Guide to a Restaurant Consultant Career

There are close to 750,000 restaurants in the United States. Such a high number of dining establishments implies ample work opportunities for Restaurant Consultants.

However, the question remains: How can you start and advance your career as a Restaurant Consultant?

We’ve created this guide to answer the above question.

Keep reading to find out more about Restaurant Consultants, what they do and what skills you might need to perform in this role.

What Is a Restaurant Consultant?

A Restaurant Consultant is an individual experienced with restaurant operations and hospitality trends.

They work for or with restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and similar hospitality establishments to improve the operations and bottom line.

That said, Restaurant Consultants can be hired by companies either as external experts or as actual employees.

Restaurant Consultants perform a job similar to that of a Restaurant Manager or a Director of Restaurant Operations. However, their role encompasses more duties and they often have more than a single client at a time.

What Does a Restaurant Consultant Do?

A Restaurant Consultant’s job is dedicated to improving the operations of a particular dining or drinking establishment. As such, their specific duties might vary from establishment to establishment, often finding unique ways to improve the restaurant’s operations and identify areas for improvement.

Although the specific tasks of a Restaurant Consultant may vary from project to project, some of the common ones include:

• Analyzing the operations of a restaurant and identifying areas for improvement
• Improving menu and pricing
• Managing inventory
• Training staff members
• Developing and implementing marketing efforts to attract new guests and patrons
• Tracking the success of implemented changes

Top 5 Skills Necessary for Restaurant Consultants

The success that a Restaurant Consultant would achieve is dependent on the combination of their experience and skills.

Some of the essential skills that will help current and aspiring Restaurant Consultants thrive in this role include:

1. Menu development

Menu development refers to the process of curating the restaurant’s food and drinks offerings.

Knowing how to effectively improve a menu is a crucial skill for any Restaurant Consultant.

Although they don’t necessarily need to have previous culinary experience, they should at least be able to assess which menu items taste good and would appeal to the target audience.

With this skill, they can help the restaurant establish its brand and identity, optimize operational costs and efficiency and potentially bring more clientele to the restaurant.

2. Inventory management

Inventory management is the process of minimizing waste and using optimal techniques to procure, store and utilize ingredients and supplies the restaurant uses. That said, Restaurant Consultants who have developed this skill are equipped to improve the restaurant’s bottom line and maximize profitability.

3. Cost control

Cost control refers to the optimization of the restaurant’s processes in a way that reduces the restaurant’s expenses without compromising the quality of the restaurant’s menu items and services.

Menu development and inventory management are often part of cost control. However, cost control may also include contract negotiations with suppliers and optimization of labor costs.

4. Staff training

Staff training is the process of educating staff members and helping them develop or improve the skills that they need to perform their roles well.

In the case of Restaurant Consultants, they must know how to effectively communicate with the employees whom they are training. This, in turn, would result in the improvement of the restaurant’s quality of service and its reputation among customers.

5. Marketing strategies

Marketing strategies are advertising and similar efforts a consultant might undertake to increase the restaurant’s visibility and attract new guests. Understanding and implementing marketing strategies is one of the core skills necessary for a Restaurant Consultant.

This skill would help identify the right audience, communicate the restaurant’s unique offerings and establish a strong brand identity for the restaurant.

How To Become a Restaurant Consultant

Becoming a Restaurant Consultant is no easy task.

Typically, you can pursue your consulting career after receiving education relevant to the role. This includes obtaining a college degree in hospitality, business, administration or similar fields.

However, employers looking to hire a Restaurant Consultant are often more interested in relevant hospitality experience than educational attainment. In fact, most Restaurant Consultant job postings are seeking individuals with several years of hospitality experience, preferably in managerial roles.

Additionally, your potential employers will want to see a portfolio of your work that proves your experience within the industry.

Can I Work as a Restaurant Consultant With No Experience?

Typically, you cannot get a job as a Restaurant Consultant without prior industry experience. Instead, you can start your career in other restaurant roles that require little to no experience and then work your way up. Some of the entry-level roles to consider include:

• Barback jobs
• Waiter/Waitress jobs
• Dishwasher jobs
• Host/Hostess jobs

Restaurant Consultant Earning Potential

On average, Restaurant Consultants working in the U.S. can expect to earn $81,376 per year.

That said, a Consultant’s salary can greatly vary due to several factors such as experience, education and location.

Individuals with more years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry can command higher salaries. Employers are more likely to pay them more based on their past projects and extensive portfolio of work that proves their ability to improve restaurant operations.

While most employers look for experience in their Restaurant Consultants, some also factor in the level of educational attainment.

Individuals who have a bachelor’s degree in business, hospitality or similar may earn more than those who have a similar amount of experience but no degree.

Location is another factor that can influence the salary of a Restaurant Consultant. In fact, the map below shows the average Restaurant Consultant salaries across the U.S.

[Calculated using Indeed, Salary.com, ZipRecruiter and Talent.com data]

This map is interactive. Hover your mouse over different parts of the map to see detailed data. 

Pros and Cons of Being a Restaurant Consultant

Here are some common pros and cons of a Restaurant Consultant career.

Pros:

• Flexibility: If you’re working as an independent Restaurant Consultant, you can choose your own hours and projects. This will let you allocate your time in a way that suits you the most as well as choose projects according to their locations.
• Career advancement: Working as a Restaurant Consultant for a particular company may lead to opportunities to be offered higher-level roles within upper management.
• Having your own business: When working for a company or a single employer, you might encounter hurdles to career advancement due to competitiveness, bureaucracy or other factors. However, if you work as an independent Consultant, you can be your own boss.
• Variety of tasks: Restaurant Consultants in general have more varied tasks compared to other restaurant professionals. Those hired as part of a company would have different challenges per project, whereas those who work freelance get to work with different clients.

Cons:

• Managing expectations: As a Restaurant Consultant, you would be coordinating with people in upper management, often having to manage their expectations that may not always be feasible. That said, effective communication is key as you want to set manageable milestones while also adhering to your employer’s or client’s vision.
• Finding new projects: Finding new clients may be challenging for Restaurant Consultants who work freelance. It is necessary that you network, explore new options and regularly check in with past clients whom you can ask for referrals.
• Lack of benefits: Lack of benefits is a clear downside to any freelance or consulting work. With no paid days off, sick leave or retirement benefits, you might be hesitant to take days off. So, before starting your Restaurant Consultant career, make sure that you have enough clients, work and sources of income to allow yourself to take much-needed breaks.
• Having to multitask: Whether because you have multiple clients or your workload as a full-time consultant requires you to tackle multiple challenges at once, Consultants must have excellent multitasking and organizational abilities.

Quiz: Are You Ready to Start Working as a Restaurant Consultant?

Unsure if you have the skills and qualities necessary to thrive as a Restaurant Consultant?

Take our quiz and find out!