How To Become A Food Service Manager

by Willette Francis

If you love to interact with a variety of people, are known as a great host or hostess to friends and family, and pay attention to details, then with the right experience and education you may have what it takes for a career in catering management. Catering management professionals can find numerous opportunities with fast food chains and restaurants nationwide.

How do I become a food service manager?
Many food service managers develop their skills on the job by taking an entry-level position as a cook, waiter, or waitress. This is a great way to enter the industry and work your wat up to a catering management position. Food service management companies and restaurant chains also recruit management trainees who have earned a two- or four-year hospitality management college degree. The hospitality management programs require students to complete internships, which helps them gain work experience in catering management. Although employers like to hire people with degrees in restaurant and food service management, they are willing to hire people who have degrees in other industries as long as they show they have the ability, interest, and experience to succeed in their chosen field.
Having a degree in food service management is highly regarding by some employers and can help your job prospects but a degree is not a requirement for all employers. Many catering management workers don't have postsecondary degrees. It's possible to land a high-end, full-service restaurant or corporate position such as managing regional or national chains, franchises, campuses, institutional facilities, and overseeing food service contracts with sports and entertainment complexes. A college degree would also benefit those who want to own and/or manage their own restaurant.

Some restaurant chains and food service management programs offer training programs for their management positions. These training programs combine classroom and on-the-job training, enabling students to learn every aspect of restaurant management from food preparation to report preparation. Trainees also learn how to use a restaurant's computer system. After training is complete, trainees usually receive their first position as an assistant manager.
Along with education and training, future catering management professionals should take initiative, be reliable, have leadership skills, be a problem-solver, have a neat and clean appearance, and be confident and respectful with customers. This is also why communication skills are a key quality for a food services manager to possess. It is also helpful if you can speak more than one language because it will allow you to communicate with patrons and employees from diverse backgrounds.

What will I learn in food service manager school?
A two- or four-year program in hospitality or food service management will include instruction in nutrition, sanitation, food panning, food preparation, accounting, business law, business management, and computer science. Course offerings may include introduction to the hospitality industry, PC applications, elementary food preparation principles and practices, hotel front office management, quantity food preparation, hospitality law, principles of economics, financial accounting, food and beverages and labor cost control, hotel facilities management, hospitality marketing, dining room management, food and beverage management, introduction to supervision in the hospitality industry, and about 400 hours of actual work experience in the industry.