Restaurant Manager Cover Letter

A restaurant manager cover letter has to move fast and prove impact. Hiring managers in food service scan dozens of applications and stop at the ones that show real numbers: labor percentage kept on target, food cost controlled within budget, health inspection scores maintained, and a team that stays. This page walks you through what those managers want to see, how to structure your letter, and what a finished example looks like. If you want to start from the basics, our guide on how to write a cover letter covers the full process step by step.

What employers look for in a restaurant manager cover letter

Operators and regional directors prioritize candidates who can run a profitable, compliant, and stable location. When they read your letter, they are looking for evidence across these areas:

• P&L responsibility -- proof that you have owned a budget, tracked line items, and improved or protected margin over a defined period.
• Food cost and inventory control -- specific results tied to shrinkage reduction, portion compliance, or vendor negotiation that moved food cost percentage in the right direction.
• Labor scheduling and percentage -- examples of building schedules that kept labor within target while covering volume and reducing overtime.
• Staff hiring, training, and retention -- evidence that your team stayed longer, performed better, or needed less retraining under your leadership.
• Health and safety compliance -- inspection scores, ServSafe credentials, or corrective actions you led that raised or maintained a perfect record.
• Guest satisfaction and service standards -- ratings, review scores, or complaint-reduction results that connect your management style to the guest experience.

Mention at least two or three of these with numbers. A claim like "improved guest satisfaction" carries far less weight than "raised Google review average from 3.8 to 4.4 over eight months."

How to write a restaurant manager cover letter that gets interviews

1. Open with your strongest operational result

Avoid starting with "I am excited to apply." Instead, lead with the result that best matches the role. Something like: "In two years as general manager at Harlow Kitchen, I reduced food cost from 32% to 27% while growing weekly covers by 18%." This tells the reader immediately that you think in margins and volume, which is exactly what they need.

2. Connect your background to the specific operation

Read the job posting carefully. A fast-casual franchise has different priorities than a fine dining independent. If the employer emphasizes reducing turnover, highlight the onboarding program you built. If they are expanding locations, mention the SOPs you documented or the assistant managers you developed into GM-ready candidates. The same principle applies when writing a server cover letter or a bartender cover letter -- matching your language to the employer's priorities always outperforms a generic summary.

3. Quantify the scope of your management

Give the reader a sense of scale: covers per week, annual revenue, team size, number of locations, or average check. A sentence like "managed a 34-person team across three service zones in a 220-seat dining room generating $3.8M annually" communicates span of control in a way that a list of duties cannot.

4. Close with a forward-looking ask

End by connecting one of your strengths to a known goal of the business -- a new location opening, a service model change, or a stated focus on hospitality scores -- and ask directly for a conversation. Passive closings like "I hope to hear from you" are weaker than "I would welcome the chance to discuss how my background in reducing labor percentage could support your spring opening in Midtown."

Restaurant manager cover letter example

Replace company names, metrics, and role details with your own experience before sending.

Subject: Application for the Restaurant manager position

Dear Ms. Carver, Your posting for a General Manager at Stonegate Hospitality Group describes exactly the type of operation I have spent the past six years building toward: high-volume, full-service dining with a clear focus on guest experience and unit-level profitability. In my current role as General Manager at The Meridian Table, I oversee a 180-seat American brasserie generating $4.2M in annual revenue with a team of 38. Over the past two years, I reduced food cost from 34% to 28.5% by tightening portion controls, renegotiating two produce contracts, and introducing a weekly variance review with the kitchen leadership team. Labor percentage dropped from 32% to 29% after I rebuilt the scheduling model around our actual cover trends rather than historical averages. On the guest side, our Google review average improved from 3.9 to 4.6 following a service standards retraining I led in Q1 of last year. We have maintained a 98 health inspection score for three consecutive cycles. Turnover on the floor team fell from 74% to 41% after I redesigned the onboarding process and introduced a monthly one-on-one check-in structure for all hourly staff. Before The Meridian Table, I spent four years as Assistant GM at Broadfield Grille, where I supported a $6M operation and led the transition to a new POS and inventory management system across two locations. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how these results translate to the goals Stonegate has outlined for its newest location. I am available for a conversation at your convenience. Sincerely, [Full Name]

Before you send your application

Use this checklist before you submit:

• Every performance claim has a number. Food cost, labor percentage, inspection score, review rating, revenue -- all stated as specific figures, not vague adjectives.
• The role title and company name are correct. Reused letters with wrong details are one of the most common reasons applications are dismissed immediately.
• Length stays under one page. Aim for 280 to 360 words. Cut any sentence that restates something already established.
• The letter answers the posting. At least two or three requirements from the job description appear in your letter with supporting evidence.
• Your closing asks for something specific. A direct request for a conversation is stronger than hoping to hear back.

For more examples from the food service category, see the restaurant cover letter and server cover letter guides. You can also browse the full sales and service cover letter category for related roles.

FAQ

How long should a restaurant manager cover letter be?

Keep it between 280 and 360 words and limit it to one page. Food service hiring moves quickly, and a concise letter that delivers three specific results will outperform a dense two-page summary. If you need help with layout and spacing, see our how to write a cover letter guide for formatting advice.

Should I include my ServSafe certification in the cover letter?

Yes, if the posting lists food safety compliance as a requirement or if health inspection performance is part of the role. Mention it once alongside a result it supported, such as maintaining a perfect inspection score, rather than listing it in isolation.

What if I am applying for my first general manager role after working as an assistant manager?

Focus your letter on the results you drove in your assistant role, not the title you held. If you managed shifts independently, owned scheduling, or led a department, say so. Frame your experience in GM-level language: budget ownership, team development, and measurable operational outcomes. Our career change cover letter guide has additional strategies for bridging a title gap.

Can I use the same cover letter for a fast-casual and a fine dining role?

Use the same structure but adapt the content to the operation type. Fast-casual managers should emphasize throughput, labor efficiency, and consistency at scale. Fine dining managers should highlight service standards, staff development, and guest experience scores. A letter that treats both roles identically signals that you have not thought carefully about the position.

What is the biggest mistake restaurant managers make in cover letters?

Listing job duties instead of results. Writing "responsible for scheduling, inventory, and staff training" tells the reader nothing they cannot already infer from your title. Every paragraph should answer the question: what improved, by how much, and because of what you specifically did?