Food Service Management, Executive Chef and General Management Career and
Job Highlights
- Several food and beverage preparation and service workers are
promoted into managerial positions based on their experience; nevertheless, the
best candidates include those applicants with a bachelorę?or an associate degree
in restaurant and institutional food service management.
- The majority of newly-created jobs in food services and
drinking places will increase in accordance with the growing number of
establishments and with the population.
- Because more restaurant managers will be hired by larger
companies to oversee multi-outlet establishments, job availability for salaried
food service managers is projected to be better than for self-employed managers
Food Service Manager, Executive Chef and General Manager Career
Overview
It is the responsibility of food service managers to run
daily operations of restaurants and other establishments that provide costumers
will meals and drinks. Food service managers guarantee customers satisfaction
with dining experiences in addition to synchronizing activities among different
departments, such as kitchen, dining room, and banquet operations. Further, they
supervise the ordering and inventory of food, materials, and supplies and make
arrangements for regular maintenance of the restaurant, equipment, and
amenities. Typically it is the manager's job to run all of the administrative
and human-resource aspects of running the business, which includes hiring new
employees and evaluation current employee performance.
The management
team includes of a general manager, one or more assistant managers, and an
executive chef in the majority of food establishments. Some responsibilities of
the executive chef may include: running kitchen operations, creating menus,
maintaining quality food service guidelines, and other food preparation
operations. However in some limited-service eating places, such as sandwich
shops, coffee bars, or fast-food establishments, managers are accountable for
watching over routine food preparation operations, as opposed to executive
chefs. In full-service establishments, assistant managers usually supervise
dining room and banquet room service. Larger restaurants and fast-food or other
food service places who provide daily meals and are opened for longer hours,
have individual assistant managers who may direct various shifts of workers.
Formal titles may be nonessential in smaller facilities with one person
performing the work of one or more food service positions. For example, the
owner may be the manager as well as the executive chef.
It is essential
that food service managers assist executive chefs in selecting menu items that
will be successful. This project will be different with every restaurant
depending on seasonal menu items, how often the menus are altered, and the
coming out with daily or weekly specials. Several restaurants will change their
menus often while others will not. Keeping in mind the popularity of past menu
items, managers and executive chefs carefully select menu items. Further issues
to be considered when creating a menu include: the necessity of having variety,
what foods are available during particular foods, and the leftovers from food
that wasn't served but that should not be wasted. To establish food, labor,
overhead costs, and to give prices to menu items; managers or executive chefs
evaluate and study the recipes of the dishes. To ensure ample time for ordering
supplies for menu items, planning menus must be done well in
advance.
Managers or executive chefs approximate amounts of food, submit
orders to distributors, and arrange the fresh food and supply deliveries. They
organize and plan for regular services or deliveries, such as linen deliveries
or deep cleaning of dining rooms or kitchen equipment, when the restaurant will
be slow or closed. Additionally, managers also set up the repairs and
maintenance of apparatus, and organize different services like pest control
garbage removal. Managers or executive chefs accept deliveries; validate
delivery contents in accordance with orders; examine the quality of fresh meats,
poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, and baked goods to make sure their requests
are fulfilled. To stock up on tableware, linens, paper products, cleaning
supplies, cooking utensils, furniture, and fixtures; they place orders as they
meet with supply company representatives.
Good communication is a
necessity for managers. They must speak well; and especially with a diverse
staff, it may be beneficial to know other languages. They must encourage their
employees to be cooperative as members of a team, to guarantee standards are met
with food and services. Further, managers must guarantee that orders are easy to
understand and clear.
Managers are responsible for interviewing, hiring,
training, and, when necessary, firing employees. It is challenging for mangers
to maintain good employees. To attract additional applicants, managers employ
workers at career fairs; get in touch with schools offering academic hospitality
or culinary arts programs, and place advertisements in the newspaper. Managers
clarify the establishmentę?policies and practices and watch over the teaching of
new employees. They also in charge of work schedules to ensure there are
substantial workers to cover each shift; and they find substitutes or fill in
themselves when an employee is unable to work. When a restaurant becomes
over-busy, a few managers may assist with other tasks including cooking and
clearing tables.
It is the responsibility of a food service manager to
make sure that dinners are served on time and in an appropriate manner. They
deal with costumer complaints regarding food service or quality and find ways to
resolve them. They watch over the kitchen to find places where back-ups may
occur and work with chefs to improve any kitchen delays. To abide by company and
government sanitation standards, managers supervise dining area cleaning as well
as the washing of silverware, dishes, glasses, kitchen utensils, and equipment.
Managers must keep an eye on employees and patrons at all times to guarantee a
safe environment for staff at the facility. They ensure compliance with health
and security standards and local liquor regulations.
Further, managers
may hold several administrative duties. These include: keeping records of
workers; arranging the payroll; carrying out paperwork to conform to licensing
regulations; as well as reporting tax, wage and hour, unemployment compensation,
and Social Security laws requirements. The majority of general managers keep
these responsibilities for the precision of business records; however, a few
delegate this work to an assistant manager or bookkeeper, or contract it out.
Further, managers uphold supply records and equipment purchases, and they make
sure that suppliers are being paid.
Technology provides many positive
influences to the jobs of food service managers, including effectiveness and
productivity enhancement. Several restaurants track orders, perform inventory,
and seat of patrons with the help of computers. Point-of-service (POS) systems
permit servers to instantaneously transfer orders to the kitchen as they key in
a customerę?order, either tableside while using a hand-held device, or from a
computer station in the dining area. This system also adds up and prints out
checks, serves as a cash register, authorizes credit cards, and follows sales.
Several managers use inventory-tracking software to contrast the POS sales
record with a record of the present inventory to lower the food expenses and
waste. A few food facilities program into their POS systems an inventory of
regular ingredients and suppliers. This allows materials to be order instantly
through the program when supplies are low. Another benefit of computers is that
they promote greater efficiency as food service managers schedule and pay
employees.
The internet is utilized by many food service managers to
follow food-related news, search for recipes, perform market research, buy
supplies or equipment, hire employees, and train personnel. Costumers may also
have online services including web sites displaying menus and promotions, giving
restaurant locations and directions, and offering the choice for patrons to make
reservations.
Managers hold the financial responsibilities of totaling up
the cash and charge receipts received and comparing them with the sales record
and then depositing the receipts for that day at the bank or another secure
place. Finally, it is the manager's job to lock everything up; to check that
ovens, grills, and lights are turned off; and to activate security
systems.
In 2002, food service managers occupied approximately 386,000
jobs. The majority of managers received a set income; however, about one in
three was independently owned and self-employed restaurants or other littler
food service establishments. Nearly 75 percent of all jobs that received
salaries of food service managers were in restaurants providing full service or
eating places providing limited food, such as fast-food restaurants and
cafeterias. Further salaried jobs were in drinking places that serve alcohol and
in unique food servicesę¢n industry comprised of food service suppliers who
provide food services at institutional, governmental, commercial, or industrial
sites. A tiny amount of salaried jobs were in hotels or traveler accommodation;
school systems; entertainment, gambling, and leisure industries; nursing care
centers; and hospitals. Full-service amenities are found predominately in bigger
cities and tourist areas; however, jobs are also found throughout the
country.
Food Service Manager, Executive Chef and General Manager
Training and Job Qualifications
Employees recruited to be trained
for management by the majority of food service management agencies and national
or regional food chains have received a 2 and 4-year college hospitality
management degree. Preferably, restaurant chains recruit those with restaurant
and institutional food service management degrees; however, they often employ
graduates with varying degrees who have shown an increased interest and ability.
A few management positionsę¢specially self-service and fast-foodę¢re taken by
advancing food and beverage preparation and service workers who have a great
deal of experience. Some workers, including waiters, waitresses, chefs, and
fast-food workers, demonstrate prospective abilities for handling greater
accountability and occasionally promote to assistant manager or management
trainee jobs. Executive chefs must have wide-ranging experience working as
chefs; while it is important for managers to have previous experience at
restaurant, usually as assistant managers.
Strong preparation for a
career as a food-service manager stems from a bachelorę?degree in restaurant and
food service management. A good amount of colleges and universities provide
programs in restaurant and hotel management or institutional food service
management lasting 4 years. Another choice may be to attend a community or
junior college, technical institute, and another institution offering
food-service programs that result in an associate degree or another kind of
certification. Courses in 2 and 4-year programs may include topics such as
nutrition, sanitation, and food planning and preparation, plus accounting,
business law and management, and computer science. A few programs pair classroom
instruction and laboratory study with on-the-job experience through internships.
Also, several academic institutions may provide culinary and food programs.
Training in these schools can be beneficial later on when advancing to a
position, such as an executive chef.
The majority of restaurant chains
and food service management companies required intense training for any
management job. Trainees are taught and receive experience in all areas of
operating a restaurant as they are trained in the classroom and on-the-job.
These different areas may include: food preparation, nutrition, cleanliness,
security, company rules and procedures, personnel management, keeping records,
and preparing reports. It has become more and more important to train the
trainee in the company's computer system as well. Typically, trainees are
permanently assigned as an assistant manager after 6 months to a
year.
Personal qualities may factor into the hiring process for most
employers. Some essential qualities include: self-discipline, initiative,
leadership ability, detail-oriented, and problem solving capability. To
communicate well with costumers and suppliers and to encourage employees,
managers must have superior communication skills. Because managers must show
respect and confidence when confronting the public, they must maintain a neat
and clean physical appearance. Good health and stamina are also important to
keep up with the physical demanding nature of this job.
An assessment of
professional achievement for food service managers is the certified Foodservice
Management Professional (FMP) designation. Voluntary certification grants
acknowledgment of professional aptitude, mainly for managers who obtained their
abilities as they worked, even though it is not a requirement for working or
promoting in this field. The National Restaurant Association Educational
Foundation honors the FMP designation to managers who receive a specific score
on a written exam, finish a set of classes that cover several food management
topics, and fulfill the requirement for work experience in the field.
It
might be necessary to relocate for advancement or greater job opportunities.
Managers naturally promote to bigger restaurants or management positions in the
region within the chain. A few will ultimately open up their own food service
business.
Job Outlook for Food Service
Managers
Through 2012, the job of food service manager is
anticipated to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations. Many job
opportunities will arise from openings from transferring or retiring managers as
well as from employment expansion. The best job opportunities will go to
candidates with a 2 or 4-year degree in restaurant and institutional food
service management.
Variety within the industry causes expected
employment to differ. The majority of new jobs will be available in full-service
restaurants and limited-service eating places as more and more of these places
develop in competition with a growing population. Special food services (an
industry that includes food service contractors) with manager jobs will grow in
accordance with hotels, schools, healthcare facilities, and other businesses
contracting out their services in the business. Growth will be reduced as
contracting out becomes widespread; however, more food service manager jobs are
still estimated to increase in hotels, schools, and health-care
facilities.
Salaried managers should have better job opportunities over
self-employed managers. The majority of new restaurants are associated with
national chains as opposed to being independently owned and ran. As this
tendency persists, smaller amounts of owners will be managers themselves, and a
bigger amount of restaurant managers will be owned by larger companies to
operate individual developments.
Historical Earnings
Information
In 2002, the middle yearly earning for managers
receiving salary was $35,790. Between $27,910 and $47,120 is what the middle 50
percent took home. The lowest 10 percent made lower than $21,760, while the
highest 10 percent made higher than $67,490. Food service managers with
considerable experience may receive much higher than figures above.
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