The management ladder
- 1Supervisor or assistant manager — runs shifts and covers when the manager is off.
- 2Restaurant manager — the floor, the team, the rota and the numbers for one site.
- 3General manager — the whole site, kitchen included, and its profit.
- 4Operations manager — several sites, and the managers who run them.
What to ask about
- The contracted hours, and what actually happens in a busy month.
- Whether there is a bonus, what it is paid on, and how often it has actually paid out.
- Whether managers share in the tronc, which the tips law allows but does not require.
- Who you report to, and how many sites they cover.
As a manager you will run the tips policy, not just receive from it. The law puts the duty to distribute tips fairly and transparently on the employer, and in practice that means on you.
The statutory code of practice on tips Code of practice on the fair and transparent distribution of tips
What it must pay
From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour. It is £10.85 for 18 to 20 year olds, and £8.00 for 16 and 17 year olds and for apprentices. That is the floor for every hour you work, including any trial shift that is really work.
The rates, on gov.uk National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
Salaried managers are still covered by the minimum wage. Divide the salary by the hours you actually work: on a long enough week, a modest salary can fall below it.
What is changing
The Employment Rights Act 2025 is law, and its right to be offered guaranteed hours for people on zero or low-hours contracts is expected from 2027, with the detail still being consulted on. For anyone who builds a rota around variable-hours staff, it is the change to plan for.