How to Hire a Restaurant General Manager
We've all hired the general manager who nailed the interview. Great energy, great stories, great references. Then three months later, food cost is up two points, labor is a mess and they can't explain why.
The problem isn't the person. It's the interview. A conversation tests how well someone talks about the job. It doesn't test whether they can do it.
Test the job, not the talk
At the final stage, hand candidates a case. A realistic restaurant with a few months of P&L against budget, a product mix with theoretical costs, a schedule and a page of guest reviews. Bury a food cost problem, a labor problem and a service problem in it. Then ask: what's wrong, and what would you fix first?
What you learn
- Can they read a P&L and find the variance?
- Do they connect a sales dip to the service complaints in the reviews?
- Do they prioritize, or try to fix everything at once?
- Can they explain it in plain English to a team?
Use it on the team you already have
The same case works as an assessment for your current managers. Frame it as a baseline, not a test, and ask them not to compare notes. You'll get a map of exactly where each person needs training, so nobody sits through a class they don't need.
Most managers were promoted for being great on the floor. Very few were ever taught the business. That's a training gap, not a talent gap.
We build GM case studies, manager assessments and training programs through our leadership consulting.
