Restaurant Management Styles Explained: What Works and What Doesn’t

Have you ever hated one manager and loved the other despite the fact that both get the same results? What makes a manager a good fit for a specific company? There are many different management styles, and having the right one can make or break your career. In this post, I will explain to you what the different styles of management are and why it matters to choose the best one for you and for your company. As well, I will show you how to find the best style of management that fits your own personality the best.

When an owner looks for a manager, usually what they are looking for is someone with a very similar management style to themselves. It’s easy to follow rules and criteria for employment, but during an interview process, the owner is looking not for the management capability, but how a this candidate’s own personality will reflect through in their management style. Therefore, the management style is the skill that needs to be developed in order to sell yourself as a great manager.

Although it may be frustrating for you and for your crew, your management style needs to fit culture of the company you work for. I’ve worked for so many different restaurants with so many different cultures, and I will tell you – some managers can be very successful in one company and very unsuccessful in another. It all has to do with the culture of the company. I’m not even making a value judgement about the cultures. They could both be great cultures, but if they you put one type of leader in the wrong situation, they may find it difficult to adapt to that company’s needs for management. A tough manager may get annoyed when working for a fun restaurant, and a fun manager may find it difficult to get results from a tough crew. Here’s some examples of different companies and the type of manager that fits best in each.

I used to work for a barbeque restaurant that had a reputation for being made up of tough southern managers. These managers had strict standards and expectations but left no room for error. Any fault would be quickly reprimanded and there was no slack given to those who were too weak to survive. There were strict commands given to everyone and excuses were thrown out the window before even entertained. I didn’t do well in this company because I liked to listen to the individual needs of my employees and grow a positive work environment, not based on fear of punishment. However, the business thrived due to their high expectations and standards, and I learned some of the best lessons on management I ever learned.

I worked for a bagel shop for a while too. There, I found an opposite problem. This company aimed to lead through creating a fun work environment where employees could feel like they were going to a club every day. However, even though I didn’t mesh well with the style of the company, I was able to learn from who I still feel is the best general manager I’ve ever had the privilege to work under. She never demanded and never showed frustration. She seemed to be everyone’s friend and was the most personable manager I’ve ever had. Even though her management style is completely different from my own, she was able to create employee buy-in and lead a team of very different people to create one of the most successful locations in the district.

What made these managers successful was their ability to fit in with the culture of the company. They were good for the job because their personalities matched the culture the company was looking for. Even though it is totally possible for the manager to do both and be just a successful in both scenarios, it’s important to know that you will do the best job when your own personality is allowed to shine through in your leadership. Therefore, I encourage you to find the company that fits you the best.

What stays constant through all the different management styles that makes all managers great? What do you need to know to have a great management style even if you are just starting out and finding your own methods and techniques? In short, it is a clear communication of standards and an expectation to follow through on them. All great managers, whether they motivate everyone towards a large goal through inspiration or motivate each individual’s compliance through fear of punishment all have standards that they expect to be followed. How those standards are communicated and enforced are the management style itself, but as long as the expectations are there and are clearly communicated, the management style is often effective. It’s important to remember that the failures of managers who have clear expectations are usually just in a restaurant with the wrong culture as their own. In both of these restaurants, I felt like a complete failure, but when I finally found a company that seemed to think the same way I did, I was able to find success so much more quickly and I finally felt like I was a good manager. I wasn’t a bad manager before, I just hadn’t found the right culture where I could let my personality shine.

Regardless, stay true to your personal values. Nothing burns out a manager quicker than feeling like they are doing the “wrong” thing. But a manager who sees success by being themselves is a manager that can never get tired or worn out. A real management style is just your personality as an effective leader. However you are able to effectively make positive change and not feel like you are faking it or going against your personal beliefs and morals is a perfectly fine management style. Keeping the balance between being yourself and being an agent of your company can feel difficult at times, but rest assured knowing that as you grow in this balancing act, you will grow in becoming a more effective and positive leader.