Restaurant Manager
What you'd actually do
The work is leading and rostering staff, overseeing service, handling customers and complaints, managing stock, takings and standards, and stepping in wherever needed. Leadership, calm under pressure and good people and number skills matter, since you juggle a team, demanding customers and a busy service while keeping the business profitable.
Hours are long and include evenings, weekends and holidays, the work is on your feet and high-pressure, and pay is a steady salary that grows with experience and the size of the venue, sometimes with bonuses. It is demanding but rewarding for people who love hospitality and leading a team.
Many managers work their way up from waiting, bar or kitchen roles, learning on the job, while some come through a hospitality apprenticeship or college course. Food hygiene knowledge is essential, and experience can lead to running bigger venues or your own place.