Restaurant managers take care of a variety of responsibilities for restaurants and other food service companies. Typical duties include hiring and evaluating staff, overseeing staff during day to day operations, daily accounting, and assuring that customer service and satisfaction are taken care of. Most restaurant managers have a significant amount of face to face interaction with the public, and all are expected to be able to deal with subordinate employees.
Currently, there are over 340,000 restaurant managers employed in the United States, and this number is expected to increase steadily over the course of the next ten years as the number of Americans eating out more often continues to rise.
Some restaurant managers rise up through the ranks working at various jobs within the restaurant before being promoted to management. Others receive training at the collegiate level. It has become increasingly common for restaurant managers to hold an applicable two or four year college degree, though this is not an across the board requirement.
There are a number of occupational hazards associated with restaurant work in general, and most of these apply equally to restaurant managers and the rest of the restaurant staff. These include dangers inherent to working with food and hot surfaces, such as burns. These also include the potential for slip and fall accidents and the hazards associated with working together in a confined space with other people.
In addition to the physical hazards often present in the restaurant work place, restaurant managers often deal with high stress levels. This is due to a combination of dealing with irate customers, managing kitchen and wait staff, making sure everything runs on a tight schedule, and being responsible for the financial accounting of the restaurant. A restaurant manager has to be able to deal with the stress of dealing with people while at the same time being responsible for several other things.
Working with a Disability as a Restaurant Manager
If you are a former or current restaurant manager who is no longer able to work in restaurant management because of a disabling condition, you may qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. You will need to demonstrate that your condition causes you to be unable to continue working as a restaurant manager or in any other position you have held over the past 15 years. For help making your case, you should consider consulting a Social Security Disability lawyer.
There are any number of physical disabilities which could hinder a person from continuing to work as a restaurant manager. Any condition which makes it impossible for you to work on your feet for several hours at a time is likely to qualify you for Social Security Disability benefits. Most restaurant management positions are considered light physical work. As such, conditions which hinder you from lifting may also factor in to the SSA’s determination of your disability claim.
There are also disabling mental disorders which can make it impossible for restaurant managers to continue in their positions. Many restaurant managers who qualify for Social Security disability benefits do so because of stress related disabilities. Any medially verifiable mental condition which causes you to be unable to work appropriately with coworkers or the general public is likely to be considered in your disability case, as restaurant managers are expected to be able to deal with other people in a stressful environment for extended periods of time.
Applying for Disability as a Restaurant Manager
There are several steps most Social Security Disability claimants must go through before having their claims approved. The first thing to do is notify the Social Security Administration of your intent to file for disability. You should do this as soon as you think you may have a disabling condition, because making your intent known sooner rather than later can affect the amount of back pay you are entitled to when your disability claim is awarded.
A Social Security lawyer can prove invaluable while making your disability claim. In fact, most claimants should consult with a qualified representative as early as possible during the disability claims process. You are entitled to representation at all stages of the proceedings, and statistics consistently have shown that those who have adequate representation are more likely to have their claims accepted.
As a restaurant manager, you are likely to need to prove that you are incapable of working in a variety of available management positions before you approved for disability benefits. The wide range of skills used in restaurant management may actually work against you in some cases, because the SSA can determine that you are qualified for other available work which uses some, but not all, of the skills you use on a daily basis as a restaurant manager. Choose a Social Security Disability lawyer who has worked with disabled restaurant managers successfully for your best chances of having your claim or appeal approved.
