says Valergakis.
Valergakis knows there are seemingly endless duties that must be performed
each and every day. "The manager function is to look after the establishment's
best interest. But this definition does not begin to describe the hundreds
of problems that must be solved every day. Things like quality control, PR
and service must be addressed every day, while working on the long-term goal
of increasing sales."
Valergakis describes what a typical day is like in his world. He says the
first thing the manager does is tour the premises to see if the cleaners have
done their job. He checks for dead light bulbs, sees if the washrooms are
well stocked and makes a note to have any problems corrected.
The next step is to check the reservations and decide how to place the
tables. The manager must make sure the bar is ready to go. When all that is
done, it's time to receive customers.
As the afternoon winds down, management and staff prepare for what is the
busiest part of the day -- the dinner hours. Valergakis says it is at that
time when a manager really earns his money -- by making sure the money keeps
coming back.
"While the supper crowd is in, the manager must do a little PR 'schmoozing'
with the patrons and acknowledging the presence of the regulars. Quality must
be monitored and staff must be kept on its toes. This is a very competitive
market. It doesn't take much to lose one's edge."
When you interact with the customers as much as Valergakis does, you can't
help but emerge with some interesting stories. Valergakis says one of his
favorites involves a particularly accident-prone server.
"I was working in a restaurant made up of four levels, all offset so that
you could see the other levels from the one you were on. On his way up to
the third level, a waiter spilled a glass of water on a well-dressed gentleman,"
he recalls.
"Of course, the waiter ran down and apologized to the client and the gentleman
was very gracious. Half an hour later, the same waiter drops a butter knife
from the same point and knocks out the same customer. Another time a woman
became irate because I could not find her dentures, which she had left in
the washroom."
Sometimes, though, the stories aren't so funny. "The most frightening
thing that can happen is when large groups of people arrive when you are unprepared
to serve them," says Valergakis. "This very thing happened to me once when
a reservation of 50 arrived that we were unaware of because someone had taken
the wrong date."
Valergakis is certainly not alone when it comes to stories.
Restaurant manager Eric Brandt lives in Wisconsin. His favorite story comes
from his first day.
"I am told that I can be kind of scary looking. I stand over six feet,
I shave my head and wear a goatee. I have very angular, Germanic features.
If I'm not careful to smile, I guess I can be a little intimidating,"
he says.
"It was my first day on the job [at a restaurant that] carries a wide variety
of pizzas. Deep dishes take almost an hour to cook, so they encourage people
to call in their orders ahead of time so they won't have to just sit
at the table for an hour waiting for food. A family had called in a deep dish
and had walked in the door just minutes before it came out of the oven. So
far, so good.
"The pizza cook was fairly new. The pizza was done correctly, and in a
timely manner. Unfortunately, somewhere between the oven and the counter top
where the cook would have cut the pizza, she dropped it. Not so good anymore.
The manager on duty that day was also fairly new. She was scared to death
to have to tell these people their pizza was going to be another 45 minutes.
She came and got me."
This is the part where a restaurant manager earns his keep. Brandt had
to handle the situation the best way he knew how. "The most important thing
to me was to be sure that a new pizza was working and to find out how long,
really, it was going to be," says Brandt.
"I walked up to the cook's line and asked the frazzled pizza cook
those two questions: was it working and how long? The poor girl was terrified
that she was in trouble for dropping the food and had no idea how this new,
bald, freaky looking general manager was going to deal with the situation.
"So she launched into a full-blown explanation of the whole situation,
apologizing about every third word or so. I listened patiently and just nodded
occasionally. Eventually she got to the part where she made the new pizza,
put it in the oven and it had about 27 minutes left to cook. I asked her to
repeat the last part, so I could be sure we were on the same page. She verified
that it would be about 25 minutes."
Brandt has this advice for anyone thinking about this as a career: "Get
a job as a dishwasher. Or a bus person. Managers don't get to act flashy
like bartenders or pull in big tips day in and day out like servers. It's
hard, dirty work and everyone in the building is your boss, because the success
or failure of your business is in their hands," he says.
"Can you wash dishes for 10 hours and not freak out? Can you clean out
floor drains? Can you be wherever someone else needs a hand, knowing that
they probably won't be able to help you out when you need it? That's
what we do. If that sounds gross or you think I'm exaggerating, look
into another profession."
Marilyn Van Hoof says she became a restaurant manager because she got tired
of waitressing and wanted a steady paycheck. Now that she's managing,
she says her favorite part of the job is the people.
"What I like about my job is the interaction with guests and ensuring that
they have a positive dining experience every visit. I also enjoy the variety
of responsibilities involved with my job. It's nice to not always sit
in the office and work on a computer all day long," she says.
"I dislike the long hours that are involved with this job. It is physically
demanding on the body. I have serious problems with my feet and back. My passion
is that I find it very exciting and satisfying to have a very busy restaurant
running smoothly, and knowing your guests are having a positive dining experience."
Like many restaurant managers, Van Hoof agrees this is one occupation where
experience is more important than a formal education.
"Education is not mandatory in this industry in order to become a successful
restaurant manager. I feel experience is as important as education. There
are, however, several good restaurant and hospitality programs offered by
local colleges that can give you a great technical background in restaurant
management," she says.
"For anyone pursuing a post-secondary university education, something in
the business field would be a definite asset. When looking for
a program to enter in college, reputation is the key. Ask professors, teachers
and administrators -- find out about their experience and education. Talking
to graduates of any program can be your most useful resource."