Fast food restaurant manager
A fast food restaurant manager is essentially a commercial business manager, with ultimate responsibility for safeguarding the financial success of a specific outlet/site and maintaining the reputation of the company. The role has a strong hospitality element, ensuring that the restaurant delivers high-quality food and drink and good customer service. However, it also includes activities common to business managers within any sector, including overseeing marketing, sales, operations, finance and human resources.
In some organisations, management is on a relatively large scale, as some restaurants have a turnover of over £1million and over 50 staff.
The concept of fast food no longer conjures up images of burgers and pizza. Coffee houses, sandwich shops and even sushi bars are now considered to be fast food outlets. The managers of all these establishments, regardless of their end product, face similar responsibilities, including:
Many managers begin their careers as counter-service staff and work their way up to management level by acquiring experience and not through formal qualifications. There are, however, a wide range of relevant full-time and part-time qualifications available.
A degree is only usually a requirement if you are joining a formal graduate management training programme. These schemes accept graduates from any discipline, but a number of specialist degree courses are available including:
There are also one-year postgraduate conversion courses in hotel and catering management or hospitality management, and a postgraduate diploma or Masters qualification in hospitality management. Postgraduate courses are not a requirement for entry to graduate programmes.
Additional relevant qualifications include hospitality management (HND), hospitality supervision (BTEC) and a whole range of leisure management or business management courses. See Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) for full details.
Other entry routes include apprenticeships (open to people up to 25 years of age). The hospitality and tourism sector is reputed to offer around 25,000 apprenticeships per year (visit Apprenticeships ).
The sector skills council, People 1st , has set up a the National Skills Academy for Hospitality which has industry-wide support and provides high-quality training for people interested in the hospitality sector.
Within the sector, formal qualifications are generally considered less important than evidence of relevant work experience and, more importantly, the personal qualities needed to be a successful manager. Candidates should, therefore, have some or all of the following:
Many restaurants include an observation or shadowing day as part of their recruitment process so candidates can experience working as a manager before they fully commit themselves. Other selection methods include telephone interviews, assessment centres, one-to-one interviews, panel interviews and personality tests.
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
Most larger organisations offer fast-track management programmes which enable progression to management level within a few years. Initial induction training will be back to basics, covering aspects such as product knowledge, working as counter service staff and how to use kitchen equipment. Over the course of the programme, through a combination of on-the-job learning and more formal courses, other training will include:
The programmes are comprehensive and equip trainees with all the key skills needed to succeed in this fast-paced environment.
Training is conducted on site, in specialist training centres alongside fellow trainee managers, and through self-study. There are few formal examinations. Training programmes are shaped by personal development plans, devised and reviewed by line managers or mentors.
After training, the industry encourages continuing professional development (CPD) and there are numerous courses available to support this. The Institute of Hospitality has produced a suite of five free online learning modules and also provides useful sector information, lists of courses and a CV toolkit to help record and assess CPD. Many CPD courses are designed to help managers keep abreast of change. See also Improve - The Food and Drink Sector Skills Council for details of other training.
If you join a structured training programme, the usual progression route is to begin at trainee management level, move to assistant manager level and then eventually become a manager. Typically this takes two years. Progression through the ranks is positively encouraged and many employers are keen to nurture front-end staff through to management level, as they are already embedded in the culture and operations of the organisation.
The next step for a manager is to a field or area management role, with responsibility for supervising the operations of a number of restaurants. Beyond this are general operational management or consultancy roles, advising the business on how to manage entire functions. Managers who have extensive experience and considerable collateral may also choose to open their own franchise. Many companies provide excellent support packages and training for potential franchise owners.
The training and experience gained is comprehensive and career moves into other business areas are possible. Some managers may take up head office positions, for example in customer relations management. Others may move outside their organisation and continue with hospitality management in a related industry or choose to pursue general business management in a different sector.
Fast food outlets can be found in city centres, out of town shopping centres, leisure complexes (cinemas, bowling alleys, ice rinks), public transport stations, airports, tourist attractions (theme parks, etc). Fast food companies usually lease outlets or franchises within these locations and managers are employed by these companies rather than by the overall centre or complex, though there may be exceptions.
Organisations usually considered to deliver a 'fast food' service include:
The Caterer.com carries out a survey to help identify the 'Best Places to Work in Hospitality'.
There are many recruitment agencies that specialise in catering and hospitality vacancies, such as Hcareers and City Catering , and most large agencies have teams dedicated to hospitality recruitment. The Institute of Hospitality has a list of the most popular agencies in its Career Builder section.
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