One of the things we see everyday in job postings/ads and speaking with recruiters are the range of job titles which restaurants have given to essentially the same levels of management.

One of the most confusing job titles is “Restaurant Manager“. Some companies us this as their title for a General Manager position and some use it for an Assistant Manager level title. Others will use it in their job posting as a catchall term for ALL levels of management.

We believe that if restaurants would standardize their job titles there would be a lot less confusion in the job market place.

With this in mind we’ve put together the following job title breakdown as a helpful guide.

• The top level of management in an individual restaurant unit is the General Manager no matter what the job title might read. Some other titles companies use for this position are: Unit Manager, Store Manager, Restaurant Manager, Partner and Proprietor.
• Next up are the management levels below the General Manager which are Assistant Managers. Other variations of this job title can be: Manager, Co-Manager, Assistant General Manager (AGM’s), Apprentice Manager, Service Manager, Sales Manager, Hourly Manager, Restaurant Manager (also used by some companies as their designation for GM’s).
• Finally we have the Shift Leader positions. Other job titles include Team Leader, Crew Leader, Shift Supervisor, Hourly Shift Manager and Associate Manager.

Focus on what the job/position entails, what the salary and benefits include and most important, what is the growth potential for the position and the restaurant group itself.