What a restaurant general manager does
Restaurant general managers run the whole operation. They hire, train and schedule front and back of house staff, manage food, beverage and labour costs, oversee inventory and ordering, and handle guest complaints. They also own compliance: food safety, alcohol service and workplace health and safety. For an owner, a capable GM means stepping out of daily operations with confidence that service, cleanliness and the numbers are being watched.
Every concept needs a different kind of leader. A high-volume casual dining room, a fine dining restaurant and a multi-unit franchise each reward different strengths. Finch starts by understanding your concept, sales mix and team, then screens for managers who have run similar operations and can show how they handled costs, staffing and guest experience. We check certifications, including Smart Serve and food handler training, and ask references how candidates treated their staff on difficult nights.
Typical responsibilities
- Hiring, training, scheduling and supervising front and back of house teams
- Managing food, beverage and labour costs against budget and reviewing profit and loss reports
- Overseeing inventory, ordering and supplier relationships
- Ensuring food safety, sanitation and responsible alcohol service on every shift
- Resolving guest complaints and monitoring online reviews and feedback
- Working with owners or head office on menu changes, promotions and local marketing
Qualifications and credentials
- Progressive restaurant management experience in a similar concept and volume
- Food handler certification, since Ontario food premises must have a certified food handler on site whenever they operate
- Current Smart Serve certification for overseeing alcohol service
- Familiarity with AGCO liquor sales licence conditions and responsible service obligations
- Working knowledge of Ontario employment standards and workplace health and safety duties
- Experience with point-of-sale, scheduling and inventory software
Who hires a restaurant general manager
- Independent full-service restaurants
- Restaurant groups with several locations
- Franchise operators
- Hotel and venue restaurants
- Private clubs
Where we recruit restaurant general manager candidates
We fill restaurant general manager roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Experience running an operation of similar size, service style and sales volume
- Specific examples of controlling food and labour costs
- Current Smart Serve and food handler certificates
- Approach to hiring, training and keeping staff
- References from owners or district managers on results and leadership
Interview questions to ask
- Tell me about a month when your labour costs ran over. What did you change?
- How do you train a new server on responsible alcohol service, and how do you check they follow it?
- What do you look at first when you take over a restaurant that is underperforming?