Director of Operations
About the role
Happy Cooking Hospitality—the team behind Joseph Leonard, Jeffrey’s Grocery, Fairfax, and Sailor—is seeking a Director of Operations with deep restaurant experience, sound hospitality instincts, and exceptional follow-through.
We’re looking for someone who is equally comfortable leading a service and bringing structure to a project, one who knows how to turn a priority into a practical plan, give people clear direction, and stay engaged as they work toward the result. When something gets stuck, you help figure out why, solve the problem with the team, and keep the work moving.
Reporting directly to the COO, you’ll work closely with General Managers, Executive Chefs, and our company leadership team. You’ll spend substantial time in our restaurants, building relationships, observing service, supporting managers, and making sure decisions translate into action. Each restaurant has its own identity; your work will strengthen the shared standards of hospitality, preparation, and care that connect them.
Comfort and fluency on the restaurant floor are essential. Your experience should prepare you to not only make informed plans to realize hospitality and service dreams, but also to step into management coverage, assess a service, lead training, or support a new opening with confidence and credibility.
Responsibilities
Bring clarity and momentum to the work
- Translate company and restaurant priorities into clear plans with owners, milestones, and deadlines.
- Break larger initiatives into manageable steps, making sure teams understand the objective, sequence, and resources available.
- Lead focused meetings and regular check-ins that produce decisions and keep commitments visible.
- Follow objectives through completion, providing constructive support, removing obstacles, and adjusting plans as circumstances change.
- Turn shift notes, manager reports, guest feedback, and service observations into useful questions, decisions, and action.
Lead alongside our restaurant teams
- Manage and support GMs through regular conversations, restaurant visits, practical coaching, and clear expectations.
- Help managers prioritize, delegate, communicate effectively, and develop the people they lead.
- Step onto the floor when needed to lead a pre-shift, support the door and dining room, handle guest concerns, or provide management coverage.
- Assess service and hospitality thoughtfully