Restaurant Management Schools in the U.S.

Planning menus with your executive chef can be fun, but to do this successfully you need to know how to set prices, work out portion sizes, and determine possible overhead costs for each dish. You also need a firm command of business skills to keep track of inventory, including the food, equipment, and other supplies.

On the human resources side, you must hire and train new staff, and, even more importantly, you need to know how to keep qualified staff happy so they don't leave. You also have to coordinate the payroll, keep employee work records, and do extensive paperwork for taxes, unemployment compensation, and Social Security laws. Do you know how to keep precise records of accounts and accurately balance daily receipts against the record of sales? Restaurant management schools can teach you these skills.

To keep your patrons happy, you have to monitor every aspect of the restaurant to guarantee that food is served swiftly and efficiently. Along with overseeing the cuisine, you also need to supervise your staff in keeping the restaurant clean, meeting health and safety standards, and following local liquor regulations.

With all these complex components, a restaurant manager job description can seem quite overwhelming, but fortunately restaurant management schools provide all the training you need.

Is Restaurant Management School Really Necessary?

In this competitive industry, it can certainly help to have a bachelor's degree, although some people do enter the profession with only an associate's degree. Both two- and four-year college hospitality and food service management programs are available. These typically include internships to give you real world experience in the field prior to graduation.

Restaurant management courses typically include:

• Accounting, business law, and management
• Food preparation and nutrition
• Personnel management
• Recordkeeping
• Sanitation
• Security

Approximately 1,000 colleges and universities throughout the U.S. offer four-year degree programs in restaurant management or similar fields, and many are beginning to offer graduate degrees as well. If you commit to long-term employment with a large food service operation, then your employer may even pay for some of your management training.

Restaurant management schools prepare you for the voluntary Foodservice Management Professional (FMP) designation as well. While not necessary, this certification does prove to employers you've achieved a certain level of proficiency in the field.

Essential Career Skills not Taught in Restaurant Management Courses

You need to be a strong leader in order to manage others, which means taking initiative and proving that you're 100 percent reliable. A restaurant can be a chaotic environment, so you need the self-confidence and strength to keep it running smoothly. To do that successfully, you need excellent attention to detail and keen problem-solving skills. Good communication skills can take you far as well, helping you to handle customers, employees, and important suppliers.

Average Restaurant Manager Salary

The median annual salary of a restaurant manager in 2008 was $46,320, although this can vary widely depending on where you work and in what type of establishment. For instance, New Jersey offers the highest average salaries for restaurant managers at $66,320 whereas the average restaurant manager salary in Tennessee is only $40,630.

And restaurant managers working in limited-service eating places average $44,670 while those in traveler accommodations average $60,120. A more advanced level of training could help you find work at higher paying establishments.

Career Options for Restaurant Management Grads

Restaurant managers may work anywhere food is served, from school cafeterias to upscale dining rooms. Most new job growth should occur in full-service restaurants and limited service eating places, but you may be surprised that a significant number of restaurant management jobs can also be found in grocery stores, the retail and recreation industries, and at health care and elder care facilities.

Additionally, graduates of restaurant management schools may qualify to work in catering, start their own restaurant, or work in human resources for large restaurant or hotel chains.

The field of restaurant management overall is growing more slowly than the average for all occupations, with only 5 percent job growth expected from 2008-2018. That means employers can afford to be selective, making restaurant management schools even more useful for increasing your job opportunities.