Restaurant Management: What It Takes to Run Efficient Eateries

restaurant management schools

If the restaurant business is your passion, obtaining a restaurant management degree can be one of the best things you can do for your career. Kent State University’s Hospitality and Event Management program can give you the essential restaurant management skills and knowledge you need to operate a thriving establishment.

To help those who are considering this career path, we decided to highlight some of the most important considerations within the restaurant management field. Give them a look and consult our list below to learn about coursework you will complete in these areas while at Kent State.

6 Key Aspects of Effective Restaurant Management

Food Purchasing

One major facet of restaurant management is determining not only what will be on your menu, but where your ingredients will come from.

Freshness, cost per item, final sale price, and inventory needs are all vital concerns to keeping your business operating smoothly and efficiently, so knowing what to look for and weighing these concerns before making decisions will be essential.

Food Production

Even if you will not be handling any of the food preparation yourself, knowing key principles that your staff should be adhering to will make you a more effective manager.

Aspects such as recipe standardization, equipment use, and presentation will all be important concerns in your role, while food safety and sanitation will be among the most important facets of your job. Also, the more you know about the food production process, the better you will be able to assist your customers.

Catering Needs

If your restaurant business has a catering component, or this is an aspect you believe would be a worthwhile addition in the future, learning the field’s particular requirements will be quite beneficial.

Specific legal requirements, contracts, and transportation logistics are all added aspects that come with catering, along with more responsibilities for food safety, staffing, marketing, and more. Investing time into learning about catering needs can help you keep your business safe and productive.

Financing

Of course, food concerns aren’t the only focus for restaurant management – the bottom line is still of chief importance.

To effectively manage your restaurant, you will need to oversee food and operating costs, monitor your cashflow, look for ways to save money, and determine possibilities for expansion. You will learn how to tackle all of these aspects within our restaurant management degree program.

Staffing

As part of your role, not only will you likely be overseeing staffing, but you’ll be responsible for elements of training, retention, scheduling, and more.

Within restaurant management schools, you will learn how to master a variety of staffing needs, along with creating systems for effective training and scheduling procedures.

Legal Issues

Abiding by local, state, and federal law for food and beverage services is obviously of paramount importance within the restaurant management sector. Not only is fully complying with regulations the correct legal and ethical approach, but it is quite simply good for business.

Familiarizing yourself fully with the legal concerns of the restaurant business will make for a better establishment for yourself, your staff, and your customers.

Kent State University’s Restaurant Management Courses

Within our hospitality management program, students will have the opportunity to take a variety of courses that pertain specifically to restaurant management:

Techniques of Food Production – This course teaches aspects of food quality and safety, proper equipment use, planning, pricing, recipe standardization, and presentation.
Sanitation and Safety Principles and Practices – In this course, students learn essential food safety and sanitation practices for restaurants. Topics include food purchasing, receiving, storage, preparation, preventing foodborne illness, government regulations and inspections, and more.
Introductory Food Science – Food preparation, quality evaluation, food consumption trends, nutrition, and more are all components of this course.
Legal Issues in the Hospitality Industry – This course provides overviews and analyses of various legal issues for those in the hospitality sector, including on the topics of employment law, food and beverage liabilities, franchising, and patron civil rights.
Hospitality Purchasing – Students will learn key insights on the selection of food, acquiring goods and services from vendors, and grading and quality standards.
Catering and Banquet Management – Key aspects of the catering business are covered in this course, including management, contracts, menu planning, beverage service, logistics, pricing, personnel, safety practices, and more.
Food, Wine and Beverage Pairing – Topics in this course include the sensory relationship of food and alcohols, menu development, and effective pairing for specific meals and beverages.
International Cuisine – In this course, students will learn about cuisines found throughout the world, discovering such aspects as their history, culture, local ingredients, and more.
Baking and Pastry Fundamentals – Students will develop advanced skills and knowledge in the production and selection of quality handcrafted and purchased products, and learn about decorating and finishing techniques, as well as working with sweet doughs, cakes, chocolate, and more.
Hospitality Human Resource Management – This course covers aspects of human resource management such as principles, legal issues, best practices, and more.
Hospitality Financial Policy – For this course, students will develop their financial analysis and decision-making skills, helping them in future roles within restaurants, clubs, resorts, and more.
Food Service Systems Management – Topics covered in this course include menu planning and evaluation, food production systems, marketing, quality control, leadership, and more.
Layout and Design of Food Service Operations – Students will learn key aspects for equipment use, space analysis, selection and layout for food service facilities, food codes and regulations, and more.

As you can see, choosing Kent State for your restaurant management degree will help you to master essential facets of the restaurant and food services industry.