The Characteristics and Traits of Top-Performing Restaurant Managers

If you were to ask a restaurant owner to define what a restaurant manager does, or should do, you'd no doubt hear a long list of tasks ranging from hiring and firing and setting weekly schedules to monitoring deliveries, approving invoices, and, of course, overseeing service. It wouldn't be too difficult to quickly come up with 100 different job responsibilities for a typical restaurant manager.

But Jay Goldstein, principal of Dallas-based Advance Foodservice Consulting, has distilled the job description for a restaurant manager down to this: "A manager exists to build profitable sales, and everything a manager does should be targeted to that objective."

One expert compares the qualities of a top manager with a math problem. "If you get the right answer, there are a number of ways to get there." There's no set personality; one top manager might be totally outgoing and effervescent while another may be quiet and reserved. Both personalities could perform exceptionally well, but there are some qualities that top managers share.