Director of Operations

Position Overview: 

The Director of Operations leads the performance, people, and continued evolution of approximately eight restaurants. This role is responsible for building strong General Managers, delivering consistent operational and financial results, and helping shape the direction of the brands they lead.

This is a hands-on leadership role, but hands-on does not mean becoming the answer to every problem. The Director of Operations must be close enough to the restaurants to understand what is really happening while developing leaders who can own their businesses without constant intervention.

The strongest Directors can move comfortably between the details and the bigger picture. They can walk a restaurant and recognize the few things that are telling the larger story. They know when to dig deeper and when they have seen enough to make a decision. They use data, observation, and relationships to understand performance quickly and turn that understanding into clear action.

They build credibility because they know the business, but people follow them because of how they lead. They create trust, bring energy, communicate clearly, hold a high standard, and make people around them better. They support without rescuing. They challenge without losing the relationship. They know when to coach, when to ask a harder question, and when a decision simply needs to be made.

Beyond restaurant performance, the Director of Operations is expected to think like a steward of the brand. They bring a point of view about where the brand should go, what needs to evolve, what should remain protected, and what opportunities the organization may not yet be seeing. They partner across Operations, Food & Beverage, People & Culture, Finance, Marketing, and other functions to turn that thinking into execution.

CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The duties and responsibilities listed below are those that must be met to successfully perform this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform an essential function.

Lead the Business

• Own the operational and financial performance of approximately seven restaurants.
• Use financial results, guest feedback, operating metrics, and field observations to identify patterns and priorities quickly.
• Make sound decisions from both deep analysis and quick snapshots, knowing when more information is needed and when it is time to act.
• Create clear accountability for results while ensuring General Managers remain the owners of their restaurants.
• Protect consistent execution without allowing systems to become a substitute for judgment.

Build Leaders

• Develop General Managers/Managing Partners who can think, decide, lead, and execute without becoming dependent on their Director.
• Coach leaders through problems rather than routinely solving problems for them.
• Set clear expectations, provide direct feedback, and follow through with consistency.
• Build a strong leadership bench and identify future talent before positions become available.
• Know when to coach, when to co-create an answer, and when to challenge with care.
• Increase engagement by building capable, connected leaders and healthy restaurant cultures.

Strengthen the Brand

• Think beyond today's operating issues and contribute meaningfully to where the brand should go next.
• Identify opportunities in hospitality, menu execution, systems, positioning, guest experience, restaurant operations, and growth.
• Understand what is distinctive about each brand and help protect the elements that should not be diluted as the company grows.
• Bring informed recommendations to senior leadership and help translate brand direction into restaurant-level execution.
• Recognize emerging patterns across restaurants and determine whether the answer is better execution, stronger leadership, or an evolution of the system itself.

Create Followership

• Build genuine relationships with General Managers, restaurant leaders, and team members.
• Lead with enough presence, credibility, and clarity that people want to move with the direction being set.
• Communicate the why behind decisions while remaining clear about expectations and standards.
• Bring energy and belief to the team without relying on personality alone.
• Remain accessible and supportive while maintaining the appropriate leadership distance for accountability.
• Create trust through consistency between what is said, what is expected, and what is followed up on.

Turn Systems Into Results

• Ensure company systems are not simply completed, but are actually improving restaurant performance.
• Drive consistent use of operating rhythms, standards, training, and accountability tools across the restaurants.
• Recognize when a system is working but execution is failing, and when the system itself needs to evolve.
• Simplify complexity so restaurant leaders know what good looks like and what they own.
• Partner cross-functionally to improve systems while protecting the realities of restaurant operations.

HOW THIS LEADER OPERATES

• Moves easily between restaurant-level detail and brand-level thinking.
• Sees the signal in the noise and can identify the few issues most likely to move the business.
• Balances urgency with judgment and does not confuse activity with leadership.
• Stays close to the operation without taking ownership away from the people responsible for it.
• Uses curiosity to develop people, clear rails to create ownership, and direct conversations to protect standards.
• Can make difficult people and business decisions while maintaining trust and respect.
• Is comfortable with ambiguity and can operate effectively in an entrepreneurial, evolving organization.
• Brings a point of view, listens well, and is willing to challenge existing thinking when the business needs something different.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

Success in this role is not measured by how many problems the Director personally solves. It is measured by the strength of the restaurants, the quality of the leaders they develop, the results those leaders produce, and the Director's contribution to where the brand goes next.

• Restaurants consistently deliver strong financial, operational, hospitality, and people results.
• General Managers demonstrate greater ownership, judgment, confidence, and accountability.
• The leadership bench becomes deeper and internal talent is prepared for larger roles.
• Engagement improves because leaders are connected to their teams, clear on expectations, and capable of leading the work.
• Systems become more consistent, useful, and effective across restaurants.
• Senior leadership receives thoughtful operational insight and credible recommendations about the future of the brands.
• The Director's presence strengthens the organization without creating dependence on the Director.

We expect this leader to know when each situation calls for a different move. Sometimes the work is to coach and grow the person. Sometimes it is to co-create the answer by establishing clear expectations and real ownership. Sometimes it is to challenge with care, protecting the standard without losing the person. Strong leadership is not doing the work for others; it is helping people become capable of carrying more of the work themselves.

LEADERSHIP APPROACH

We are looking for a leader who can be in the restaurants without needing to run them, develop people without creating dependence, drive systems without becoming rigid, and contribute to the future of the brand without losing sight of today's guest. This person should leave restaurants stronger, leaders more capable, and the business clearer because they were there.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS REQUIRED

• 8+ years of progressive restaurant leadership experience, including 5+ years as a General Manager or in a comparable senior restaurant leadership role preferred. 
• 2+ years of multi-unit leadership experience preferred, with demonstrated responsibility for the performance and development of multiple restaurants. Senior-level leadership across multiple locations may be considered in place of formal multi-unit experience. 
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant leadership experience. 
• Demonstrated ability to develop General Managers and build leadership depth, creating stronger, more independent leaders rather than becoming the solution to every problem. 
• Strong financial and business acumen, including the ability to analyze P&Ls, budgets, labor, sales trends, and other operating metrics and translate them into clear priorities and action. 
• Proven ability to evaluate restaurant performance quickly, recognize patterns, identify root issues, and determine when deeper analysis is needed and when it is time to act. 
• Strong understanding of restaurant operations, hospitality, labor management, sales building, cost management, and multi-unit execution. 
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence, build trust and engagement, hold people accountable, and create followership across multiple teams and locations. 
• Experience implementing and improving operating systems and processes while exercising sound judgment when the business requires flexibility or change. 
• Ability to think beyond individual restaurant performance and contribute to brand strategy, guest experience, operational evolution, and future growth. 
• Strong verbal and written communication, organizational skills, and the ability to communicate effectively with restaurant teams, peers, and senior leadership. 
• Comfortable operating in an entrepreneurial, fast-moving environment where not every answer comes with an established process. 
• Working knowledge of restaurant technology, including POS, scheduling, inventory, and related operating platforms, along with proficiency in Microsoft Office. 
• Demonstrated commitment to continued personal and professional growth. 
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel regularly between restaurant locations. 
• ServSafe Manager Certification required. 
• TIPS or equivalent responsible alcohol service certification preferred.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

• Requires transportation locally between stores for meetings, staffing, managing, etc. 70% travel between locations.

BENEFITS

• Free meals when working
• Comp Card to use at any of our Brands
• Health, Dental, and Vision insurance after an introductory period
• 401K with employer match
• Management Referral Program
• Fitness Benefit
• Competitive compensation and benefits
• Quarterly performance bonuses 
• Profound joy in your role 
• Opportunities for promotion and career development 
• Paid time off
• 48 hours of Paid Sick Leave upon hire

How to Apply

Take the next step in your career by applying here or on our website. Join the team today! 

Posting Period

This job posting will close 3 months from the posting date, or until this position is filled.  

Must be able to speak and read English.