Does anyone know the average wage of a restaurant manager?

Question

I live in South Chicago, and I've waitressed for 20 years in fine dining establishments. I've been going to school, and now its time to make a decision. I do love the biz, and know it inside out.

Answer 1

I've lived in Chicago as well as several other markets earning my living as a restaurant manager and I can tell you that it varies GREATLY!!! It really depends on the type of restaurant you're looking at, the level of management, the hours and days you're willing to work, and you. The Chicago area will have higher wages than your typical suburban area. I'll ignore fast food as you're a server and start with basic quick casual chains. Places like Cosi and Panera typically start you off in the mid 30s plus benefits for an assistant management position to topping out in the low 50s for an experienced GM. You'll have to look at the companies to really figure out how much that works out to be as I know Panera is pretty good about sticking to a 45 hour work week while Cosi can extend into 55-60 hours. The times of work also vary with shifts running starting at 5am to those ending around midnite as well as stores being open from 5-7 days a week. It's pretty easy to get in the door with firms like these, especially in your willing to work at a suburban Chicago location like Skokie, Naperville, etc. An upside with firms such as these are the fact that you can move up and even out of the restaurant into district and support positions which pay well. Mid-range chain restaurants (think Bennigans) often start around the same but top out higher for GMs. Fine dining can start about the same or higher, but the GMs really bring home money (70-90). The downside is that these are often independently owned which leaves you a long wait to move up, no place to go once you hit that level, and require massive hourly commitments. A lot of bars I've been around have managers making less than many senior servers and bartenders. They rely on them being young and gunning for a GM spot. I know one rather popular place that has the low level managers making 30k while the GM makes 90+. Then bonuses come into play. If there's no bonus potential, it's probably not worth it. I've tended to search out places that pay monthly bonuses that usually amount to about 1%-1.5% of gross sales split among 3-4 managers usually 30-30-40 or 20-20-20-40. This can amount to a couple hundred extra dollars per month that makes those extra hours worth it. The bonus is usually triggered by hitting a sales target (usually a % of comp sales) along with some operating cost kickers (keeping labor and food cost in line). Quarterly bonuses may be acceptable, but I'd be wary of semi-annual or annual ones. I'd also check to make sure that the numbers are possible to hit. Some places like to dangle an impossible bonus over managers' heads. For other markets, just lower all of the salaries and you're pretty much there. Cost of living is just lower. Another warning is that if you take a job in a suburb, factor in commute time. A one hour metra or car ride each way through all the traffic on top of a 10-12 hour day can be taxing.

Answer 2

It is impossible to pay wages to a restaurant