When trying to describe a hospitable personality type, you imagine someone who is warm, welcoming and friendly. In order to be a successful restaurant owner, one must be able to handle stressful situations while maintaining a steady demeanor. A regular workday for restaurant managers can be long, hectic and trying, but incredibly gratifying as well. Most establishments prefer their managers to obtain a certification through food service training, since the scope of the job is so broad. Though managing a restaurant may seem easy, the job is far more intense behind the scenes. A food service manager must build a wide range of skills in multiple areas, including finance, accounting, human resources, information technology, and marketing.

Food service operations pose many challenges and unexpected situations for managers to face. Those interested in a career in hospitality will find that hospitality manager courses prove to be extremely beneficial toward the long-term success of their careers. Courses will address major problematic situations and provide hospitality professionals with the strategies used to conquer them. They explore success and failure and provide critically useful perspectives for those intending to plan, open, and manage a foodservice operation. Mangers must also be fully aware of the marketing mix and how it works for their business. This includes product, place, price and promotion. All four elements are equally important and can determine the success or failure of a restaurant.

Management involves planning, especially within the food service industry. Hospitality manger courses will teach students that achieving success requires analysis and preparation. It requires managers to take an active role in identifying specific target markets and customer bases. Additionally, managers must ensure that the desired customer sees the right product at the right price at an appropriate place and time. Once customers are connected to the restaurant, managers must figure out how to sustain them as returning customers. Since customer retention is so critical to the success of a restaurant, managers should constantly reevaluate elements such as product design, pricing, place/distribution, and promotions. Managers must first set a standard for their establishment by defining the overall brand. From there, the marketing business plan can be structured and built for sustained success and accomplishment.

The concept of \”place\” does not only refer to the physical location of the restaurant, but also to the global distribution channels through which members of the target market are informed about the business. The overused phrase: \”Location, Location, Location\” has been considerably broadened due for today\’s competitive environment. Attracting customer attention has become more complicated than simply having an attractive facility. Food service training teaches managers how to adopt an expanded concept of place, which will allow them to gain new advantages in reaching potential target markets. Through exploring “places” of promotion, managers will become aware of the proliferation of new ways to reach customers. Many available options exist: advertising, professional selling, sales promotion, direct marketing, and public relations. The process of clearly defining the target market tends to facilitate decisions about promotion, too.

David Shoemaker is Vice President of Learning Solutions and Innovation at eCornell. For more information on food service training, hospitality manager courses, or eCornell, please visit http://www.eCornell.com

David Shoemaker is Vice President of Learning Solutions and Innovation at eCornell. For more information on food service training, hospitality manager courses, or eCornell, please visit http://www.eCornell.com

Author Bio: David Shoemaker is Vice President of Learning Solutions and Innovation at eCornell. For more information on food service training, hospitality manager courses, or eCornell, please visit http://www.eCornell.com

Category: Advice
Keywords: food service training, hospitality manager courses