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Restaurant manager

Also called bar manager, cafe manager, F & B manager

Restaurant managers are in charge of managing food and beverage operations in the kitchen and other food and beverage outlets or units in a hospitality establishment.

Will there be jobs?Limited prospects19 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Hospitality, retail and other services managersWhat does it pay?Well above averageFrom about €2,600 (Romania) to €10,300 (Luxembourg) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Hospitality, retail and other services managersWhat do I need to study?Usually post-secondary or a short degree4 in 10 have a degree. 4 in 10 train through vocational routes.Hospitality, retail and other services managersWill AI change it?LittleLevel 2 of 6. AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.Restaurant managers · ILO

What you'd do

Restaurant managers · ILO
  • Planning menus in consultation with chefs and cooks
  • Planning and organizing special functions
  • Arranging the purchasing and pricing of goods according to budget
  • Maintaining records of stock levels and financial transactions
  • Ensuring dining, kitchen and food storage facilities comply with health regulations and are clean, functional and of suitable appearance
  • Conferring with customers to assess their satisfaction with meals and service
  • Selecting, set staff work schedules, training and supervising waiting and kitchen staff
  • Taking reservations, greeting guests and assisting in taking orders
  • Negotiating arrangements with clients and suppliers
  • Ensuring compliance with occupational health and safety regulations
Monitor financial accountsMonitor work for special eventsTrain staff to reduce food wasteDesign indicators for food waste reductionDevelop food waste reduction strategies+ 28 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • On your feet most of the day
  • Constant contact with people, including the public
  • Good freedom to decide
  • Often more than 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Some repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the US job "Food Service Managers"

Will there be jobs?

Limited prospects

Fewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.

People working as hospitality, retail and other services managers in the EU
2.49m2.88m2.62m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
721,000 replacing leavers 200,000 jobs disappear
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Hospitality, retail and other services managers19
All jobs29
Right now
7 of 27 countries report a shortage of restaurant managers, 5 a surplus.
Restaurant managers · EURES

What does it pay?

Well above average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €2,600 a month (Romania) to €10,300 (Luxembourg), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among managers in the EU, women earn 27% less per hour than men. Managers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Usually post-secondary or a short degree

Post-secondary training or a short degree in software and applications development and analysis is the usual route.

Highest qualification of hospitality, retail and other services managers (EU, 2025)
Degree 36%Vocational 33%General secondary 15%Basic schooling 16%
Fields that teach it
Software and applications development and analysis · Community sanitation
Vocational route, EU
4 in 10 trainees in this field
ICT graduates in a matching job
77% in the EU

887 institutions in the EU offer ICT bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Little

AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.36 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 10 tasks
Maintaining records of stock levels and financial transactions0.59
Arranging the purchasing and pricing of goods according to budget0.48
Planning menus in consultation with chefs and cooks0.44
Taking reservations, greeting guests and assisting in taking orders0.38
Planning and organizing special functions0.35
Conferring with customers to assess their satisfaction with meals and service0.35
Selecting, set staff work schedules, training and supervising waiting and kitchen staff0.28
Ensuring compliance with occupational health and safety regulations0.27
Negotiating arrangements with clients and suppliers0.26
Ensuring dining, kitchen and food storage facilities comply with health regulations and are clean, functional and of suitable appearance0.23

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for restaurant managers. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).