Top 12 Restaurant Assistant Manager Skills to Put on Your Resume

Landing a coveted role as a restaurant assistant manager takes a resume that shows real, working know-how. Not fluff. Not vague claims. The 12 skills below anchor your experience to what restaurants need right now—fast decisions, calm under pressure, tight controls, and guests who leave happy and come back.

Restaurant Assistant Manager Skills

1. POS Systems
2. Inventory Management
3. Customer Service
4. Team Leadership
5. Scheduling Software
6. Conflict Resolution
7. Financial Reporting
8. Health & Safety
9. Staff Training
10. Menu Planning
11. OpenTable
12. Food Safety

1. POS Systems

POS (Point of Sale) systems are the nerve center for orders, payments, and reporting. The best ones tie together inventory, scheduling, loyalty, online ordering, and delivery—so the floor hums and the back office isn’t drowning in spreadsheets.

Why It's Important

POS systems power order accuracy, speed of service, payment security, sales tracking, and clean reporting. That translates to smoother shifts, fewer comps, better decisions, and guests who feel taken care of.

How to Improve POS Systems Skills

Sharpen what matters most and the whole operation tightens up:

1. Integration — Connect POS with inventory, payroll, accounting, online ordering, and delivery. One source of truth beats five partial ones.

2. Ease of use — Simple screens, clear modifiers, fewer taps. Faster training, fewer errors, happier guests.

3. Mobility — Handhelds for tableside ordering and payment reduce bottlenecks and rework. Bonus: higher check averages with quick upsells.

4. Data and dashboards — Daily flash reports, product mix, comps/voids, and labor-to-sales at a glance. Make changes mid-shift, not next month.

5. Security and uptime — EMV, contactless, user permissions, audit trails, and offline mode. Protect revenue and trust.

6. Scalability — Multi-location support, menu versioning, and centralized controls so growth doesn’t get messy.

Choose tools you’ll actually use. Then train, test, and refine. Little tweaks add up to minutes saved every hour.

How to Display POS Systems Skills on Your Resume

2. Inventory Management

Inventory management balances stock on hand with demand. It keeps product fresh, spending aligned to sales, and waste on a short leash.

Why It's Important

Get it right and you cut food costs, reduce spoilage, and keep the menu running without “86” moments. Margins breathe easier.

How to Improve Inventory Management Skills

1. Real-time tracking — Use software tied to your recipes and sales so actual usage mirrors what the POS rings.

2. Regular counts — Weekly full counts, daily spot checks on high-cost items, and variance tracking. Trust, but verify.

3. Par levels — Set minimums and order cycles by season and daypart. Adjust quickly when patterns shift.

4. FIFO and labeling — Date marks, clear bins, and line checks. Old stock moves first or it becomes trash.

5. Recipe costing and prep sheets — Lock in standardized portions, batch recipes, and yield tracking. Consistency saves cash.

6. Supplier partnerships — Negotiate pricing, delivery windows, and returns. Share forecasts; reduce surprises.

7. Waste control — Track trim, overproduction, and throwaways. Turn near-expiring items into specials or staff meals.

8. Menu simplification — Too many SKUs invite waste. Trim low sellers and consolidate ingredients where it makes sense.

Small discipline, every day, beats big fixes once a quarter.

How to Display Inventory Management Skills on Your Resume

3. Customer Service

Customer service means anticipating needs, removing friction, and making guests feel seen. It’s tone, timing, and follow-through—on the floor and behind the scenes.

Why It's Important

Great service drives repeat visits and word of mouth. That’s revenue you didn’t have to advertise for, and a dining room that sells itself.

How to Improve Customer Service Skills

1. Train relentlessly — Greetings, menu knowledge, allergy awareness, pacing, recovery. Practice until it’s muscle memory.

2. Listen hard — Invite feedback, watch body language, and fix issues before they bloom. A sincere apology goes a long way.

3. Personalize — Learn names, remember preferences, and note special dates. Little touches stick.

4. Speed + accuracy — Run food checks, use order confirmation, and keep eyes on hot windows. Slow and wrong is a double hit.

5. Clean and safe — Restrooms, tables, entries, and high-touch areas spotless. Safety is part of service.

6. Close the loop — Follow up on resolved complaints. Thank happy guests. Invite them back with intent.

How to Display Customer Service Skills on Your Resume

4. Team Leadership

Leadership turns a group of people into a crew. Clarity, coaching, accountability—and a calm center when tickets stack and the printer screams.

Why It's Important

Strong leadership trims chaos, lifts morale, and stabilizes standards. Better shifts, lower turnover, tighter execution.

How to Improve Team Leadership Skills

1. Communicate clearly — Pre-shift huddles with goals, 86s, and specials. Post-shift notes on wins and fixes.

2. Coach in the moment — Quick, specific feedback. Praise publicly, correct privately. Show, don’t just tell.

3. Delegate with trust — Assign ownership (prep lists, side work audits, line checks). Growth needs responsibility.

4. Set standards — Written SOPs and checklists. Fair, consistent accountability beats guesswork.

5. Develop people — Cross-train, map paths to promotion, and celebrate milestones. Retention follows respect.

6. Manage time — Prioritize guest-impact tasks first. Then paperwork. Keep the floor visible.

How to Display Team Leadership Skills on Your Resume

5. Scheduling Software

Scheduling software organizes shifts, tracks availability, and aligns labor with demand. Done well, it keeps coverage tight and labor dollars sane.

Why It's Important

Better schedules mean fewer call-outs, faster approvals, compliance with labor rules, and a team that knows what’s coming next week.

How to Improve Scheduling Software Skills

1. Build templates — Base schedules on sales history and events. Tweak, don’t rebuild, week after week.

2. Forecast labor — Tie labor plans to sales by hour and daypart. Match peak demand, trim the valleys.

3. Enable self-service — Let staff request time off, swap shifts with approval, and confirm changes in-app. Fewer texts, fewer errors.

4. Compliance — Bake in break rules, overtime alerts, and predictive scheduling laws where required.

5. Mobile and notifications — Real-time updates for changes. No more “I didn’t see the new schedule.”

6. Reporting — Track labor percent, late outs, coverage gaps, and schedule adherence. Fix patterns, not one-offs.

How to Display Scheduling Software Skills on Your Resume

6. Conflict Resolution

Things flare up—between guests, on the line, with vendors. Resolution is about listening, clarity, options, and closure without lingering sparks.

Why It's Important

Handled early and fairly, conflict stops turnover, protects service, and preserves culture. Left to fester, it spreads.

How to Improve Conflict Resolution Skills

1. Listen first — Let each person speak fully. Paraphrase back. Make sure they feel heard.

2. Stay neutral — Focus on behaviors and facts, not personalities. Keep the temperature down.

3. Clarify expectations — Reference policies and standards. Explain the “why,” not just the “what.”

4. Co-create solutions — Offer choices, agree on actions, set timelines. Write it down.

5. Follow up — Check in within a few days. Confirm the fix held. Document outcomes.

6. Know when to escalate — Safety issues, harassment, or repeated violations need manager or HR involvement immediately.

How to Display Conflict Resolution Skills on Your Resume

7. Financial Reporting

Financial reporting turns daily activity into numbers you can act on—sales, costs, labor, and the trends hiding between them.

Why It's Important

Clarity on revenue, COGS, labor, and prime cost lets you tighten operations quickly and protect profit without guessing.

How to Improve Financial Reporting Skills

1. Daily flash — Track sales, labor percent, comps/voids, discounts, and average check. Course-correct midweek.

2. Recipe-linked COGS — Tie purchases to recipes and sales. Monitor theoretical vs. actual food cost to spot leakage.

3. Standardize SOPs — Cash handling, invoice processing, and tip reconciliation that leave no gray areas.

4. Frequent audits — Drawer counts, safe audits, inventory variance reviews. Trust comes from verification.

5. Dashboards — Visualize trends by daypart, menu item, server, and location. Patterns jump out fast.

6. Prime cost focus — Watch food + beverage + labor weekly. Keep it within target and act when it drifts.

How to Display Financial Reporting Skills on Your Resume

8. Health & Safety

Health & Safety means food-safe practices, a protected workplace, and compliance with current codes. Guests and staff count on it, even when they don’t see it.

Why It's Important

It prevents illness and injury, avoids citations, and builds trust. One slip can undo months of good work.

How to Improve Health & Safety Skills

1. Know the rules — Follow the latest FDA Food Code (2022 or newer) and your local health department requirements.

2. Train and retrain — Food handling, allergen awareness, knife safety, fire safety, first aid. Refresh at least annually.

3. Risk assessments — Walk the space weekly. Fix trip hazards, blocked exits, and damaged equipment quickly.

4. Allergen controls — Dedicated tools, clear labeling, and strict communication from order to expo.

5. Emergency readiness — Written plans, posted routes, stocked first-aid, and regular drills.

6. Maintenance — Preventive service for hoods, refrigeration, gas lines, and fire suppression. Logs up to date.

7. Speak up culture — Encourage reporting of hazards and near-misses. Reward vigilance.

8. Documentation — SDS access, incident logs, cleaning checklists, and temperature logs. If you didn’t write it down, it didn’t happen.

How to Display Health & Safety Skills on Your Resume

9. Staff Training

Training turns standards into habits. It builds confidence, reduces mistakes, and keeps service consistent no matter who’s on the shift.

Why It's Important

Well-trained teams move faster, make fewer errors, and deliver a better guest experience. That’s money saved and money earned.

How to Improve Staff Training Skills

1. Define the baseline — Map every role’s skills and knowledge. Onboarding should be complete, not vague.

2. Blended learning — Short videos, printed SOPs, and hands-on practice. People learn differently—meet them there.

3. Certifications — Keep food safety and alcohol service credentials current. Track renewals before they expire.

4. Mentorship — Pair new hires with seasoned trainers. Shadow, then run with supervision, then fly.

5. Cross-train — Build bench strength across stations. It cushions call-outs and opens promotion paths.

6. Measure and iterate — Quick quizzes, secret shops, and service observations. Close gaps fast and celebrate progress.

How to Display Staff Training Skills on Your Resume

10. Menu Planning

Menu planning balances guest appeal, operational simplicity, and profit. It’s where brand, season, and cost come to terms.

Why It's Important

The right menu trims waste, speeds the line, and boosts margins—without feeling skimpy or stale to guests.

How to Improve Menu Planning Skills

1. Know your guests — Track preferences, dietary needs, and neighborhood trends. Build for them, not assumptions.

2. Use sales mix data — Identify stars, workhorses, puzzles, and dogs. Promote, tweak, or cut with intent.

3. Season smart — Lean into seasonal produce and cost-effective substitutions. Fresh sells; costs stay in line.

4. Engineer the design — Highlight high-margin items, tighten descriptions, and keep choices clear. Less clutter, better decisions.

5. Consolidate SKUs — Share ingredients across dishes without repetition. Complexity kills speed.

6. Test and learn — Run limited-time features, gather feedback, and roll forward what works.

7. Train the team — Staff should know ingredients, allergens, and suggested pairings cold.

How to Display Menu Planning Skills on Your Resume

11. OpenTable

OpenTable helps manage reservations, pacing, guest notes, and table turns. Used well, it fills seats without overpromising.

Why It's Important

It streamlines the book, reduces wait times, and surfaces guest preferences. Better flow, better covers, better nights.

How to Improve OpenTable Skills

1. Polish your profile — Accurate hours, menus, photos, and specials. Set expectations before guests arrive.

2. Master table management — Configure floor plans, pacing rules, and turn times. Map reality, not wishful thinking.

3. Use guest notes — Allergies, celebrations, seating preferences. Personal touches start at the host stand.

4. Reduce no-shows — Confirmation messages, deposits where appropriate, and a fair cancellation policy.

5. Leverage analytics — Watch peak times, booking windows, and channel performance. Adjust staffing and specials accordingly.

6. Sync the waitlist — Keep hosts, servers, and the kitchen aligned on real-time waits and holds.

How to Display OpenTable Skills on Your Resume

12. Food Safety

Food safety protects guests from contamination and illness. It’s time/temperature control, hygiene, separation, cleaning, and verification—every day, every shift.

Why It's Important

Safe food keeps people healthy, prevents fines, and safeguards reputation. One incident can echo for years.

How to Improve Food Safety Skills

1. Ongoing training — Keep certifications current. Reinforce handwashing, glove use, and illness reporting policies.

2. Time/temperature control — Calibrated thermometers, hot/cold holding logs, rapid cooling, and reheat standards.

3. Prevent cross-contamination — Color-coded boards, separate storage for raw/ready-to-eat, and strict allergen protocols.

4. Date marking and labeling — Clear prep dates, use-by timelines, shellfish tags, and traceability records.

5. Verified sanitation — Proper sanitizer concentrations, clean-in-place routines, and documented checklists.

6. Pest control — Sealed entries, proper waste handling, and scheduled professional inspections.

7. Code compliance — Align with the current FDA Food Code and local requirements; update SOPs when rules change.

How to Display Food Safety Skills on Your Resume