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Cafe management, like restaurant management or bar management, is a multi-faceted line of work. It involves working with cafe regulations, understanding the cost to open a cafe, working with the cafe business plan, and spending time on cafe inventory management.
Cafe management can also deal with restaurant technology, managing operating expenses, looking after online ordering for restaurants, and working with customer service suited to the restaurant location. Those facets of running the daily operations of a cafe fall under the vast responsibilities of cafe managers.
From the moment you open a cafe, management will come in handy. From managing the marketing strategy for cafe businesses to ordering menus for cafes to having the capability to manage all types of cafes, there’s a lot of ground to cover.
In this BinWise blog, we’ll walk you through 10 key management responsibilities. If you’re hiring a cafe manager to help you manage your new cafe, read on. If you’re looking for work as a cafe manager, this is the spot for you too!
Cafe Management Responsibilities
These 10 key cafe management responsibilities cover the daily and long-term work of a cafe manager. From employee support to customer service to maintaining restaurant operations alongside the executive chef, this list showcases what a cafe manager is responsible for on a regular basis.
10. Support Staff In Customer Service
Supporting cafe staff in all aspects of customer service is one of the key daily responsibilities of cafe managers. You’re there to help when extra hands are needed, and step in for conflict resolution should the situation occur.
9. Maintain Revenue Records
Maintaining revenue records is easiest when done on a daily basis. It’s a clear-cut job for a cafe manager because managers have the most regular exposure to the revenue numbers.
8. Update the Menu
Updating the menu can include everything from reprinting menus as needed to adding new food items to updating the wine lists. It’s not a daily job, but it does come up from time to time.
7. Manage Daily Inventory Needs
Managing daily inventory needs helps to keep your inventory running smoothly each day of the week. Staying on top of inventory and keeping all the necessary inventory in stock is a key manager duty. It makes your job easier and does the same for all employees. It also streamlines the cafe experience for your customers.
6. Vendor Coordination
Vendor coordination for cafe management comes into play with order management and inventory management. As orders come in, you’ll have the task of checking them in. If any issues arise, a focus on vendor coordination will make your job easier. You can work on vendor coordination by being timely with ordering products and being respectful of the time when your orders are delivered.
5. Regular Order Management
Regular order management plays into vendor coordination and inventory management. At any given time, a cafe should have enough inventory to last a week. Keeping up with regular order management will help you achieve that goal and avoid worrying about your reorder point.
4. Customer Complaint Resolution
Customer complaint resolution isn’t always a huge part of the job of a cafe manager, but when it comes up, it’s extremely important. This responsibility ties into taking care of your employees and backing them up in customer service. When there is a customer complaint or a customer causing trouble, it’s your responsibility to support your employee and resolve the conflict.
3. Health and Safety Standards Management
Health and safety standards management is a task for the cafe team at large, but the bulk of organizing these standards rests with the cafe manager. There are rules and regulations you need to follow in a cafe business. As the manager, it’s your job to make sure those rules are being kept up with and to correct any issues before they become a problem.
2. Hiring Employees
Hiring employees is the start of your managerial responsibilities with the cafe staff. You and the cafe owner will work together on finding the right staff, but ultimately, the hiring tasks will be on your to-do list.
1. Managing Scheduling
Managing scheduling is one of the most specific and important ways you can support your staff. This involves creating the schedule and working with employees as they request time off and specific days off. It’s weekly work that will give you a consistent opportunity to look after your staff.
"Key Takeaway: The process of management in cafes includes daily operations, inventory needs, staffing solutions, and business plans. The manager has a lot of responsibilities on a day-to-day basis, and they’re also responsible for helping to advance the business."
Frequently Asked Questions About Cafe Management
Cafe management comes with plenty of responsibilities and a need for a lot of information. Our answers to these frequently asked questions will be helpful for cafe owners and managers looking to learn more. These are applicable to all sorts of cafe, restaurant, and bar management. They showcase the skills and knowledge it takes to be a great manager.
What Is the Manager of a Cafe Called?
A manager in a cafe is often called a supervisor, and in some cases, the manager is the owner. Ultimately, the cafe manager is someone who oversees the general operations of the cafe on a daily basis and over time. The job is less about the title and more about the level of responsibility.
What Is the Hierarchy In a Cafe?
The hierarchy in a cafe follows the line of owner, manager, general manager, kitchen manager, bookkeeper, and team members. Within team members there is the kitchen staff, wait staff, and any other front or back of house staff. Team members have different roles but similar levels of responsibility.
What are the Three Levels of Management In a Restaurant?
The three main levels of management in a restaurant are the owner, the manager, and the floor supervisor. In some restaurants, these roles blend together depending on the management structure and the experience of each individual. In most restaurants, you can find someone filling the general role of each of these three levels.
What are the Three Ps of Successful Management?
The three Ps of successful management are people, process, and product. In a cafe, the people portion of those factors applies to the staff and the customers. The manager’s job includes making sure the staff are taken care of. It also includes a great deal of customer service.
The process part of management in cafes includes daily operations, inventory needs, staffing solutions, and business plans. The manager has a lot of responsibilities on a day-to-day basis, and they’re also responsible for helping to advance the business.
As for products (and services), the product of a cafe rests in the food and drinks being served. The manager works closely with the kitchen and serving staff to make sure every meal is up to the cafe's standards. These three Ps come together to cover every aspect of running a successful cafe business.
Cafe Management: The Makings of a Well-Managed Cafe
Cafe management comes with a lot of responsibility and hard work. It’s fulfilling work, fueled by customer experience and pride in your team and the work you accomplish. Whether you’re hiring a manager for your cafe or seeking work as a cafe manager, come back to this blog any time to touch up on information and solutions.
Cafe management work can be eased through the use of restaurant technology, such as BinWise and BlueCart. The BinWise Pro inventory program, paired with the BinScan mobile app, gives you peace of mind when you take inventory. BlueCart’s order management software simplifies your order management system.