INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Restaurant Manager positions are at a 15% growth rate, which is faster than average. With that said, there are currently 309,800 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 46,200 to 356,000 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Restaurant Manager jobs was $56,590 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $33,880, and the highest 10% more than $94,770.
Our conclusion? The Restaurant Manager job market is wide open for candidates.
Top restaurant manager sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to craft the perfect restaurant manager resume experience section
Perfecting the experience section: restaurant manager resume checklist.
- Be careful with bullet points: use no more than 4-6 per position;
- Mention only positions that are relevant to the job you’re applying for;
- List your experience in chronological or reverse-chronological order;
- Highlight your results by using numbers – e.g. percentage increase/decrease in an important metric that’s followed by - your hard work;
- Use action words whenever possible… but more on that below.
Need examples? We looked through thousands of Restaurant Manager resumes and gathered some examples of what the ideal experience section looks like. Check them out below!
- Supervise Sheraton and Luxury Collection All Day Dinning with capacity of 400 and 100 seats respectively;
- Supervise Steam N' Spice Noodle Bar with capacity for 150 people;
- Ensure the brand standards are being followed in all outlets;
- Lead and manage a team of 30 people;
- Monthly associate training of English and F&B;
- Fine Dining and VIP Service;
- Responsible for the foreign guests in the hotel;
- With the F&B team organize the monthly promotions
- Provided customers and members with prompt and courteous service to ensure satisfaction.
- Applied valuable customer service skills and up-selling techniques.
- Utilized high levels of energy and superior multi-tasking abilities.
- Maintained strong relationships with co-workers/management for a continued positive working environment.
- Thrived working in this extremely fast-paced environment.
- Be composed and amicable in difficult situations
- Deal with a range of different people and be able to effectively communicate with them
- To carry out day-to-day work while bearing in mind macro-level business issues
- Control Profit & Loss by following cash control/security procedures, maintaining inventory, managing labor, reviewing financial reports and taking appropriate action.
- Increased sales by 15% in 2015 reaching a total revenue of €406,000.
- Reduced employee turnover by 20% and significantly increased productivity by introducing a performance management system that recognised contribution, challenged staff to accept responsibility and empowered them to make decisions.
- Enabled the Executive Director to focus on high priority strategic issues by taking responsibility for the day to day administrative affairs of the office and responding to all requests for information.
- Effectively managed the available budget achieving yearly savings in excess of €7,000.
- Implemented new beverage modifiers which increased yearly revenue over $112,000
- Established and maintained strong client-hotel relationships for a busy $15 million banquet operation
- Wrote 100 page Manager Training manual
- Supervise and manage social functions and corporate events of up to 800 guests leading teams up to 30 staff
- Develop growth of event sales whilst maintaining and managing client relationships and expectations
- Display impeccable attention to detail to execute the set-up and pack-down of functions and meetings by allocating workloads to employees in order to meet strict deadlines
- Work and interact with clients from many different backgrounds in a fast-paced environment
- Encourage development, training and guidance of new and existing employees
- Develop and manage the first Fine-Dinning Restaurant, operated by students in Bulgaria;
- Educate and inspire multi-national students how to provide the ultimate hospitality experience - basic business skills, F&B management, Barista module, wine and wine-pairing module;
- F&B and FMCG consulting services;
- Fine-tuning of F&B curriculum;
- Lead the front of house staff as shift manager
- Train and supervise new employees
- Handle opening and closing duties including nightly tip out and payroll
- Coordinate with the Head Chef and Owner to implement goals, make changes and lead the staff
- Recruitment, training and staff development (team of 14)
- Maintaining high standards of service in accordance with audits
- Designing and implementing SOP'S
- Managing Staff Resources
- Stock control and management
- Ensuring proper health and safety and food hygiene practices were in place and adhered to
- Developing effective and exciting marketing strategies
PRO TIP
Include quantitative data throughout your Restaurant Manager resume to impress the hiring manager. Real facts and figures that show off your competency as an audit manager go a long way. Did you reduce the costs of audits? Manage a large team? Boosted efficiency? Show off the real numbers!
Action verbs for your restaurant manager resume
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Impressing recruiters with a top restaurant manager resume skills section
Checklist for an impressive restaurant manager resume skills section:
- List both hard and technical skills that are important for the role;
- Check what the job description says and add some keywords based on that;
- Focus only on relevant skills;
- Try not to list things such as “communication”; rather, highlight your soft skills in other sections of your Restaurant Manager resume.
Top skills for your restaurant manager resume
I-Movie
Windows Movie Maker
Webex
Sharepoint
Presentation Tools
Microsoft Office
Patience
Multitasking
Listening
Attention to details
Communication
Memorization
PRO TIP
Don’t feel obliged to spend a separate section for your soft skills - you can weave them throughout your job experience or career summary. But, don’t just write empty words - back them with examples.
Recommended reads:
Restaurant manager resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your restaurant manager resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have policies about identifying information like photos on your Restaurant Manager resume. Be sure to check all the relevant rules before submitting yours. If you’re in doubt, you can always try contacting the company’s HR department to ask for their policy.
Crafting a strong summary for your restaurant manager resume
Checklist: The perfect restaurant manager resume summary section
- Add a couple of keywords from the job description;
- Mention some of your most valuable skills and characteristics;
- Highlight your top achievements (and add numbers!);
- Use no more than 3-5 sentences to guarantee readability and keep - the hiring manager interested.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary section should act as a brief but informative introduction to your experience section. In this section you should go into more depth about what you have done, and how you did it.
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An impressive education section: restaurant manager resume
Restaurant manager resume: Education section checklist
- Highlight your highest education degree;
- Include the degree subject, year of graduation, and institution name;
- Mention some of the awards you’ve received during your studies;
- List your certifications (incl. the body that’s issued them);
- Entry-level positions: Give preference to courses that are relevant to the position.
Top Certifications for your Restaurant Manager Resume
Quick Service Restaurant Management Certificate Course
Deep dive into the Role of a Restaurant Manager and become certified in Quick Service Restaurant Management
2022 ServSafe Manager Exams National Restaurant Association
97% Pass in First Attempt Easily ServSafe Manager Exams by National Restaurant Association NRA
The Ultimate Food and Restaurant Business Course
For Existing Food & Restaurant Businesses & Start Ups. This course will significantly improve you chance of success.
Menu optimization for restaurants
Become a better restaurant manager and learn how to optimize menus and increase profits
Restaurant Management Business
How to start restaurant business, How to calculate restaurant performance, How to retain restaurant customers etc.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Restaurant Manager. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
The right format for your restaurant manager resume
When it comes to formatting your Restaurant Manager resume, there are certain things you need to keep in mind. These include your level of expertise, your total years of experience, and the position and company you’re applying for, to name a few.
You can choose between three basic resume formats:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
The reverse-chronological format is just that – all your experience listed in a reverse-chronological way. It’s great for experienced professionals who have been in the industry for many years and have no career gaps.
The functional skills-based resume, on the other hand, focuses on skills, education, and personality traits, rather than experience. This makes it great for graduates, people with less experience, or bigger career gaps. The idea is to show you’re the perfect match without putting too much emphasis on your lack of relevant experience.
If none of these sound suitable, go for a hybrid (or combination) resume. It’s a mix of experience, skills, and personality traits. It’s also considered modern and innovative because of its non-traditional structure and sections. Here, you can add details about what your typical day looks like or what your life philosophy is. In short, the hybrid resume format shows who you are, both as a professional and as an individual.
More tips on perfecting your resume style and layout:
- Choose a traditional 12p font;
- Make sure your resume margins are no bigger than an inch;
- Go for a one-page template. If you have broad experience and can’t fit your resume on one page, choose a two-page resume template
- Save your resume as PDF to avoid formatting issues and unauthorized editing.
Read this: Ways to make your Restaurant Manager resume stand out
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
If you feel that you don’t have high chances in a particular company, due to lack of relevant experience, then you can still consider using a creative layout. That might help you get noticed and invited for an interview, as most of the other applicants will have boring resume designs.
More sections worth adding to your restaurant manager resume
If the industry, company, and position you’re applying for allow for that, you could include other sections in your Restaurant Manager resume. By doing this, you’ll show the recruiter that you’re a real human and not a robot.
Here are some ideas:
The right kind of creativity for your restaurant manager resume
Several years ago, everyone preferred keeping a safe distance from creative resumes. Today, adding creativity to your CV is considered cool, innovative, and one of the best ways to stand out.
You can add a creative section that describes your typical day or even go for a colorful creative template. No matter what you choose, make sure to keep the position, company, and industry in mind. Otherwise, you risk looking silly.
What Makes a Great Restaurant Manager Resume: Key Takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
