jobfacts

Restaurant manager

Restaurant and catering establishment managers and proprietors — SOC 2020 1222

Restaurant and catering establishment managers and proprietors plan, direct and co-ordinate the catering services of restaurants, hotels and large-scale catering services within other organisations.

Also calledFast food restaurant managerHotel restaurant managerCafe ownerCafe managerManagerRefreshment club managerand 42 more titles
Typical full-time pay£31,7002025 Provisional
People in the job141,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month1,300↓ 3.4%on last year · 156th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time restaurant managers earn between £27,300 and £37,800 a year.

What full-time restaurant managers earn, 2025
£31,700 typical£22,400lowest 10%£27,30025%£39,100top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£27,300–£37,800)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
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Lowest 10% earn less than£22,400
Lowest 20% earn less than£26,000
25%£27,300
Median£31,700
75%£37,800
Top 20% earn more than£39,100
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £31,700
London£34,300
North East!£33,400
North West!£33,300
West Midlands!£32,700
Yorkshire and The Humber!£30,400
South East!£30,300
Scotland!£29,300
Wales!£28,900
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
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UK median, £31,700
London£34,300
North East£33,400 (small sample)
North West£33,300 (small sample)
West Midlands£32,700 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£30,400 (small sample)
South East£30,300 (small sample)
Scotland£29,300 (small sample)
Wales£28,900 (small sample)
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £31,200
  • 2024 £31,500
  • 2025 Provisional£31,700
↑ 1.4% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,300 jobs for restaurant managers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
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Aug 20261,240
Jul 20261,278
Jun 20261,160
May 20261,239
Apr 20261,332
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,210
Jan 20261,290
Dec 2025638
Nov 20251,317
Oct 20251,551
Sept 20251,500
Aug 20251,533
Jul 20251,439
Jun 20251,448
May 20251,565
Apr 20251,370
Mar 20251,521
Feb 20251,416
Jan 20251,127
Dec 2024591
Nov 20241,115
Oct 20241,334
Sept 20241,308
Aug 20241,488
Jul 20241,493
Jun 20241,379
May 20241,711
Apr 20241,594
Mar 20241,085
Feb 20241,049
Jan 20241,146
Dec 2023758
Nov 2023733
Oct 2023896
Sept 2023813
Aug 20231,131
Jul 20231,069
Jun 20231,618
May 20231,630
Apr 20231,419
Mar 20231,668
Feb 20231,691
Jan 20231,753
Dec 20221,224
Nov 20221,546
Oct 20222,023
Sept 20221,870
Aug 20221,892
Jul 20222,061
Jun 20221,849
May 20221,996
Apr 20221,882
Mar 20222,307
Feb 20222,221
Jan 20221,993
Dec 20211,509
Nov 20211,693
Oct 20211,753
Sept 20211,849
Aug 20211,874
Jul 20211,837
Jun 20211,698
May 20211,408
Apr 20211,076
Mar 20211,688
Feb 2021492
Jan 2021424
Dec 2020404
Nov 2020358
Oct 2020598
Sept 2020763
Aug 2020658
Jul 2020538
Jun 2020303
May 2020226
Apr 2020414
Mar 20201,191
Feb 20201,662
Jan 20201,542
Dec 2019973
Nov 20191,621
Oct 20191,534
Sept 20191,734
Aug 20191,396
Jul 20191,417
Jun 20191,480
May 20191,646
Apr 20191,275
Mar 20191,502
Feb 20191,538
Jan 20191,336
Dec 20181,088
Nov 20181,628
Oct 20181,741
Sept 20181,929
Aug 20181,514
Jul 20181,739
Jun 20181,771
May 20181,537
Apr 20181,370
Mar 20181,926
Feb 20181,603
Jan 20182,152
Dec 20171,366
Nov 20171,678
Oct 20171,828
Sept 20172,124
Aug 20172,104
Jul 20172,062
Jun 20172,662
May 20173,311
Apr 20172,856
Mar 20172,816
Feb 20172,329
Jan 20172,952
Is there a shortage of restaurant managers?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
46%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for managers and proprietors in hospitality and leisure services, which includes restaurant managers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London869
Manchester70
Birmingham63
City of Edinburgh63
North Yorkshire61
Cornwall57
Glasgow City50
Liverpool45
Bristol, City of40
Leeds40
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where restaurant managers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 77 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from India, Indonesia, Pakistan, ranking it 111th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of restaurant managers
12%!
30%
28%
17%
10%!
3.5%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
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16–2412% (small sample)
25–3430%
35–4428%
45–5417%
55–6410% (small sample)
65+3.5% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent38%
Higher education below degree!4%
A levels or equivalent24%
GCSEs or equivalent16%
Other qualifications!6.8%
No qualifications!6.5%
!Small sample: treat with caution
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Degree or equivalent38%
Higher education below degree4% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent24%
GCSEs or equivalent16%
Other qualifications6.8% (small sample)
No qualifications6.5% (small sample)

Main employers: restaurants and mobile food service activities (67%), event catering activities (11%), retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating (5.8%), hotels and similar accommodation (1.9%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
38%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills you'll need in this job.

Courses include:

  • hospitality supervision and leadership
  • hospitality leadership
  • hospitality management
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could work towards this role by applying to do a Hospitality Supervisor Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship and continue with further training on the job.

You could also take a Hospitality Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship, if you've got supervisory experience in restaurant work.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could move up to a management position after working as part of the restaurant staff, for example head waiter or kitchen manager.

With experience and qualifications you could take on more management responsibilities.

Other routes

You could apply for a place on a graduate training scheme. Many large restaurants and fast food chains run schemes that can lead to management jobs.

You'll usually need a university qualification to get a place. For example, a degree in hospitality management is useful but many employers will accept other subjects.

You can find out more about how to become a restaurant manager from Caterer.com.

What you’ll need

  • get a food hygiene certificate by completing a short course at a college, a training centre or through your local council
  • pass enhanced background checks

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for restaurant manager. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • plans catering services and directs staff
  • decides on range and quality of meals and beverages to be provided
  • discusses customer’s requirements for special occasions
  • purchases or directs the purchasing of supplies and arranges for preparation of accounts
  • verifies that quality of food, beverages and waiting service is as required, that kitchen and dining areas are kept clean and appropriate hygiene standards are maintained in compliance with statutory requirements
  • plans and arranges food preparation in collaboration with other staff and organises the provision of waiting or counter staff
  • checks that supplies are properly used and accounted for to prevent wastage and loss and to keep within budget limit
  • determines staffing, financial, material and other short- and long-term requirements

Skills

  • arrange special events
  • comply with food safety and hygiene
  • control of expenses
  • devise special promotions
  • ensure portion control
  • ensure regular maintenance of kitchen equipment
  • ensure tableware is ready for use
  • handle customer complaints
  • identify customer's needs
  • identify suppliers
  • maintain customer service
  • manage health and safety standards
  • manage restaurant service
  • manage staff

Knowledge

  • hazard analysis and critical control points
  • quality assurance methodologies

Suits people who like

  • Leading and persuading
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for other managers and proprietors, a group of 22 jobs that includes restaurant managers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 43%about 494,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.