Top 12 Restaurant General Manager Skills to Put on Your Resume

In a crowded hospitality market, a sharp, well-edited resume can swing doors open for Restaurant General Managers who want attention from the right operators. Put forward a lively blend of leadership, financial savvy, and floor-tested operations. Show you can steer the ship during dinner rush and slow season alike—profitably, cleanly, with a team that actually wants to work the next shift.

Restaurant General Manager Skills

1. Leadership
2. P&L Management
3. Inventory Control
4. Customer Service
5. Staff Training
6. POS Systems
7. Scheduling Software
8. Conflict Resolution
9. Marketing Strategies
10. Health & Safety
11. Menu Development
12. OpenTable

1. Leadership

Leadership, for a Restaurant General Manager, means setting the pace and tone, lifting the team up, and making calls that keep service humming—clear communication, swift decisions, firm standards, flexible thinking, and a steady hand when the unexpected barges in.

Why It's Important

Without strong leadership, service scatters and standards slip. With it, teams align, guests feel cared for, and results stack up—sales, reviews, retention, and calm during chaos.

How to Improve Leadership Skills

1. Build emotional awareness: read the room, manage your own reactions, model composure under heat.

2. Tighten communication: short briefings, active listening, repeat-backs; no confusion at the pass.

3. Set expectations that breathe: clear targets, visible checklists, room to own the work.

4. Decide faster with data: lean on sales patterns, labor reports, guest feedback—then act.

5. Coach in the moment: quick corrections, public praise, private resets; keep it respectful and direct.

6. Develop successors: cross-train, delegate stretch tasks, rotate leads; build a bench, not a bottleneck.

How to Display Leadership Skills on Your Resume

2. P&L Management

P&L Management is owning the restaurant’s financial heartbeat—revenue, cost of goods, labor, controllables—so profit isn’t accidental, it’s engineered.

Why It's Important

It reveals what’s driving profit, what’s leaking cash, and where to push or pull. Better decisions follow. Sustainability follows those decisions.

How to Improve P&L Management Skills

1. Chase prime cost: track food, beverage, and labor weekly; target a combined 60–65% (concept-dependent).

2. Engineer menus for contribution margin: spotlight high-margin items, right-size portions, optimize pricing ladders.

3. Tighten purchasing: order to par, compare vendor quotes routinely, lock specs to control quality and yield.

4. Forecast demand: use historical sales, weather, events, and seasonality to set labor and prep with intent.

5. Audit waste: log trims, voids, comps, and spoilage; convert patterns into process changes.

6. Review weekly: short P&L huddles, red-flag variances, assign owners, close loops fast.

How to Display P&L Management Skills on Your Resume

3. Inventory Control

Inventory control is the art and math of having what you need—no more, no less—so guests get their favorites and cash isn’t trapped on shelves.

Why It's Important

It curbs waste, protects margins, and keeps service consistent. Fewer 86s, healthier costs, smoother shifts.

How to Improve Inventory Control Skills

1. Count routinely: weekly full counts and spot checks for fast-movers; reconcile against theoreticals.

2. Standardize recipes: lock yields and portions; train to scale, not to “about this much.”

3. Set pars by daypart and season: adjust for events, weather, and sales trends; prevent dead stock.

4. First In, First Out: label dates, face product forward, rotate every delivery—non-negotiable.

5. Track waste with reasons: breakage, spoilage, over-prep, mishandles; fix root causes, not symptoms.

6. Consolidate vendors and specs: tighter control, consistent pricing, better leverage.

7. Forecast prep: prep lists tied to on-hand and covers; scale up or down with evidence, not vibes.

How to Display Inventory Control Skills on Your Resume

4. Customer Service

Customer service is everything a guest feels from greeting to goodbye—warmth, speed, recovery when things go sideways, and a reason to come back.

Why It's Important

Strong service multiplies word-of-mouth, retention, and check averages. Miss it, and marketing spends become mops for avoidable messes.

How to Improve Customer Service Skills

1. Pre-shift with purpose: cover 86s, features, reservations, VIP notes, and likely friction points.

2. Personalize lightly: names, preferences, allergy notes, celebratory touches—memorable without being intrusive.

3. Speed up recovery: empower comps or fixes within guardrails; own issues on the spot.

4. Close the loop: collect feedback at table, via receipts, or post-visit; act on patterns quickly.

5. Polish the basics: spotless restrooms, hot food hot, accurate orders, consistent pacing—unflashy and vital.

How to Display Customer Service Skills on Your Resume

5. Staff Training

Staff training equips teams with the how, what, and why—standards, safety, hospitality, and the rhythm that turns individuals into a crew.

Why It's Important

Training shrinks errors, boosts sales confidence, and stabilizes culture. New hires ramp faster; veterans keep sharpening.

How to Improve Staff Training Skills

1. Onboard with intention: structured first week, buddy system, clear milestones, daily check-ins.

2. Microlearning beats marathons: short modules, quick quizzes, hands-on drills; repeat until sticky.

3. Cross-train: build coverage for callouts and growth paths for ambitious staff.

4. Pre-shift rituals: menu tastings, role-plays for objections and upsells, safety refreshers.

5. Certify critical skills: alcohol service, food safety, allergy protocols, knife work, machine use.

6. Measure and coach: secret shops, table touches, ticket times—coach with data and empathy.

How to Display Staff Training Skills on Your Resume

6. POS Systems

A POS system is the command center for orders, payments, inventory ties, labor, and reporting—fast at the front, reliable behind the scenes.

Why It's Important

It compresses friction. Fewer keystrokes, fewer mistakes, faster turns, tighter insights. Better guest flow, stronger controls.

How to Improve POS Systems Skills

1. Standardize buttons and modifiers: clean menus, logical categories, auto-prompts for required choices.

2. Enable tableside tools: handhelds, QR pay, tap-to-pay; shave minutes and add convenience.

3. Integrate the stack: POS with kitchen display, inventory, accounting, online ordering, and loyalty.

4. Harden reliability: offline mode ready, stable Wi‑Fi, battery backups, receipt redundancies.

5. Tighten permissions: role-based access, audit trails, blind drops; control voids and comps.

6. Train and retrain: new features, common fixes, cash-out accuracy; keep cheat sheets handy.

7. Use analytics: item mix, hour-by-hour sales, server performance; turn numbers into actions.

How to Display POS Systems Skills on Your Resume

7. Scheduling Software

Scheduling software streamlines labor planning, compliance, and communication—getting the right people in the right place without guesswork.

Why It's Important

It reduces overtime drift, smooths shift swaps, and keeps coverage tight during peaks. Less time on spreadsheets, more time on the floor.

How to Improve Scheduling Software Skills

1. Forecast-based scheduling: build shifts from sales and traffic patterns, not habit.

2. Respect compliance: meal and rest breaks, minor rules, predictive scheduling where required.

3. Empower self-service: availability, time-off requests, shift trades with manager approval.

4. Tag skills and stations: assign by capability—expo, bar, grill, support—so service doesn’t wobble.

5. Track labor in real time: compare scheduled vs. actual; cut or add live to protect margins.

6. Communicate in-app: announcements, acknowledgments, and receipts of policy updates.

How to Display Scheduling Software Skills on Your Resume

8. Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is spotting friction early, airing it fairly, and closing it cleanly—between staff, with guests, or across vendors—so service and culture stay intact.

Why It's Important

Unresolved conflict festers into turnover, bad service, and safety concerns. Swift, fair resolution steadies the team and protects the guest experience.

How to Improve Conflict Resolution Skills

1. Listen first: let each party speak without interruption; summarize back to confirm understanding.

2. Separate people from problems: address behaviors and processes, not character.

3. Set ground rules: respectful tone, shared goals (guest safety, team success, fairness).

4. Co-create solutions: define specific actions, owners, and timelines; document agreements.

5. Train leads: equip supervisors with de-escalation and mediation basics.

6. Follow up: verify the fix held, watch for backsliding, reinforce wins.

How to Display Conflict Resolution Skills on Your Resume

9. Marketing Strategies

Restaurant marketing blends storytelling and targeting—show the experience, reach the right locals, and give regulars a reason to return.

Why It's Important

It drives traffic on slow days, elevates check averages, and sets your spot apart in a sea of choices.

How to Improve Marketing Strategies Skills

1. Polish your Google Business Profile: accurate hours, fresh photos, menus, and responses to reviews.

2. Lean into social: short-form video, behind-the-scenes moments, limited-time offers, and team highlights.

3. Build an email and SMS list: welcome offers, birthday perks, event invites; segment by behavior.

4. Run geo-targeted ads: spotlight unique dishes, happy hour, brunch—measure visits and redemptions.

5. Launch a simple loyalty program: points, tiers, or punch-style rewards; make it easy at the table.

6. Host experiences: chef tastings, pairings, classes, local collabs—content and revenue in one move.

7. Track results weekly: cost per cover, offer redemption, repeat rates—shift spend to what works.

How to Display Marketing Strategies Skills on Your Resume

10. Health & Safety

Health & Safety is non-negotiable: food safety, worker safety, emergency readiness, and compliance that stands up during surprise inspections.

Why It's Important

It protects guests, shields staff, prevents closures and fines, and anchors your reputation.

How to Improve Health & Safety Skills

1. Codify SOPs: hygiene, time/temperature controls, allergen handling, and cleaning schedules posted and enforced.

2. Train and certify: ServSafe or equivalent, alcohol service, first aid, fire safety; refresh on a cadence.

3. HACCP-style logs: receiving temps, cook/chill, hot and cold holding, calibration; verify daily.

4. Equipment and facility checks: hoods, extinguishers, guards, mats, lighting; fix hazards fast.

5. Incident reporting: document injuries, near-misses, and corrective actions; learn and prevent repeats.

6. Emergency plans: evacuation, severe weather, power loss, fire; drills that don’t just live on paper.

How to Display Health & Safety Skills on Your Resume

11. Menu Development

Menu development shapes what you sell and how profit flows—flavor, feasibility, and dollars in energetic alignment.

Why It's Important

It influences brand identity, guest satisfaction, labor needs, inventory design, and margins—every lever in one artifact.

How to Improve Menu Development Skills

1. Know your guest: analyze sales, feedback, and local trends; meet needs without diluting your concept.

2. Engineer with intent: use contribution margin and the star/puzzle/plowhorse/dog framework to position items.

3. Optimize complexity: limit unique SKUs, reuse ingredients across hits, balance skill-intensive dishes.

4. Season and test: rotate LTOs, capture data, keep winners, retire duds with no sentimentality.

5. Price precisely: adjust for inflation, yield, and perceived value; use charm pricing sparingly.

6. Make it sell: tight descriptions, clean design, strategic highlights; staff trained to recommend confidently.

How to Display Menu Development Skills on Your Resume

12. OpenTable

OpenTable is a reservation and guest management platform—bookings, waitlists, table turns, and guest notes in one rhythm.

Why It's Important

It expands visibility to diners, streamlines seating, reduces no-shows, and captures preferences that improve hospitality and repeat visits.

How to Improve OpenTable Skills

1. Perfect the profile: accurate hours, high-quality images, live menus, clear tags for cuisine and experiences.

2. Work the floor plan: slot sizes to your real demand, manage pacing, and protect the kitchen from seat dumps.

3. Deploy waitlists and confirmations: automated reminders, easy modifications, credit-card holds for high-demand periods.

4. Capture and use guest data: allergies, occasions, seating preferences; personalize without overstepping.

5. Promote smartly: limited offers, experiences, off-peak incentives; track covers and ROI.

6. Review performance: no-show rates, turn times, channel mix; adjust levers weekly.

How to Display OpenTable Skills on Your Resume