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A front-house manager’s job is to oversee and coordinate the whole front-of-house staff. He ensures the restaurant makes an excellent first impression and that the entire service for the shift operates well.
Here are some qualities necessary for a great front-house manager at a restaurant.
1. Excellent People Skills
The front-house manager may be the first person that a diner sees when walking through the doors of your restaurant. Consequently, they must be warm and welcoming and ensure that diners have a pleasant experience.
A patron may also call the manager when they have a complaint, and the manager may need to take over when wait staff is dealing with a demanding customer. He should diffuse the situation without disrupting the rest of the diners or causing a scene.
2. Leadership Skills
The front house manager should manage and lead his entire team effectively. He should make decisions confidently and be able to enforce them. This is especially true for high-pressure situations with no time for second-guessing.
3. Empathy
An effective manager can also understand the needs and concerns of his employees while helping them overcome performance issues with empathy. He should motivate staff and push them to be more productive.
4. Organization
A lot is going on at the restaurant at any given time, and the front house manager needs to coordinate between all parties involved to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
He needs to have an effective system for allocating reservations and tables to those waiting, managing service staff and their table assignments, dealing with consumer complaints, and collaborating with the kitchen.
Since he is multi-tasking so many different operations already, a front-house manager needs to avoid the urge to micro-manage and delegate where appropriate.
5. Work Well Under Pressure
Service at a restaurant can be a highly high-pressure situation. A front-house manager will be pulled in almost every direction at its busiest. He needs to handle many tasks to cater to his employees, clients, and superiors within a short period.
6. Know-How of the Food Industry
Prior working experience or knowledge of the food industry (particularly restaurants) is a definite plus.