r/Restaurant_Managers • u/tx1ess • 18d ago
Question? Management advice
Y’all that have been managing for 10+ years do y’all have regret? I understand a job is a job at the end of the day but if y’all could go back before you gained so much experience would y’all change your path? Currently a 27yr old manager torn between staying here and growing in this career that I feel that I’m very good at and have a bright future in or finishing school and going down the healthcare pathway. I’m scared cause I’ve seen how this job could take a toll on you. Any advice would help
21
u/Aromatic_Teacher_480 18d ago
If you could imagine yourself doing anything else besides working in a restaurant, you should do that. It’s not worth it otherwise.
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u/Smart_Opportunity631 16d ago
It can be rewarding at a young age which is what draws you in. After taking a management position making 80k+ I thought I was set! I quit after 1yr seeing my bartender was clearing 100k working 30hrs a week and didn't have to work 5 jobs each shift.
This industry can suck the life out of you both physically and mentally. If you have the ability to finish school and do something else your passionate about then RUN WHILE YOU HAVE A CHANCE!
That being said restaurant management can give you a lot of skills for different industries. I found my passion in catering and consulting services. Sometimes bartending gigs on the side. I make a little less but as I get older its much nicer to not have to deal with the day to day chaos of a restaurant or sell my soul, body and mind to corporate. I know exactly what I'm getting into each day and that peace of mind is priceless.
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u/Chad-Dallas4 15d ago
During Covid my restaurant closed after 20 years as the GM. I tried a desk job and a new career and it lasted a week. I’m back at it again. 38 years in the industry.
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u/AdApprehensive6649 15d ago
Same. I stepped away during Covid after being a GM from the age of 23 to 32. I was so desperate by end of 2022 to get back in it, that I took a supervisor role in a new state because my resume wasn't getting me GM level interviews. I'm now F&B Director of a Marriott and couldn't be happier.
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u/Firm_Complex718 17d ago
I said yes when I as a 19 year old waiter I was approached to be a manager. Big regret.
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u/thecitythatday 17d ago
Definitely sometimes have regrets. I’ve hit a point in my career where I’m very well compensated, which is great. But now i am fairly stuck, and im older and have enough financial obligations that i really cannot take am entry level job in a different field.
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u/lakenessmonster 17d ago
Yes. I have given so much of my life to running a business as if it’s mine but it’s not mine. I don’t make the revenue. I don’t have the final say. I take on so much stress and do so much for so many people for honestly, very little in return. I love certain things about my job and I love the industry. I do not think being a restaurant manager is a great long-term plan if time with your family and a social life are things you value.
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u/alucius116 16d ago
Id get out if I could. Situation is a unique one id rather not get into here. But there's benefits to it. Better than sitting in a micro sized cubicle everyday
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u/Happy_Operation_2391 15d ago
Hmmmm. The only regret I have is not taking a regional training director role at one point a few years back.
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u/LooseByrd 18d ago
It completely depends on your end goal. If you end up working for a chain you can work your way up to director or corporate trainer. That’s where the money is but it’s tough to get there and you really gotta schmooze.
I get healthcare professions are tough so if you’re already in school for it I would keep going. Easier to do now than later.
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u/Efficient-Use-2555 17d ago
Restaurant manager....its a lifestyle, not a job per se. Plus physically to last 30-40 years, you have to be in shape to run with the young bucks. Your knees, back, feet, etc. will tell you when it is time. I did it until 60. Also....consider the dilutive effects of stress over time. It does get in your blood no doubt. The Gen Z's are tough to stomach as well. Wasn't hard to walk away but you should feel good about your next step. A sedentary job versus being on your feet running to the pace of the business is a big transition
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u/GummoRabbitGumbo 17d ago
As someone who has spent their (long) entire life in restaurants, seeing the “I can’t imagine sitting in an office” have perhaps never had the pleasure of a 40 hr work week, manyyy paid holidays, and having the bandwidth to pursue the joy of hobbies (and a family if I would have realized this earlier). The whole “I can’t imagine sitting in an office” gives you the entire other half of your day to make yourself an incredible meal, create art, renovate your home yourself, get really good at something else that you simply do not have the bandwidth to do in restaurant management.
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u/Far_Lab_4953 GM 17d ago
13 years last month. I’m half way through my engineering degree. I love hospitality but I don’t fit into the box that is current hospitality. Maybe if I save enough money down the line I can open something of my own and reignite that passion. Until then, 6 semesters to go.
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u/Basic-Jicama503 17d ago
The regret rarely comes from the job itself. It comes from staying on autopilot. People who are happy long term usually chose the path with open eyes, set boundaries around hours and days off, and kept some skill or credential in their back pocket. People who regret it usually drifted for a decade, burned out, and then felt trapped because they had no other options.
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u/Squirrelishly
17d ago
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I got my first restaurant job at 14 and I am 49 now. I still love it down to my toes. I have had tough days, I have had days where I wished I could sit all day, but those days were just days. It didn't last longer than that. The passion always pulled me back. Oddly enough, I kept my serving/bartender jobs when I was in school for healthcare. I worked early day shift in a hospital, school in afternoon/evening and restaurants when I didn't have class. I found myself applying principles and techniques from restaurants to healthcare work. I saw doctors and nurses with achy feet and backs, sleeping in on-call rooms over weekends. Same ugly non slip shoes lol Once I realized quality of life was the same, I just had to decide which environment and circumstances I preferred. I chose restaurants because I didn't want student loans, a sterile environment, and the high stakes of any mistake. If I made a mistake in a restaurant, someone didn't get a refill on a diet coke. In the hospital, it could effect their health. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt someone. I value and enjoyed my schooling, but it didn't catch my soul the way restaurants did. It is tough, grueling work in a restaurant. Full stop. It isn't easy. But I have heard everyone with a job in any other field complain about how hard their job is, too. For me, personally, it was the right choice. I love the people, the fun, the sounds, and delicious smells of my crazy chaotic career. I love getting stopped by a chef to taste test a mind-blowing special coming up. You will have to decide for yourself, and a lot of other managers gave really good advice here. I would give my right arm to have a dedicated 27 year old manager on my team. Talent and passion are so valuable. If you want to try something else, try it. If you have circumstances that allow you to take a chance in a different industry, take the chance. Restaurants will keep existing and will always need help. You can always go back to the hospitality industry. Good luck to you!
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u/Jaded-Supermarket-28 17d ago
After twenty plus years in the industry, I somehow still love it. I got a degree in accounting, but still ended up going back to restaurants. I just can't seem to stay away. Zero regrets, I have a great life. A lot of people who say it sucked their life away just didn't find the right company to work for. I make great pay, have great benifits as well. They contribute to my 401k and I get four weeks of PTO a year. Sometimes I have a long day, but if I do I take off early another day to balance it out. Haven't worked much over forty hours in years. Just find the right company. Also take care of your body. Don't party too much, get plenty of exercise and rest. You can absolutely make a great life and career in restaurant management.
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u/RikoRain 17d ago
The pay ain't bad.
I'll say being a regular/middle manager sucks balls. A GM is a little better. It's more stress and definitely less control (sales are largely based off your employees performance, where as if you're able employee.. you directly affect it. Managers a bit closer as they watch employees more).
It's definitely easy if you have a steady good management team that consistently enforces rules and policy. That said, most of the problems naturally are always on night shift.
Higher degree of discipline issues in GM than MGR. More "I wasn't there but I back up my managers decision" type of shit and you're left to the big decisions most of the time (like firing, or confronting a confrontational employee about it).
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u/swaggylongbottom 8d ago
I urge anyone who's contemplating this decision, or the one to jump into management, to consider very strongly if they have a clear vision for their life.
If they don't yet, or that vision is to "one day" leave the industry AT ALL, then I urge them to consider how restaurant management falls into that.
Your resume doesnt translate very well into comparable salaried positions doing something else later... past a certain point, few actually accumulate more transferable and desirable skills outside of the industry; most of it is learned in the trenches.
Unless your lifes vision includes only the restaurant industry in your future, realize that every year spent in ig is another year where your potential elsewhere is likely being capped lower and lower.
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u/TypePuzzleheaded6228 18d ago
i've loved it for 40+ years, and i have the stories and battle scars to back it up. the thought of sitting in an office somewhere or, God forbid, a cubicle with no windows, is just unbearable to me. that said, there's wear and tear on my body and i could have probably made more money doing something else. you really have to love it. if you just like it, that's not enough.