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Why restaurant managers quit – and how to stop them

By Su Edgley|Sep 20, 2023|5:41 pm BST

Restaurants have always dealt with high staff turnover, hospitality staff churn at twice the UK average. Yet, restaurant managers – typically more established in their careers and with fewer opportunities to move to competitors – have traditionally stayed in their roles longer. However, post pandemic, a concerning new trend has emerged; restaurant managers departing their roles at a similar rate to junior staff. This poses a problem for restaurant owners and operators since these roles have broad responsibilities and often act as a repository for organisational knowledge on everything from scheduling to inventory. So, why are managers leaving, and what can operators do to prevent this churn?

What’s prompting this shift?

1. High-stress environments

The restaurant management role requires an intricate balancing act, juggling staff coordination, people management, customer service, inventory management, and budgeting. It’s a stressful situation that can quickly lead to burn out. A recent study found that 48% of restaurant managers said they felt burned out, with two in five corporate leaders citing manager burn out as a key disruptor to smooth operations.

2. Long working hours

Hospitality is an industry that operates around the clock, 365 days a year. This can place huge pressure on staff, who often find themselves working irregular hours and holidays with limited time off. Poorly managed, this has a detrimental effect on work-life balance – another contributor to burn out – and can prompt managers to seek positions in venues with more predictable hours.

3. Limited advancement opportunities

The restaurant manager role is a critical one and the temptation to leave high performers in role, rather than promoting them elsewhere in the group, is an easy one to give in to. This in turn perpetuates the perception that there is limited upwards mobility within the industry. The skill set that makes managers invaluable in a restaurant environment – organisation, empathy and critical thinking – is widely transferable, and can lead ambitious individuals to seriously consider opportunities in other fields where career progression seems more attainable.

4. Low compensation

The average restaurant manager in the UK makes about £29,000 a year, around 10% less than the average UK salary. It’s a figure that often fails to reflect the challenges of the role, particularly given the current need to navigate ongoing issues such as labour shortages, supply chain restrictions and rising operational costs – much of which fall to managers to mitigate.

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Conclusion

Managers play a vital role in helping restaurants grow profitably, and operators can’t afford rapid turnover in this position. A restaurant’s success depends on nurturing and retaining talented managers to ensure consistent operations, high customer satisfaction, and overall profitability. By understanding the root causes and implementing targeted strategies for retention, restaurant owners can build and retain a skilled managerial team that contributes to the long-term success of their establishment.

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