Food and drink

How to become a restaurant manager

Official title: Restaurant manager

Also called: Food service manager, Food and beverage manager, Duty manager, Cafe manager, Catering manager, Front of house manager

Restaurant managers oversee staff and the daily operations of restaurants, cafés and other places that prepare and serve food and beverages.

Main tasks

Oversee staff and daily food services
Make sure food is safe to eat
Check rules and keep records updated
Answer customer service questions
Keep track of food and supplies
Plan and manage budgets
Check food quality and cooking standards
Organise staff timetables and shifts

How to become one

You usually need experience to become a restaurant manager and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a relevant tertiary qualification in food, tourism and hospitality or similar area; a Licence Controller Qualification; a Manager's Certificate.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship in cookery. TEC links this job to study in food tourism and hospitality. New Zealand apprenticeship (NZQA level 4). Qualifications: NZ Cert in Food and Beverage Service, NZ Cert in Catering Services, NZ Cert in Cookery. Usually 11 months to 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $65,000 a year one year after study and $68,000 five years after; 87% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Certificates and diplomas: Entry certificates in other food and hospitality. TEC links this job to study in food tourism and hospitality. Qualifications: Manāki Marae - Te Nihowera, Te Ringawera, Manāki Marae - Te Kauta, Te Wharekai. Usually 4 to 6 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $38,000 a year one year after study and $51,000 five years after; 31% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $52,000 to $83,000 a year (median $65,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $106,000 a year
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Cafe and Restaurant Managers: 11,586 at the 2018 Census and 11,460 at the 2023 Census (-1.1%). Past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 12,000 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Cafe and Restaurant Managers, 58% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Cafe and Restaurant Managers work (2023 Census): Auckland 33.4%, Canterbury 14.1%, and Wellington 10.5%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a restaurant manager?

How much does a restaurant manager earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $65,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $52,000 to $83,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as a restaurant manager grown in New Zealand?

It has grown: TEC records an increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of a restaurant manager?

Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026