Cafe or Restaurant Manager
What the work is
Organises and controls the operations of a cafe, restaurant or related establishment to provide dining or takeaway services.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Plans and coordinates the daily operations of a cafe, restaurant or related establishment
- Manages and supervises staff, including hiring, training and performance evaluation
- Oversees the preparation and presentation of food and beverages to ensure quality and customer satisfaction
- Monitors inventory levels and orders supplies as needed
- Manages budgets and financial transactions, including cash handling and reporting
- Ensures compliance with health and safety regulations and food hygiene standards
- Collaborates with suppliers and vendors to negotiate contracts and ensure timely delivery of goods and services
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a fictional catering company running a wedding and a corporate lunch on the same Saturday. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A wedding where the food comes out on time and the couple hug you at the end
- A new staff member who started shaking now carries plates with confidence
- A client who rings the next week to book you for their next three events
Hard days
- A venue with no kitchen, a broken oven and a hundred guests arriving in an hour
- A client who changes the numbers on the morning of the event
- Staff who do not turn up on the biggest day of the month
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 161231, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.