How to Become a Restaurant Manager in the UK

Think about the best meal out you have had. The food was good, but so was everything else. You were greeted at the door. Your table was ready. The staff were calm, even though the place was full. Someone made all of that happen.

That someone is the restaurant manager. They run the whole place, from the rota to the till. It is a busy job, and it suits people who like being on their feet and around other people.

This guide explains how to become a restaurant manager in the UK. It covers what the job involves, what it pays, what qualifications you need, and how an HND in Hospitality Management can help you get there.

What does a restaurant manager do?

In short, they make sure guests leave happy and the business makes money.

Most weeks include a mix of these tasks.

• Hiring, training and looking after staff.
• Writing the rota so there are enough people on every shift.
• Greeting guests and sorting out complaints.
• Ordering stock and keeping waste low.
• Checking food safety and health and safety rules are followed.
• Watching the numbers, like sales, staff costs and food costs.
• Working with the head chef on menus and prices.
• Opening up or locking up, and counting the takings.

No two days are the same. One evening you are helping on the floor because someone called in sick. The next morning you are in the office with a spreadsheet.

Is restaurant management a good career?

For the right person, yes. Here are the good parts.

There are jobs everywhere. Every town has cafes, pubs, restaurants and hotels, and London has thousands of them.

You can move up fast. Hospitality promotes people who work hard and learn quickly. Many managers got their first team in their twenties.

The skills travel. If you can run a busy restaurant, you can run a shop, a venue or your own business. Our post on the transferable skills you build in hospitality explains why.

There are hard parts too. The hours are long, and they include evenings, weekends and bank holidays. Busy services are tiring. You need to stay calm when a guest is upset or a delivery does not turn up.

If you enjoy the buzz of a full room, the hard parts are worth it. If you want a quiet nine to five, this is not the job for you.

How much does a restaurant manager earn in the UK?

Pay depends on the size of the restaurant, the kind of food it serves and where it is. London usually pays more.

Supervisors and team leaders often earn in the mid twenties in thousands of pounds. Assistant managers commonly earn from the high twenties into the low thirties. Restaurant managers often earn from the low thirties into the mid forties. General managers of large or high end sites can earn a good deal more than that.

Many roles add extras. These can include a share of tips, a bonus linked to sales, and meals on shift.

Treat these as rough guides, not promises. Check live job adverts near you to see what local employers pay. Our post on hospitality management jobs and salaries gives a wider picture.

Do you need a degree to become a restaurant manager?

No. There is no law that says you need one, and many good managers do not have one. Experience counts for a lot in this trade.

But a qualification helps in three ways.

It helps you get noticed. When two people apply for an assistant manager job, both with floor experience, the one who has also studied management stands out.

It fills the gaps that shifts do not teach. Working on the floor teaches you service. It does not always teach you how to read a profit and loss sheet, plan staff costs or deal with employment law. A profit and loss sheet is a simple report that shows what a business earned and what it spent.

It opens the bigger jobs. Large restaurant groups and hotels often ask for a Level 5 qualification or a degree for area manager and head office roles.

An HND, or Higher National Diploma, is a Level 5 qualification. Levels are a way of ranking how hard a course is. Level 5 is the same standard as the second year of a university degree. Our guide on whether an HND is equivalent to a degree explains how employers see it.

What is the usual route to restaurant manager?

There is no single path, but this is a common one.

You start on the floor. That could be as a waiter, a bartender, a host or a barista. You learn how service works and what guests expect.

You become a supervisor or team leader. Now you run a shift. You deal with small problems and help train new starters.

You step up to assistant manager. You help with the rota, the stock and the cashing up. You are in charge when the manager is away.

You become the restaurant manager. The site is yours. You own the sales, the costs, the team and the guest reviews.

After that, some people become a general manager, an area manager who looks after several sites, or an owner. Our post on hospitality career progression maps the whole ladder.

Each step often takes a year or two. Studying while you work can shorten the gaps.

How does an HND in Hospitality Management help you become a restaurant manager?

An HND in Hospitality Management teaches the business side of the job. On the course at LCK Academy, you study units such as these.

• The Contemporary Hospitality Industry, which shows how the whole sector fits together.
• Managing the Customer Experience, which teaches you how to plan good service, not just hope for it.
• The Hospitality Business Toolkit, which covers money, people and the law.
• Managing Food and Beverage Operations, which looks at menus, costs, stock and service styles.

These match what a restaurant manager does every week. You learn why food costs matter, how to set a price, how to plan a team and how to handle a complaint well.

The HND also builds habits you need as a manager. You write reports. You present to a group. You back up your ideas with facts. These are the same things an owner or area manager will ask of you.

You do not have to stop working to study. Many of our students keep their hospitality job while they learn. Our guide to getting hospitality work experience while you study shows how the two fit together.

What skills does a restaurant manager need?

You can start building these now, in whatever job you have.

Learn to stay calm. When a service goes wrong, the team looks at the manager. Practise slowing down and fixing one thing at a time.

Get good with people. You will lead staff of all ages and backgrounds. Listen first. Be fair. Say thank you.

Get comfortable with numbers. You do not need hard maths. You need to work out a percentage, read a sales report and spot when costs are creeping up.

Know the rules. Take a Level 2 food safety course if you have not already. It is short, cheap and most employers ask for it. If the restaurant sells alcohol, someone on site needs a personal licence, and it is often the manager.

Ask for more at work. Offer to do a stock count, write a rota or train a new starter. These are great examples for an interview.

Can you become a restaurant manager with no experience?

Not straight away. Very few places will hand the keys to someone who has never worked a shift.

But you can get there quicker than you think. Take a floor job, even part time. Tell your manager you want to move up. Study alongside it. Within a couple of years you can have both the experience and the qualification, and that is a strong mix.

Career changers do well in this trade. If you have managed people in a shop, a warehouse or an office, you already have half the skills. Our post on what to know before moving into hospitality management covers the switch.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to become a restaurant manager?

From a first floor job, it often takes three to five years. A qualification and a good employer can make it faster.

What qualifications do I need to be a restaurant manager?

None are required by law. A food safety certificate is expected almost everywhere. An HND in Hospitality Management helps you stand out and prepares you for the business side.

Is being a restaurant manager stressful?

It can be, mostly during busy services and when you are short of staff. Good planning and a team you trust make a big difference.

What hours does a restaurant manager work?

Expect around 40 to 48 hours a week, with evenings and weekends. Shifts depend on when the restaurant is busiest.

What is the difference between a restaurant manager and a general manager?

A restaurant manager runs one restaurant. A general manager often runs a bigger site or a whole business with several departments. Our guide to the general manager role in hospitality explains it.

Can I open my own restaurant after an HND?

Yes, and many people study for that reason. The course teaches you costs, staffing and customer experience, which are the things new owners most often get wrong.

Ready to take the first step?

If you like food, people and a busy room, the HND in Hospitality Management at LCK Academy is a practical place to begin. It covers service, money, people and food and drink operations, and you can study it around your job.

• Email: admissions@lckacademy.org.uk
• Phone: 020 8161 3300

Get in touch and we will talk through where the course could take you.