See and Be Seen: Why Managers and Owners Need to Be Highly Visible to Their Guests

If you read a job description for a restaurant manager, you appreciate the diversity of skills and flexible temperament required to be successful. A good restaurant manager has the insight of a psychologist, the discretion of a diplomat, the memory of an elephant, the strategies of a winning coach, the endurance of a marathon runner and the optimism of Pollyanna. There are a thousand details that have to be remembered and acted on, while a gaggle of servers and guests all tug on your sleeve needing attention and answers.

You may be the owner and also the manager or you may hire a manager. Either way, the manager wears many hats depending on your particular concept and location. Peter Parles is both owner and manager of the Straw Hat Restaurant in Anguilla, British West Indies. He has a distinctive view of his job description.

"I look at myself as a type of 'translator' in that I live here and appreciate the culture of Anguilla and the Caribbean in general but, as an American, I have a real understanding of what my guests are looking for, and I can bring the two together," Parles says. "I am part tour guide, part host, part waiter and part problem solver."