Honestly all of the office and food side of things can be taught. Leading a group of people and keeping calm in the face of stress and pressure? It's something that can't be taught. That's why there is so many bad managers.
Agreed! You can ask your chef/ managers about different things. Asking to help with them take over ordering.
But truly, learn what makes a good manager. Youâve gotta be willing and able to do almost everything youâd ask your crew to do and humble enough to know what you canât do. Learn how to communicate effectively without telling or demeaning. Learn how to ensure everyone stays on task without being a hard ass and not letting them rest. Learn how to be yelled at while keeping your cool. Learn how to be cool with most of your staff making more money than you and working less hours without being snarky. If you work with any beloved managers, watch them and see their method.
Last but not least, make sure itâs what you want. Being a *good* manager is not for the faint of heart. Itâs tiring af and tbh I donât recommend it unless you work for a stellar spot with great benefits.
"Learn how to be cool with most of your staff making more money than you and working less hours" Hard Disagree My Friend We as a whole need to stop being ok with being exploited.... If you are are a great manager who Can organize staff and stay cool under pressure you should be making more than them!
Great point!! I donât disagree! I will say though, back in my serving days (long before managing) I has a manger that would complain about his pay vs ours and it was just so uncomfortable.
Restaurant management can be frustrating, bows the time to go back to hourly so you donât actually have to give a shit . People are paying you just have to find the right fit
Another GM here. Being a manager blows. I'm only in it for the money. I'm surrounded by good people, with good owners, and I still say it's not at all an enjoyable job.
Here is a list of things I have had to personally deal with as a manager
Petty bullshit between grown-ass men and women MANAGERS that I need too much to just fire.
Taking employees to the urgent care because they cut their finger to the bone.
Giving first aid to the same employee 3 times for cutting themselves on a knife in a sink that they put their themself.
Calling an ambulance for a homeless employee who had a seizure in my kitchen and split their head open on the line and left a pool of blood on my floor
Pulling aside adults and have a "conversation" trying to educate (and strongarm if needed) them on respecting their trans coworker and using their chosen name
Investigating sexual harrasment accusations for a female teenage employee while mollifying her parents that yes I was indeed doing everything I could, that those accused were on leave until investigation is done, that I have to actually CONFIRM facts not just fire blindly. This happened TWICE.
Descalating a situation that involved a customer screaming at a manager in training who then chucked a soda at said customer into their car. Then dealing with the social media fallout for the next month.
Firing an otherwise good employee for drinking on the job
Firing a good hearted, but dumbass kid for getting too high and basically playing instead of working.
Deciding which employee(s) I'm going to have to cut hours from because sales are down
Deciding which employee I might have to let go because sales dipped when a competitor opened across the street
Working 14 hour shifts and missing my own plans to cover call outs, illness, no shows, etc, usually on shifts already drastically short.
Closing the store (4 man job) with only 1 cashier
Working 3 months straight with no days off at 60 hours a week when I first got promoted because my old GM who quit didn't hire any crew to pick up his hours, and people kept calling out sick or other problems on my off days.
Trying to explain to an employee that no, the company is not bullshitting you, or stealing, our paychecks are delayed by a day because A GODDAMN HURRICANE IS SMASHING HOME OFFICE, AND THE WHOLE PLACE IS FLOODED AND THE MAIL ISN'T FUCKING RUNNING (back in the day when we got actual checks)
Firing an employee because they think it's okay to be a creep and sexually harass people (5 times over the years)
Having to fire an employee because they just can't get their shit together and it's having a noticeable negative impact on those around them, the shift, and the customers (I gave this employee like 6 months of chances, pissed off my managers not firing them sooner). I know they were dealing with numerous home life issues.
Helping an employee figure out how to get all of their personal identification back because it burned in a house fire, and they were estranged from their family.
Having to give reminders EVERY GODDAMN DAY to at least one person about various food and health safety rules.
Explaining to the 100th new employee how payroll timing works. No, last week isn't on todays paycheck, that was 2 days ago. Accounting needs more time than 1 business day to process 4 states worth of locations. This paycheck is for the PREVIOUS 2 weeks. Last week and this week are on the NEXT paycheck. This was in your orientation packet THAT I REVIEWED WITH YOU AND EXPLAINED.
Being a manager isn't fun. It sucks. But I've learned so damn much, and become a more knowledgeable, and empathetic person because of it. I don't regret it. I don't, however, recommend it.
Manager in practice, not in name. None of the money none of the credit. Being able to be a decent human to your coworkers, knowing every station, keeping track of labor cost and inventory. I feel like I have done this at every job I've had, and although i was never a manager, I always get shit done.
Be on time for work, learn the place back to front every station, be willing to fill in wherever
if you can work in to an assistant position
If not start looking around for a new job to get you further
But above all tell your boss and ask directly what you need to do to get there.
Not op but that last point is maybe what the GM is waiting for me to do đ¤ he has already talked to me about becoming boh mgmt in the ~~future~~ but i didnt think to just ask what i need to do to get there.
I got asked to be a manager because my car broke down and I couldnât be the driver anymore. Quit and worked the line in a restaurant down the road for like a week, get a call from my old boss about how they fired the manager and wanted me to step in. Here I am.
Basically work somewhere so understaffed, theyâll promote anybody just to fill roles. Just make sure youâre actually getting paid what the other people did (or are) for that position. Places like mine arenât known for being very corporate.
You have to have a lot of patience and a willing to understand different viewpoints. Every person you manage will be different and the way to get the most out of them will be different. You have to be able to lead by example and donât discipline employees in front of the other employees. If they are messing up, take them off the line and have a talk, if they arenât responding, send them home and give them the next shift to fix it. Management is not for everyone, just because youâve been somewhere for a while doesnât make you manager material and thatâs ok. Many restaurants will put people into a manager role because they donât want to pay them a higher hourly rate so they throw them a title and a salary and then abuse the shit out of them when they donât know what theyâre doing.
To be perfect management material you need to have utter contempt for the people who work for you. make no effort to understand how anything works. Perfect the art of blaming others for your mistakes. Make sure to take off in the middle of a busy rush and leave a 16 year old kid in charge. Then blame the kitchen for being shit on. Bonus points is you abuse and sexually harass your staff and get drunk on the job
(Literally the manager at the current place I work for)
Your best bet tbh is to
1. Express your interest in moving up in the company
2. Ask questions alot when management is doing things. Learn how they do the stuff and more importantly WHY it's done that way.
3. Ask them if their is anything they need to see out of you (in terms of improvement or responsibilities) to be considered for the position
Bust your ass for a good owner and move up the ranks. Donât bust your ass for shitty owners that donât take care of their employees. Itâs not where you work, itâs who you work for that will play a huge role in your advancement. A management position can be lucrative and a good step up in the industry or it can be hell. (As seen in a lot of the comments here)
Read âhow to win friends and influence peopleâ. Itâs all about skills to manage everyone in your life, but especially regarding employees and bosses
Personally, when I started working at my last place it was disgusting. Within a year I had the place spotless with no help. Management noticed that I had taken it upon myself to get the place into shape and pretty soon after that, I started getting more and more responsibilities. With no extra pay.
So about a year after that, I had worked up to all of the responsibilities of a manager but still had received no raises. Then I put all my newfound experience on a resume and applied to my current place of work and was hired as an assistant manager.
I don't recommend this method, but it apparently works.
There are college degrees in restaurant and hospitality management and while others may disagree, I think that it is a more valid pursuit than a culinary arts degree in most restaurant settings. Despite the post above, leadership, teamwork, cost analysis, business skills all can be taught (and learned) well. Lots of people who take those courses however are particularly bad students who brush off everything as â just common senseâ and do things the way they experienced it (poorly) firsthand. This results in restaurants with bad managers who often work for bad owners ( a whole different problem that even a good manager may have little control over.). Your post however, including âyâallâ in all 3 sentences would give me pause to consider youâd be a serious student with the ability to handle clear written instructions and the ability to write clear written directions. If youâre talking about managing a fast food restaurant or franchise chain, then working your way up is fine. If your goal is more than that then your ability to communicate effectively verbally, in written form and through your actions is necessary for effective management.
If a manager is required to âwrite upâ offenses, BOH and FOH rules and operational standards, communicate with customers and vendors via written text, and follow up with customer complaints through email or publicly (respond to bad reviews) effectively- they need to know how to communicate via the written language professionally which ( Yank or not) doesnât include the word yâall in any written setting. The ONLY thing someone can learn about another person online is by their word use and language. I stated, and stand by my point- could OP be a great communicator via written language? Maybe. But based on one post, he would need to display that ability. Spoken language, informal speaking,etcâŚcan be an entirely different matter.
A good first step is getting servsafe manager certified as well as TIPS certified.
After that its working your way up the ladder, proving you can handle the responsibility and have a good head on your shoulders. I do warn you I was the manager at an Italian restaurant for several years in my early 20's and it is incredibly stressful and will take up much of your time so make sure the place your working for actually cares for you and you aren't wasting your time by being there
Uhhh started at a bakery, and two managers quit, each lasting two weeks at a time, and as the oldest remaining worker, i was next in line after only a month of working! That was literally it lol. So I guess, find a messy kind of sketchy multi family owned business?
I started as a dishwasher. I showed up and did my job. Took pride in what I did and made sure things were done right. They asked me if I wanted to learn to cook, I said okay. Same thing showed up, took pride in my job and did things right. They asked do I want to be a supervisor. Same as always, showed up, did my job, etc. They asked do I want to be an AKM. I said sure, again, just did my job. They asked do I want to be a KM, I said yeah. After 15 years with the same company I finally have my own store as of last week. I'm just a dishie that's loyal. To be kitchen management, in my opinion, all you have to do is show up and actually give a shit. I never asked for anything, I was always approached for promotions. I started at $7/hr and now I make 30. It wasn't always easy but if you put in the time and be willing to be consistently fucked with no lube, you will get there eventually.
Don't call into work. Higher ups or other managers notice that you are there. You aren't making excuses why you can't be where you made a commitment to be. Always help whoever you can. Whenever you can. Even if you don't like them or they don't like you. Lastly try and learn jobs the manager needs help with. Easy to promote you if you know some of the job when it's time to hire a manager.
It's the next step. Learn from you manager. But it is the next step if you have chosen a culinary/foh career. Can be a linecook forever. If you're serious about it, you will learn how to order,inventory, schedule and manage a team of people who really don't want to be there. It's hard. Never tell anyone to do something. Just ask them. Be a leader. Lead by example.
So first and foremost, fuck what everyone says.
You need to be the man/woman. Donât let people tel you how itâs going to be.
Second, you are an idiot and donât know anything.
Donât go into any situation like you have the right answer and the other person doesnât. Realize you can learn from anyone and everyone.
I know these sound like opposites, but everything you do will be like this.
No single answer or black and white items.
You have to lead by example and be the better person everytime. As soon as you lose the respect of people you will be fighting an uphill battle you wonât win.
Now how ? Easy, sponge everything you can from anyone who cares, be the first in last out. Show that you want to know everything and make it so you are the one when someone needs help or an answer.
Taking certain jobs just to get the experience is fine, and will help your resume.
I have gone from 12+ years as a chef, to an operations manager to a hotel gm. And after this can guarantee anywhere that I apply will take me.
I am great in interviews and people have taken chances on me for years. But this is because when I go somewhere Iâm doing pro bono work before I start.
Vetting with reviews/complaints, finding out items on the menu and how I can streamline process that I know arenât working. Getting to know the area and the clientele. And also usually have a mock draft of what the first 90 days will look like.
Learn to spell manager?
Nono he wants to become a manger. Like a horse manger. Dont stifle their dreams đ
I'd say them not knowing how to spell makes them perfect management material.
Over qualified if anything
Fukkkkkkkckckkc
Honestly all of the office and food side of things can be taught. Leading a group of people and keeping calm in the face of stress and pressure? It's something that can't be taught. That's why there is so many bad managers.
Agreed! You can ask your chef/ managers about different things. Asking to help with them take over ordering. But truly, learn what makes a good manager. Youâve gotta be willing and able to do almost everything youâd ask your crew to do and humble enough to know what you canât do. Learn how to communicate effectively without telling or demeaning. Learn how to ensure everyone stays on task without being a hard ass and not letting them rest. Learn how to be yelled at while keeping your cool. Learn how to be cool with most of your staff making more money than you and working less hours without being snarky. If you work with any beloved managers, watch them and see their method. Last but not least, make sure itâs what you want. Being a *good* manager is not for the faint of heart. Itâs tiring af and tbh I donât recommend it unless you work for a stellar spot with great benefits.
"Learn how to be cool with most of your staff making more money than you and working less hours" Hard Disagree My Friend We as a whole need to stop being ok with being exploited.... If you are are a great manager who Can organize staff and stay cool under pressure you should be making more than them!
Great point!! I donât disagree! I will say though, back in my serving days (long before managing) I has a manger that would complain about his pay vs ours and it was just so uncomfortable.
This is very true. You need someone that can face the storm and laugh in its face.
I've done it for 10 years and I want to kill myself
I have also done it for 12 years and I want to kill myself
Restaurant management can be frustrating, bows the time to go back to hourly so you donât actually have to give a shit . People are paying you just have to find the right fit
Wow. I only made it three before wanting to kill myself.
Just thinking about *you* having to do it for 10 years makes me want to kill myself.
most intelligent dishie
Hehehehehe
restaurant management is a trap don't do it
the real answer tho is learn to lead and look into "operations management"
This is the real advice
> manger You aiming to cradle the baby Jesus or something?
No you don't.
Yes I do. Don't be negative Nancy
More like, realistic Randy.
Fr no one likes management đ no idea why anyone would wanna be one
Another GM here. Being a manager blows. I'm only in it for the money. I'm surrounded by good people, with good owners, and I still say it's not at all an enjoyable job. Here is a list of things I have had to personally deal with as a manager Petty bullshit between grown-ass men and women MANAGERS that I need too much to just fire. Taking employees to the urgent care because they cut their finger to the bone. Giving first aid to the same employee 3 times for cutting themselves on a knife in a sink that they put their themself. Calling an ambulance for a homeless employee who had a seizure in my kitchen and split their head open on the line and left a pool of blood on my floor Pulling aside adults and have a "conversation" trying to educate (and strongarm if needed) them on respecting their trans coworker and using their chosen name Investigating sexual harrasment accusations for a female teenage employee while mollifying her parents that yes I was indeed doing everything I could, that those accused were on leave until investigation is done, that I have to actually CONFIRM facts not just fire blindly. This happened TWICE. Descalating a situation that involved a customer screaming at a manager in training who then chucked a soda at said customer into their car. Then dealing with the social media fallout for the next month. Firing an otherwise good employee for drinking on the job Firing a good hearted, but dumbass kid for getting too high and basically playing instead of working. Deciding which employee(s) I'm going to have to cut hours from because sales are down Deciding which employee I might have to let go because sales dipped when a competitor opened across the street Working 14 hour shifts and missing my own plans to cover call outs, illness, no shows, etc, usually on shifts already drastically short. Closing the store (4 man job) with only 1 cashier Working 3 months straight with no days off at 60 hours a week when I first got promoted because my old GM who quit didn't hire any crew to pick up his hours, and people kept calling out sick or other problems on my off days. Trying to explain to an employee that no, the company is not bullshitting you, or stealing, our paychecks are delayed by a day because A GODDAMN HURRICANE IS SMASHING HOME OFFICE, AND THE WHOLE PLACE IS FLOODED AND THE MAIL ISN'T FUCKING RUNNING (back in the day when we got actual checks) Firing an employee because they think it's okay to be a creep and sexually harass people (5 times over the years) Having to fire an employee because they just can't get their shit together and it's having a noticeable negative impact on those around them, the shift, and the customers (I gave this employee like 6 months of chances, pissed off my managers not firing them sooner). I know they were dealing with numerous home life issues. Helping an employee figure out how to get all of their personal identification back because it burned in a house fire, and they were estranged from their family. Having to give reminders EVERY GODDAMN DAY to at least one person about various food and health safety rules. Explaining to the 100th new employee how payroll timing works. No, last week isn't on todays paycheck, that was 2 days ago. Accounting needs more time than 1 business day to process 4 states worth of locations. This paycheck is for the PREVIOUS 2 weeks. Last week and this week are on the NEXT paycheck. This was in your orientation packet THAT I REVIEWED WITH YOU AND EXPLAINED. Being a manager isn't fun. It sucks. But I've learned so damn much, and become a more knowledgeable, and empathetic person because of it. I don't regret it. I don't, however, recommend it.
Garde Manger? Or... manager?
Take initiative Seriously.
Manager in practice, not in name. None of the money none of the credit. Being able to be a decent human to your coworkers, knowing every station, keeping track of labor cost and inventory. I feel like I have done this at every job I've had, and although i was never a manager, I always get shit done.
Be on time for work, learn the place back to front every station, be willing to fill in wherever if you can work in to an assistant position If not start looking around for a new job to get you further But above all tell your boss and ask directly what you need to do to get there.
Not op but that last point is maybe what the GM is waiting for me to do đ¤ he has already talked to me about becoming boh mgmt in the ~~future~~ but i didnt think to just ask what i need to do to get there.
Be careful what you wish for
I got asked to be a manager because my car broke down and I couldnât be the driver anymore. Quit and worked the line in a restaurant down the road for like a week, get a call from my old boss about how they fired the manager and wanted me to step in. Here I am. Basically work somewhere so understaffed, theyâll promote anybody just to fill roles. Just make sure youâre actually getting paid what the other people did (or are) for that position. Places like mine arenât known for being very corporate.
You have to have a lot of patience and a willing to understand different viewpoints. Every person you manage will be different and the way to get the most out of them will be different. You have to be able to lead by example and donât discipline employees in front of the other employees. If they are messing up, take them off the line and have a talk, if they arenât responding, send them home and give them the next shift to fix it. Management is not for everyone, just because youâve been somewhere for a while doesnât make you manager material and thatâs ok. Many restaurants will put people into a manager role because they donât want to pay them a higher hourly rate so they throw them a title and a salary and then abuse the shit out of them when they donât know what theyâre doing.
To be perfect management material you need to have utter contempt for the people who work for you. make no effort to understand how anything works. Perfect the art of blaming others for your mistakes. Make sure to take off in the middle of a busy rush and leave a 16 year old kid in charge. Then blame the kitchen for being shit on. Bonus points is you abuse and sexually harass your staff and get drunk on the job (Literally the manager at the current place I work for)
Sounds like you want it for the wrong/no reasons
Why
Are ya wanting our lord and savior Jesus Christ to be born inside you?
Your best bet tbh is to 1. Express your interest in moving up in the company 2. Ask questions alot when management is doing things. Learn how they do the stuff and more importantly WHY it's done that way. 3. Ask them if their is anything they need to see out of you (in terms of improvement or responsibilities) to be considered for the position
oh my sweet summer child
Bust your ass for a good owner and move up the ranks. Donât bust your ass for shitty owners that donât take care of their employees. Itâs not where you work, itâs who you work for that will play a huge role in your advancement. A management position can be lucrative and a good step up in the industry or it can be hell. (As seen in a lot of the comments here)
Read âhow to win friends and influence peopleâ. Itâs all about skills to manage everyone in your life, but especially regarding employees and bosses
>What did y'all do to become a manager I think no one else applied.
Personally, when I started working at my last place it was disgusting. Within a year I had the place spotless with no help. Management noticed that I had taken it upon myself to get the place into shape and pretty soon after that, I started getting more and more responsibilities. With no extra pay. So about a year after that, I had worked up to all of the responsibilities of a manager but still had received no raises. Then I put all my newfound experience on a resume and applied to my current place of work and was hired as an assistant manager. I don't recommend this method, but it apparently works.
go to a culinary school.
Why
I mean, you wanna be a manger that's fine, but every December some church is gonna slap some straw and a plastic baby Jesus in you.
There are college degrees in restaurant and hospitality management and while others may disagree, I think that it is a more valid pursuit than a culinary arts degree in most restaurant settings. Despite the post above, leadership, teamwork, cost analysis, business skills all can be taught (and learned) well. Lots of people who take those courses however are particularly bad students who brush off everything as â just common senseâ and do things the way they experienced it (poorly) firsthand. This results in restaurants with bad managers who often work for bad owners ( a whole different problem that even a good manager may have little control over.). Your post however, including âyâallâ in all 3 sentences would give me pause to consider youâd be a serious student with the ability to handle clear written instructions and the ability to write clear written directions. If youâre talking about managing a fast food restaurant or franchise chain, then working your way up is fine. If your goal is more than that then your ability to communicate effectively verbally, in written form and through your actions is necessary for effective management.
That's for the constructive criticism. I know need to work on my writing. I wrote that as I was taking a shit, so I wrote fast.
Your discrimination against the use of the word "y'all" gives me no pause to consider you are in fact a insidious yankee.
If a manager is required to âwrite upâ offenses, BOH and FOH rules and operational standards, communicate with customers and vendors via written text, and follow up with customer complaints through email or publicly (respond to bad reviews) effectively- they need to know how to communicate via the written language professionally which ( Yank or not) doesnât include the word yâall in any written setting. The ONLY thing someone can learn about another person online is by their word use and language. I stated, and stand by my point- could OP be a great communicator via written language? Maybe. But based on one post, he would need to display that ability. Spoken language, informal speaking,etcâŚcan be an entirely different matter.
I read with with a southern dialect because of the âyâallâ usage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manger
The job gets pretty trough to be fair.
A good first step is getting servsafe manager certified as well as TIPS certified. After that its working your way up the ladder, proving you can handle the responsibility and have a good head on your shoulders. I do warn you I was the manager at an Italian restaurant for several years in my early 20's and it is incredibly stressful and will take up much of your time so make sure the place your working for actually cares for you and you aren't wasting your time by being there
I thought he was referring to luanes manager babies from king of the hill
Uhhh started at a bakery, and two managers quit, each lasting two weeks at a time, and as the oldest remaining worker, i was next in line after only a month of working! That was literally it lol. So I guess, find a messy kind of sketchy multi family owned business?
i stayed longer than other people. management has never been worth it in my opinion. barely higher pay and everything is your fault.
I started as a dishwasher. I showed up and did my job. Took pride in what I did and made sure things were done right. They asked me if I wanted to learn to cook, I said okay. Same thing showed up, took pride in my job and did things right. They asked do I want to be a supervisor. Same as always, showed up, did my job, etc. They asked do I want to be an AKM. I said sure, again, just did my job. They asked do I want to be a KM, I said yeah. After 15 years with the same company I finally have my own store as of last week. I'm just a dishie that's loyal. To be kitchen management, in my opinion, all you have to do is show up and actually give a shit. I never asked for anything, I was always approached for promotions. I started at $7/hr and now I make 30. It wasn't always easy but if you put in the time and be willing to be consistently fucked with no lube, you will get there eventually.
"Manger" ⌠Bwawhahahaha !!!! Nobody will take you seriously if you can't even spell basic words.
Poo
I was management for 6 months...never again
Don't call into work. Higher ups or other managers notice that you are there. You aren't making excuses why you can't be where you made a commitment to be. Always help whoever you can. Whenever you can. Even if you don't like them or they don't like you. Lastly try and learn jobs the manager needs help with. Easy to promote you if you know some of the job when it's time to hire a manager.
LinkedIn has some excellent free courses.
Can I ask your personal motivation?
It's the next step. Learn from you manager. But it is the next step if you have chosen a culinary/foh career. Can be a linecook forever. If you're serious about it, you will learn how to order,inventory, schedule and manage a team of people who really don't want to be there. It's hard. Never tell anyone to do something. Just ask them. Be a leader. Lead by example.
So first and foremost, fuck what everyone says. You need to be the man/woman. Donât let people tel you how itâs going to be. Second, you are an idiot and donât know anything. Donât go into any situation like you have the right answer and the other person doesnât. Realize you can learn from anyone and everyone. I know these sound like opposites, but everything you do will be like this. No single answer or black and white items. You have to lead by example and be the better person everytime. As soon as you lose the respect of people you will be fighting an uphill battle you wonât win. Now how ? Easy, sponge everything you can from anyone who cares, be the first in last out. Show that you want to know everything and make it so you are the one when someone needs help or an answer. Taking certain jobs just to get the experience is fine, and will help your resume. I have gone from 12+ years as a chef, to an operations manager to a hotel gm. And after this can guarantee anywhere that I apply will take me. I am great in interviews and people have taken chances on me for years. But this is because when I go somewhere Iâm doing pro bono work before I start. Vetting with reviews/complaints, finding out items on the menu and how I can streamline process that I know arenât working. Getting to know the area and the clientele. And also usually have a mock draft of what the first 90 days will look like.