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Restaurant and Food Service Managers

Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits

Any volunteer or paid experience working in the food service industry and managing others will be useful for aspiring restaurant and food service managers. Experience in all areas of restaurant and food service work is an important requirement for successful managers. Managers must be familiar with the various operations of the establishment: food preparation, service operations, sanitary regulations, and financial functions.

One of the most important requirements for restaurant and food service managers is to have good business knowledge. They must possess a high degree of technical knowledge in handling business details, such as buying large items of machinery and equipment and large quantities of food. Desirable personality characteristics include poise, self-confidence, and an ability to get along with people. Managers may be on their feet for long periods, and the hours of work may be both long and irregular. Other important traits include good organizational, time management, and leadership skills; a detail-oriented personality; good problem-solving skills; reliability; and a neat and clean appearance.

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