Bar Manager job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

14

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

O*NET-SOC 35-1012.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$44,080

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers (O*NET-SOC 35-1012.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Bar Manager” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: the SOC Index and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Resolve customer complaints regarding food service. importance 4.2 of 5
2. Train workers in food preparation, and in service, sanitation, and safety procedures. importance 4.2 of 5
3. Assign duties, responsibilities, and work stations to employees in accordance with work requirements. importance 4.1 of 5
4. Present bills and accept payments. importance 4.1 of 5
5. Perform various financial activities, such as cash handling, deposit preparation, and payroll. importance 4.0 of 5
6. Supervise and participate in kitchen and dining area cleaning activities. importance 4.0 of 5
7. Recommend measures for improving work procedures and worker performance to increase service quality and enhance job safety. importance 4.0 of 5
8. Specify food portions and courses, production and time sequences, and workstation and equipment arrangements. importance 4.0 of 5
9. Control inventories of food, equipment, smallware, and liquor, and report shortages to designated personnel. importance 4.0 of 5
10. Observe and evaluate workers and work procedures to ensure quality standards and service, and complete disciplinary write-ups. importance 4.0 of 5
11. Analyze operational problems, such as theft and wastage, and establish procedures to alleviate these problems. importance 3.9 of 5
12. Inspect supplies, equipment, and work areas to ensure efficient service and conformance to standards. importance 3.7 of 5
13. Greet and seat guests, and present menus and wine lists. importance 3.5 of 5
14. Evaluate new products for usefulness and suitability. importance 3.4 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Getting Information, Training and Teaching Others, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates and Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Compile and balance cash receipts at the end of the day or shift.
• Forecast staff, equipment, and supply requirements, based on a master menu.
• Assess nutritional needs of patients, plan special menus, supervise the assembly of regular and special diet trays, and oversee the delivery of food trolleys to hospital patients.
• Record production, operational, and personnel data on specified forms.
• Estimate ingredients and supplies required to prepare a recipe.
• Purchase or requisition supplies and equipment needed to ensure quality and timely delivery of services.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, Food Production, English Language and Production and Processing.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Word. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists less than 5 years of work experience in a related occupation as typical.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Most bar managers surveyed by O*NET (70%) name a high school diploma or equivalent as the education the job requires.

Job title: Bar Manager
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Bar Manager.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Resolve customer complaints regarding food service.
- Train workers in food preparation, and in service, sanitation, and safety procedures.
- Assign duties, responsibilities, and work stations to employees in accordance with work requirements.
- Present bills and accept payments.
- Perform various financial activities, such as cash handling, deposit preparation, and payroll.
- Supervise and participate in kitchen and dining area cleaning activities.
- Recommend measures for improving work procedures and worker performance to increase service quality and enhance job safety.
- Specify food portions and courses, production and time sequences, and workstation and equipment arrangements.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists less than 5 years in a related occupation as typical; adjust to this role]
- Strength in management of personnel resources, coordination and speaking
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service and Administration and Management
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers, the median annual wage was $44,080 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $21.19. BLS estimates about 1,223,240 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers to grow 5.4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 171,500 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real bar manager posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Resolve customer complaints regarding food service”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only bar manager work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (management of personnel resources and coordination): a real situation, what you did and what changed.