DALLAS — With its long hours, steamy kitchens and ache-inducing physical demands, restaurant management has been mostly a young man's game.

But more managers are hawking hamburgers and hash well into their golden years, pulled by sweetened industry incentives and a desire to stay active — maybe nine-hours-on-your-feet active.

And with restaurants facing a labor shortage, they will have to add more seasoned veterans, experts and industry insiders say.

"One could reasonably say that those service industry companies that follow (demographic) trends will need to hire these older managers in order to keep their restaurants staffed, period," said Teresa Siriani, president of People Report, an Addison, Texas-based firm that tracks food-industry workplace trends.

"I don't think it will be a matter of if, but of necessity. As the talent pool changes its demographics, those companies not wanting to be left understaffed will take the leap and hire these talented older workers," she said.

Norman Smith, 61, dons a broad grin when asked if he'll still be running a burger joint 10 years hence.

"Don't be surprised," the manager of a Whataburger Inc. store in North Richland Hills said this week. "You might see me here. You never know."

"I'm still able to perform and deliver," he added, sporting hair that's both graying and receding, plus wire-rimmed spectacles. "Retirement has not crossed my mind."

He's not alone.

Between 2000 and 2005, the number of restaurant managers ages 25 to 44 dipped from 55 percent to 54 percent, said a People Report analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At the same time, the number of 45- to 64-year-old managers — most of them baby boomers — grew from 28 percent to 33 percent.

Some of the growth comes from restaurant managers "aging in place" — staying on board where they may have started as twenty- or thirtysomething fry cooks.

"Most of our general managers are promoted from within, and we have almost no voluntary turnover," said Angela Hornsby, vice president of human resources for T.G.I. Friday's U.S. division, based in Carrollton, Texas.

That lack of turnover has pushed up the average age of Friday's managers, part of an industrywide maturation process.

The average age of a restaurant manager is now 32, up from 30 in 1997, Siriani said. That's still well within Gen X territory. But managers a generation older are increasingly calling the shots.

Next month, 64-year-old Margaret "Maggie" Evans will celebrate 19 years in management at Dallas-based Brinker International Inc.

During her nine- or 10-hour shifts at On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina in the West End, Evans may be called upon to cook, tend bar or seat guests, as well as see to her management duties.

"Sometimes you get tired, sure," said Evans, who's been in restaurant management since 1980. "But I love what I do, and I love being active. I could not sit in an office at a computer for eight hours. And daytime TV is awful."

Restaurant companies looking to maintain the skill level found in its veterans are focusing on keeping them on board, said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president for research with the National Restaurant Association.

"It makes sense — particularly at larger companies that have human resource functions that are planning out long term — that when they look ahead, they obviously are going to work harder at retaining those individuals," said Riehle, mentioning more 401(k) and profit-sharing plans as deal enhancers. "Unless you have the skill set, customer counts can suffer."

While many managers are careerists, the industry is also bringing in new blood, including midcareer professionals and military retirees, Siriani and others say.

People Report figures show that in 2002, 2.5 percent of all newly hired managers were 50 or over. By 2004, that figure had grown to 3.8 percent.

The changes in restaurant management coincide with trends in the overall work force.

In 2000, 13 percent of the work force was 55 and older, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By 2015, the figure is expected to be 20 percent, according to AARP.

That's led to a first in labor history — four generations in the same workplace.

Older workers, especially those in management, help convince the youngsters that food service can be a career and not just a summer job.

To help attract more workers of all ages, the industry is improving working conditions, said Hornsby of Friday's.

"It's not as grueling as it used to be," she said, mentioning more five-day workweeks and sweetened compensation packages. "So it's a lot easier to attract more mature people than it used to be.