Why is Restaurant Manager Training Important?
Managers are the employees who can have the most significant impacts on a restaurant’s operations, successes, and overall guest experience. They are responsible for the efficiency of staff operations, the restaurant’s inventory, and much more. All restaurant managers must be effectively trained to address every facet of the restaurant’s daily operations to ensure that all elements of the business are correctly being attended to. If a restaurant manager is insufficiently trained for the position, their work can create significant impacts on a business’s bottom line and overall performance, including:
Less Effective Training
If managers are not provided with high-quality, ongoing training, then they are much more likely to pass down ineffective training practices to new employees. This can severely impact the overall performance of a restaurant, especially over the long term.
Lower Employee Turnover
According to a study released by Sage Journal several years ago, practical training of restaurant managers can reduce overall employee turnover by as much as 9%. This can save restaurants thousands of dollars annually in avoided costs that would come with having to train new replacement employees.
Lower Sales and Profits
Ineffective management practices and high levels of employee turnover tend to reduce overall customer experience significantly. Lowered customer experience will quickly lead to reductions in sales and a drop in a business’s overall profit margins.
Related: Workplace Safety for Restaurants, Bars, and Cafes
Restaurant Manager Key Skills
There are several critical skills that restaurant managers need to be fully trained in to serve effectively in their role. Some of the primary managerial skills that need to be taught to up-and-coming managers include:
- Workplace safety
- Managing new restaurant hires
- Conflict management between employees
- Cash management
- Key equipment training
- Customer service
- Marketing (via online reviews, social media monitoring, and overall online presence)
- Inventory management
- Food safety and waste management
- Alcohol handling/services/understanding of legal requirements
Practical restaurant manager training programs should cover most, if not all, of these skills. However, it would likely be beneficial if others were covered, including first aid, communication, commercial awareness, organization, and diligence.
Related: Steps to Training a New Supervisor
Restaurant Manager Training Plans: What Do They Need to Include?
To be fully effective, restaurant manager training plans and programs need to include several different elements. Not only do they need to teach the list of essential skills noted above correctly, but they must also specifically highlight the critical values of a business while also defining the work expectations of the business’s owners. Restaurant management courses show the most success when they are designed to ensure that trained managers can stay on top of general operations and help all other employees, should they run into a particular issue. Managers who also learn about how to appropriately and calmly engage with customers– particularly agitated customers- are crucial to ensuring that a restaurant can operate successfully.
Do your workers need training in safety and compliance? Check out the quality resources offered by ARROW UP today, or reach out to them at info@arrowuptraining.com to learn more.
Top Restaurant Manager Training Methods
Several methods can effectively be used to train new managerial candidates, though many have found that some combination of each of them tends to produce the most successful results. Below are four top strategies that tend to produce some of the most favorable training results, but please know that this list is not an extensive one. In addition, many other methods can be used to train successful restaurant managers, and business owners would do well to understand the full range of these training methods.
Train-the-Trainer Model
The train-the-trainer model is a framework that can help turn employees (in this case, managers) into subject matter experts regarding anything and everything needed to run a business effectively. With this type of training, managers can then teach what they have learned to other employees effectively. Thus, this model is a great way to disseminate skills and knowledge throughout the entirety of a restaurant’s staff.
On-The-Job
Never underestimate the high value of on-the-job training, especially when it comes to training managers. An excellent method to ensure a new manager’s abilities is to train them on tasks beyond their regular managerial duties. This tactic ensures that they know how to perform critical tasks that other employees usually handle. From waiting and busing tables and operating the register to manning the kitchen or bar, the most effective managers are ones who know how to act in all areas of the business. Not only can this help set a manager’s expectation for the performance of other employees, it also means that they can pitch in with any necessary task if there happens to be a no-show or if the restaurant is understaffed for an evening.
Common Issues
It’s essential to ensure that all new managers are trained on how to address common issues that can negatively impact a restaurant’s performance and the overall experiences of guests. Customer service is the most obvious area where problems can arise, but they should also know how to deal with food and drink mishaps and maintenance issues for the building and essential equipment.
Related: 4 Best Practices for New Employee Safety Training in Restaurants
The Importance of Restaurant Manager’s Continuing Education
Business owners need to understand that once managers have gone through their training and started taking on their managerial responsibilities, their training isn’t over. It’s important to have ideas for additional, future training courses to promote the continued education and advancement of a restaurant manager’s skills and abilities. There are always new things that managers can learn to help enhance the effectiveness of their performance and the effectiveness of the restaurant as a whole. If you happen to be searching for some additional training courses to provide your new restaurant managers with, take a look at the sexual harassment prevention and leadership training courses offered by the experts at ARROW UP today.
Are you a business owner looking for top-quality employee training programs covering safety, compliance, and workplace harassment prevention? Explore the steller services offered by ARROW UP or reach out to them at info@arrowuptraining.com today to learn more.
