Restaurant Manager CV examples

Writing a CV is hard, and doing so for a high-stake, senior role is even harder. This guide will walk you through how to arrange your CV to best highlight your managerial strengths and achievements in a way that ensures hiring managers see your value. By the time you’re done, your CV will be as polished as a five-star dining experience.

A clear structure ensures that hiring managers can quickly see your most valuable skills and experience. If everything’s in its place and running smoothly like a well-run kitchen, your leadership and operational skills will stand out: but a messy layout will only serve to frustrate recruiters.

Here’s the structure you should follow:

• Name and contact details – Keep your name and contact details front and centre at the top. Whether or not to include a photo is your decision.
• Profile – Start with a snapshot of your skills, career highlights, the value you’ll bring, and your professional aspirations.
• Core skills – Focus on core skills like staff training and customer service excellence, making it easy for employers to see your key strengths at a glance.
• Work experience – Walk through your professional experience, beginning with your latest position and moving backwards.
• Education – Outline your education and certifications, focusing on those most relevant to the role.
• Additional info – This section is optional, but it’s a good place for hobbies, memberships, or awards that complement your application.

A cluttered CV format is like a messy kitchen – hard to navigate and ineffective. Formatting mistakes will make recruiters overlook the expertise of even the most qualified and suitable candidates, so give them a pleasant reading experience.

Follow these formatting tips:

• Bullet points – Employ short, punchy bullet points to make responsibilities and achievements easy to read.
• Divide sections – Structure your CV with distinct sections that make it easy to scan.
• Use a clear and readable font – Choose a professional, readable font that keeps the focus on your content.
• No more than 2 pages – Aim for two pages – plenty of length to show your expertise without overwhelming the reader.

Think of a CV profile as your restaurant’s first impression – if it doesn’t grab attention, hiring managers won’t bother with the full menu. It needs to quickly establish your leadership expertise and operational know-how, telling recruiters exact what’ll make you the ideal fit for their restaurant.

Here’s what you should include:

• Management experience – Highlight the types of restaurants you’ve managed, from fine dining to high-volume chains.
• Operational expertise – Showcase how you’ve optimised workflow, cut costs, or improved service efficiency.
• Team leadership – Demonstrate your ability to train, motivate, and retain staff.
• Customer service focus – Mention how you’ve maintained high guest satisfaction scores or improved online ratings.
• Financial management – If you’ve increased revenue, reduced waste, or controlled labour costs, mention it here.

Your CV skills section should highlight your key strengths – think of it as the restaurant specials board. It should contain the keywords recruiters are looking for when they open up any CV.

You’ll need a mix of leadership, problem-solving, and financial acumen. If the role is in fine dining, focus on guest experience and high-end service. If it’s a fast-paced chain, highlight efficiency, cost control, and staff training.

This is the bulk of your CV: claiming to have impressive skills is one thing, but recruiters are really looking for when and where you’ve put them to good use.

List your past roles in reverse order with the latest ones first, ensuring each entry is structured with bullet points. If you’re transitioning into restaurant management, focus on leadership experience from previous roles.

• Outline – Introduce the restaurant, your role, and the size of the team you managed.
• Responsibilities – Go through key tasks, such as budget control, hiring staff, and ensuring food safety compliance. Use action words like “supervised”, “optimised”, and “implemented”.
• Achievements – Use revenue growth, cost savings, and customer satisfaction scores to strengthen your work experience section.

While experience is the main selling point for restaurant managers, relevant qualifications and education can strengthen your application. Keep this section brief, and focused on the most pertinent certifications you’ve got.

Walk the recruiter through any degrees in hospitality, business management, or culinary arts, as well as industry-specific certifications, such as food safety or management training.