Managing a dining room requires teamwork and determination to ensure a pleasurable dining experience.
Dining room managers oversee the day-to-day operation of restaurants and dining halls. They are present during peak serving times, help to ensure that diners have a pleasant dining experience and they troubleshoot any problems or complaints from patrons. Dining room managers are also responsible for estimating how much food the restaurant should have on hand, for generating reports to upper management, for overseeing cooks and servers and for performing administrative duties such as paying bills, payroll processing and employee scheduling.
Instructions
1. Make sure your employees understand the mission, vision and goals of your establishment. Have them repeat them periodically to keep everyone working together to meet the company's desired outcome and to create a good dining experience. Hire people who are excited about working in the food service industry and who share your work ethic.
2. Motivate food preparers and servers. Restaurants can be fast-paced and hectic at times. Giving incentives for meeting certain goals can motivate the staff to go the extra mile for the customers. Start each shift with a motivational or encouraging word for the employees.
3. Set a good example by completing your own tasks in a timely manner. Other managers, especially those who could help advance your career, want to see that you have initiative and the perseverance it takes to manage successfully. Doing so may increase your chances of getting a promotion.
4. Be available to talk with customers. For many companies, this may be a requirement of the manager. Inquire about their meal and their service. Be sure to give them your name and be visible in the dining room throughout the shift.
5. Direct your staff, but also work together as a team. Show employees that you are a worker, too. Make sure you are sometimes seen doing the same jobs as the cooks and servers. Deliver an order to a table, help with cleaning the dining room or help prepare an order.
6. Maintain a professional manner at all times. If you encounter an angry customer, be flexible and level-headed as you work through the issue. Try to come to a reasonable compromise that is best for the customer and the restaurant without attracting the attention of other patrons.
7. Refresh your knowledge of the job regularly. Search online sites and trade publications to see if there are ways you can improve your restaurant processes or procedures.
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