What a restaurant general manager actually does: daily, weekly and monthly responsibilities across people, guests, food safety, finance and operations, the skills the role requires, how GMs work with assistant and kitchen managers and a checklist to organize the job.
| Area | Examples |
|---|---|
| People | Hiring, training, scheduling, coaching, evaluations, discipline, retention |
| Guests | Service standards, handling complaints, reviews, atmosphere |
| Food safety and cleanliness | Health code compliance, temperature logs, cleaning schedules, inspections |
| Finance | Sales targets, labor cost, food cost, budgets, cash handling |
| Operations | Opening and closing, equipment, maintenance, vendors, inventory |
| Compliance | Wage and hour, tip rules, licenses, posters, alcohol service |
| Marketing and community | Local promotions, events, online reputation |
In a chain or franchise, the GM follows brand standards and reports to an area manager. In an independent restaurant, the GM may work directly with the owner and have more say in menu, pricing and marketing.
See how EZTime works for your industry, from time tracking to shift scheduling.
Use our restaurant manager daily checklist, opening checklist and closing checklist to make these routines consistent.
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| Monday | Review last week’s sales, labor and food cost; management meeting |
| Tuesday | Finalize next week’s schedule and publish; vendor orders |
| Wednesday | Training and coaching; one-on-ones with managers |
| Thursday | Prepare for the weekend: staffing, prep, events |
| Friday and Saturday | On the floor during peaks; guest experience and team support |
| Sunday | Approve timecards and review the week; handover notes |
The exact days depend on your restaurant, but a predictable rhythm prevents the most common GM problem: urgent tasks crowding out the important ones. Protect at least one block each week for coaching and planning, and hand off routine opening and closing work to shift leads so the GM’s time goes where it has most impact. Share the rhythm with your managers, so they know when decisions are made and when they can expect your attention.
| Metric | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Sales vs forecast and last year | Shows trends and guides staffing |
| Labor cost percentage | Usually one of the two largest controllable costs; see restaurant labor cost percentage |
| Food and beverage cost percentage | The other major controllable cost |
| Average check and covers | Revenue drivers |
| Ticket times | Kitchen and service speed |
| Guest reviews and complaints | Experience and reputation |
| Staff turnover | Cost of hiring and training, service consistency |
| Health inspection results | Compliance and reputation |
Most of a GM’s success depends on the team. That means hiring carefully, training thoroughly, scheduling fairly and coaching consistently. A GM who tries to do everything personally burns out and leaves managers without growth. Delegate clear ownership: the kitchen manager owns food cost and kitchen standards, the front-of-house manager owns service and floor staffing, shift leads own opening and closing routines. The GM sets standards, checks results and develops each manager. See how to be a good manager and restaurant staff training.
Restaurant GMs carry significant compliance responsibility. That includes paying minimum wage and overtime correctly, following tip credit and tip pooling rules, respecting meal and rest break laws where they apply, following child labor rules for minors, maintaining food safety standards and certifications, serving alcohol responsibly and displaying required posters. Some cities have predictive scheduling laws for larger restaurant employers. Mistakes in these areas can be costly, so GMs should know the rules for their state and city and keep accurate records. See restaurant compliance guide and tip pooling rules.
Guest complaints are part of the job, and how a GM handles them shapes the restaurant’s reputation. Listen without interrupting, apologize for the experience, fix the problem quickly and follow up before the guest leaves. Give managers clear limits for comps and discounts so they can act without waiting for the GM. Afterwards, look for the cause: a single mistake, or a pattern in a station, shift or dish. Online reviews deserve the same care: respond politely, avoid arguing in public and take detailed complaints offline.
GM duties checklist complete.
| Role | Focus |
|---|---|
| General manager | Whole restaurant: results, people, compliance, standards |
| Assistant manager | Supports the GM, runs shifts, often owns a function such as scheduling or bar |
| Kitchen manager / chef | Kitchen operations, food cost, food safety, kitchen staff |
| Front-of-house manager | Service, floor staff, guest experience |
| Shift lead / supervisor | Runs a shift, opening and closing routines |
See restaurant job positions for the full list of roles.
EZTime takes much of the weekly admin off a GM’s plate. Build and publish schedules, let staff request time off and swap shifts for approval, and see labor costs in real time. Staff clock in by app, kiosk or NFC tag, labor rule alerts flag overtime and missed breaks, and timecard corrections go through approval before payroll. Opening and closing checklists become tasks with photo proof, and EzTip helps distribute tips. See EZTime for restaurant managers.
The BLS groups restaurant general managers under food service managers. It reports median pay of $69,390 per year in 2025, about 344,300 jobs and a 6% employment outlook for 2025 to 2035, which it describes as faster than average (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook). Pay for GMs specifically varies widely by concept, volume and region, and many roles include bonuses tied to sales or profit.
What separates a GM from other food service managers is scope. A shift manager runs tonight’s service; a GM runs the business that makes tonight possible: the budget, the management bench, the vendor contracts and the plan for next quarter. If you are moving up, start asking for those responsibilities one at a time.
Overseeing the whole restaurant: hiring, training and scheduling staff, guest experience, food safety and cleanliness, sales and costs, inventory and vendors and compliance with employment, health and alcohol rules.
Checks staffing and readiness, walks the restaurant, reviews food safety logs, leads a pre-shift meeting, supports service during peaks, handles guest issues, monitors labor and reviews sales and closing.
The GM is accountable for the whole restaurant’s results and standards. The assistant manager supports the GM, runs shifts and often owns specific functions.
Sales, labor cost percentage, food and beverage cost, average check, covers, ticket times, guest reviews, turnover and health inspection results.
Typically several years of restaurant management experience, leadership skills, financial literacy and food safety knowledge. Many jurisdictions require a certified food protection manager on staff.
The GM is accountable for the whole restaurant’s results: profit and loss, hiring managers, standards and long-term planning. The assistant manager supports the GM, often running shifts, scheduling and training, and steps in when the GM is away. For the shift-level role, see our guide to restaurant manager duties.
Long weeks are common, especially in new or understaffed restaurants, because the GM covers gaps. Strong GMs reduce their own hours by building a reliable management team, scheduling themselves deliberately and delegating shift duties.
EZTime shows scheduled vs. actual hours, labor rule alerts and reports by location, so GMs can manage labor cost every week.