How to Record a Restaurant Manager Video Job Ad

Date modified: 2nd June 2025 | This article explains how you can record a restaurant manager video job ad inside the Pilla App which you can share with external candidates. You can also check out the Job Ads Guide for more info on other roles or check out the docs page for Managing Videos in Pilla.

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Restaurant managers carry everything. They own the P&L, lead the floor team, maintain the kitchen relationship, handle HR nightmares, manage compliance, and still need to be charming to guests at 10pm on a Saturday. The role demands commercial acumen and hospitality instinct in equal measure—a rare combination. Your video job ad needs to convey the full scope of what you're asking for, because the best managers are already running restaurants elsewhere and need compelling reasons to consider yours.

Step 1: Open with the Opportunity

Experienced restaurant managers evaluate opportunities against what they have now. They need to understand why your restaurant is worth the disruption of changing roles.

Autonomy and ownership: How much is genuinely theirs to run? Full P&L accountability, or reporting into group structures with constraints? Hiring authority—can they build their own team? Menu input—relationship with the chef on food direction? Marketing and events—what latitude for local initiatives?

A manager who wants true ownership won't be excited by executing someone else's playbook. Conversely, someone who values support systems won't thrive with total independence and no infrastructure.

The restaurant's trajectory: New opening with everything to build? Established success that needs maintaining? Turnaround situation requiring rescue? Each attracts different managers. The builder wants a blank canvas; the maintainer wants proven systems; the fixer wants a challenge. Be clear about where you are.

Commercial reality: Revenue scale—are they managing a £800k business or £3m? Cover counts and average spend. Margin expectations and current performance. Team size and labour model. These fundamentals help managers assess whether their experience translates.

Kitchen relationship: This makes or breaks restaurant management roles. How does the chef-manager dynamic work? Collaborative partnership or careful negotiation? Shared P&L accountability or siloed responsibilities? The wrong fit here creates constant friction.

Step 2: Show Your Restaurant's Reality

Film during service and during prep. Managers are evaluating both the guest experience and the operational reality they'd inherit.

The dining room: Layout and covers. Service style in motion—formal or casual, attentive or relaxed. Guest demographic and behaviour. The room's energy during a typical service. This is where the manager spends their public hours.

The kitchen relationship visible: If possible, show the pass area and kitchen-floor communication. The manager's relationship with the kitchen is often more challenging than guest-facing work. Visual signals about collaboration matter.

Back of house: Office space—many restaurant managers don't have one. Storage, receiving, staff areas. Admin setup and systems. The operational infrastructure they'd work within.

The team: Current team size and composition. Front-of-house and kitchen briefly. Experience levels—seasoned professionals or young team? Show them in action. The manager inherits and shapes this team.

Current state honestly: If things are running well, the pride should show. If there are challenges—turnover, operational issues, kitchen tension—being honest attracts managers who want to fix things rather than creating mismatched expectations.

Step 3: Paint a Picture of the Role

Restaurant manager roles vary significantly between independent and group operations, casual and fine dining, owner-present and owner-absent businesses.

Commercial accountability: P&L ownership—full responsibility, or shared with kitchen? Revenue targets and measurement. Cost control—labour percentage, food cost awareness, wastage. Stock management coordination with kitchen. Margin delivery and financial reporting.

This commercial foundation is what separates management from supervision.

Floor leadership: Running service—the visible leadership role. Table touches and guest relationships. Quality control throughout service. Problem resolution in real-time. Setting standards through presence and example.

Team management: Recruitment—do they own hiring? Training program delivery. Scheduling and rota optimisation. Performance management through to termination if needed. Building culture, maintaining morale, developing individuals.

Front-of-house teams require constant people management. The team is never "done"—someone's always leaving, struggling, or needing development.

Kitchen partnership: Managing the front-back relationship. Menu discussion and costing input. Food quality oversight without overstepping. Service pace coordination. The daily diplomacy of two departments that need each other but often conflict.

Operations and compliance: Health and safety responsibility. Food safety oversight and due diligence. Licensing compliance. Employment law adherence. Insurance, fire safety, accessibility. The legal weight of running a food business.

Guest experience ownership: Setting service standards. Handling complaints and recovery. Managing reviews and reputation. VIP and regular guest relationships. The intangible atmosphere that makes guests return.

Administrative load: How much office time versus floor time? Reporting requirements—daily, weekly, to whom? Systems used for reservations, stock, HR, finance. Meetings—with owners, with groups, with team.

The hours: Restaurant management is not a 40-hour job. What's realistic? Which services must they work? Days off—when and how consistent? The work-life reality that candidates should understand before accepting.

Step 4: The Manager You're Looking For

Restaurant manager hiring requires balancing commercial capability, hospitality excellence, and leadership competence.

Commercial literacy: P&L comprehension—can they read accounts, identify problems, take corrective action? Labour scheduling for efficiency. Stock and wastage understanding. Revenue-driving initiatives they've implemented.

Can they think commercially while maintaining hospitality standards? This balance is the core skill.

Operational experience: Years managing comparable operations—revenue, covers, team size, style all matter. The specific challenges of your context: high-volume differs from fine dining, neighbourhood differs from destination.

What systems have they used? What compliance requirements have they managed? What team sizes have they built and led?

Leadership capability: How do they build and maintain teams? Handle underperformance? Develop talent? Create culture? Lead during crisis services? Manage the kitchen relationship?

References matter here—speak to previous owners or senior leaders about their actual leadership, not just their hospitality.

Hospitality instinct: Some managers are excellent operators but lack guest intuition. Others are naturally hospitable but struggle with commercial pressure. The role needs both. How do they read tables? Handle complaints? Balance efficiency with experience?

Cultural fit: A restaurant manager sets the cultural tone. Their standards become team standards. Their attitude toward guests becomes the restaurant's attitude. Hiring someone whose instincts don't match your values creates constant conflict.

Stage and ambition: Career trajectory matters for retention. Are they building toward multi-site or director roles? Or seeking a long-term single-site home? Neither is wrong, but mismatched expectations create problems.

Step 5: Make the Offer Compelling

Restaurant managers know their market value. Compensation should reflect the full scope of responsibility.

UK compensation context:

  • Restaurant Manager (casual dining): £32,000-42,000 base
  • Restaurant Manager (fine dining/destination): £40,000-55,000 base
  • Restaurant Manager (high-volume): £38,000-48,000 base
  • General Manager (larger/premium): £48,000-65,000+

Bonus structures: Performance bonuses tied to what? Revenue, profit, guest scores, team metrics? What percentages are realistic based on current performance? How have previous managers actually performed against targets?

Vague bonus promises mean nothing. Specific structures with historical context mean something.

Service charge: In many restaurants, service charge significantly supplements salary. How is it structured? What's typical annual total? Is it guaranteed or performance-dependent?

Benefits at this level: Pension contributions. Private healthcare increasingly expected for management roles. Meals on duty. Industry discounts. Professional development budget.

The hours honestly: Expected weekly hours. Which services are mandatory. Weekend and holiday expectations. Days off patterns—consistent or rotating? Time off in lieu or absorbed overtime?

Hiding the reality creates resentment. Managers who accept knowing the true demands stay longer.

Development and progression: Multi-site management pathway? Director-level opportunities? Equity or profit share for exceptional performance? External training and industry event support?

Decision-making authority: Spending limits without approval. Hiring authority. Menu change input. Supplier decisions. Guest recovery empowerment. Experienced managers want to know they'll be trusted.

Step 6: The Application Process

Restaurant manager candidates expect a thorough process befitting the responsibility.

Initial application: CV highlighting management experience, revenue scales, and team sizes. Cover letter explaining interest in your specific restaurant—this filters generic applicants. Salary expectations to ensure alignment.

Interview structure: Initial conversation—fit, experience, mutual interest. Working observation—seeing them in their current role or yours. Commercial discussion—P&L review, business thinking, problem-solving approach. Kitchen meet—chef relationship assessment. Owner/director final meeting.

What you're assessing: Commercial capability—can they discuss P&L intelligently? Leadership presence—do they naturally command respect? Hospitality instinct—do guests feel welcomed? Kitchen diplomacy—can they navigate chef relationships? Cultural alignment—do they share your values?

Reference importance: For management hires, reference thoroughly. Previous owners, area managers, or operators—not just HR confirmations. Understand why they left previous roles. Verify commercial claims.

Trial complexity: Paid management trials are logistically difficult for employed candidates. Extended conversations, meal experiences, team meetings—find multiple touchpoints without requiring them to leave their current job for lengthy trials.

Offer and negotiation: Management candidates expect professional negotiation on package, start date, and terms. Take-it-or-leave-it approaches lose good candidates to competitors who engage properly.

Restaurant management is a small world. How you conduct hiring—successful or not—becomes your reputation. Professional processes attract better candidates for this role and future ones.