Restaurant Manager CV: Sample & How to Write [Expert Tips]

Restaurant managers always have a lot on their plate. Being able to manage people, the supplies and the customers requires a special mix of skills. Your CV must display them properly and prove that you are a worthy candidate. It’s all in the presentation. 

This article will show you how to analyse the job ad to build the strongest possible CV for each application, and get you to interview 9 out of 10 times. Just swap in your information into our restaurant manager CV example, and follow our expert tips.

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We created the sample on the right using our builder. See other good CV examples like this one.

Need a different CV example? Check these examples:

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• Bartender CV
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• Chef de Partie CV
• CV for a Part-Time Job
• Hospitality CV
• Kitchen Porter CV 
• Manager CV
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• Project Manager CV
• Sales CV
• Supervisor CV
• Waiter / Waitress CV

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our CV examples.

Restaurant manager CV sample

That’s how you serve a restaurant manager CV. Here’s a recipe to write your own CV:

1. Write a restaurant manager CV personal statement

Your CV personal statement (also known as a CV profile) should be like the descriptions of dishes on the menu—short, punchy, and describing reality in the best possible way. Skip the bland ingredients, focus on what makes you unique.

Sum up your years of experience and sizes of staff managed, and focus on two key achievements that you have delivered in the past. Relate it to the establishment you are applying to and drop their name, so they know you aren’t sending these out by the hundreds.

Leave this for dessert—it’s going to be much easier to write once everything else is done (and that's why it's also called a CV summary). 

Restaurant manager CV sample personal statement

A strong CV summary will convince the recruiter you’re the perfect candidate. Save time and choose a ready-made personal statement written by career experts and adjust it to your needs in the LiveCareer CV builder.

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2. Write your restaurant manager CV job description

To get the personal statement in the oven, you must first find your ingredients. Perhaps even some bland ones will make their way in there that show your depth of management and organisation skills. The recipe is in the job, you just have to decode it.

Determine what the most important factors are for your prospective employer, and put them first on your menu. Each employer will require an individual adjustment, but don’t think of it as extra work, but as increasing your chances. 

List 5 to 7 bullet points for your most recent position, and make sure at least 75% of them have numbers to back it up. You are a manager most of all—improvements and savings are what gets you the job. 

Record your positions like this:

[Job Title]

[Employer Name, Location]

[Dates of Employment]

For further positions, limit the bullet points to 3.

Restaurant manager CV sample—work experience section 

3. Include an education section in your restaurant manager CV

If you have a degree in Hospitality Management or a similar field, your education section should come next. If you worked your way up, you could prioritise a skills section here and move education down. 

If you have very little experience, you could round out some of your coursework or achievements. Otherwise, keep it short and sweet like the following:

Restaurant manager CV example—education section

4. List your relevant restaurant manager skills

What else do you bring to the table? Most restaurant manager CVs will be plagued by empty statements and adjectives, but that’s good. That only makes you stand out. Focus on what you might have that others do not. Use the job advert as an inspiration—it’s also a good resource of ATS keywords in case the restaurant uses an Applicant Tracking System.

You can choose to reiterate the main points from your work experience, or to sprinkle in some stuff that doesn’t really deserve a full sentence, but has some importance. Keep your professional skills down to 5-10.

Restaurant manager CV—skills template

5. Serve additional sections on your restaurant manager CV

Since food is a universal language, kitchens are incredibly international places. Knowing the right language can go a long way, especially if it is exactly the one that fits the profile of the restaurant. 

Awards, certifications, languages, even volunteering—if you think they're relevant—list them. It shows being able to juggle many responsibilities—something you will be doing day and night from now on. The same applies to hobbies and interests: add them only if they are pertinent.

Restaurant manager CV template—additional sections

6. Write a tantalising restaurant manager cover letter

Salt and pepper. Restaurant manager CV and a well-written cover letter. They just have to go together. The cover letter is yet another chance to highlight your strongest sides and to go more in-depth into some details.

The first paragraph should be quite similar to the personal statement, the first bite that hook them into devouring the whole thing. In the second paragraph, discuss two or three key areas you improved or achievements you had, backed up with numbers. 

The last paragraph of your cover letter should tie up loose ends, propose exactly what you’re going to do for your new employer, and request a meeting.

What else to remember about when writing a restaurant manager CV?

If you want to be booking a lot of interviews, consistent CVs are a key. Follow these CV format rules:

• Use an elegant CV font like Didot in a 10-12 size. Keep your CV layout clean.
• Use clear headings for each CV section, and leave space between them.
• If you're planning to use an MS Word CV template, make sure to save it as PDF (unless asked otherwise) to keep the formatting intact. View best CV templates (including free CV templates) to find one that suits you best.

Restaurants are busy. Give them a call if you haven’t heard back in a couple of weeks.

You don’t have to be a CV writing expert. In the LiveCareer CV builder you’ll find ready-made content for every industry and position, which you can then add with a single click.

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Do you have more questions on how to write a restaurant manager CV? Anything you have to contribute to make our article better? Did you find our restaurant manager CV sample useful? Use the comments section below to let us know.

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Our editorial team has reviewed this article for compliance with Livecareer’s editorial guidelines. It’s to ensure that our expert advice and recommendations are consistent across all our career guides and align with current CV and cover letter writing standards and trends. We’re trusted by over 10 million job seekers, supporting them on their way to finding their dream job. Each article is preceded by research and scrutiny to ensure our content responds to current market trends and demand.