Director of Operations

Position Overview

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Director of Operations is a hands-on, servant leader responsible for driving exceptional restaurant performance across all locations. This role brings Tacodeli’s culture to life, ensuring outstanding hospitality, consistent food quality, and safe, efficient kitchen operations, while developing high-performing teams and future leaders.

Essential Functions

• Champion a hospitality-first culture that delivers memorable, consistent guest experiences at every touchpoint.

• Ensure every restaurant upholds Tacodeli’s standards for food quality, freshness, and food safety.

• Regularly spend time in restaurants, observing service, coaching teams, and ensuring operational excellence.

• Build and Develop Strong Teams

• Lead, coach, and develop Operations team including District Managers, Head of Culinary, and restaurant management teams to achieve operational and financial goals.
• Create a culture of accountability, recognition, and continuous learning.
• Identify and develop high-potential leaders, building a strong internal bench for future growth.
• Partner with the People team to recruit, hire, and retain top talent.
• Determine and execute restaurant openings, transitions, and operational rollouts as needed.

• Drive Operational Excellence

• Ensure flawless execution of standards across FOH and BOH operations.
• Maintain deep expertise in kitchen operations, systems, and workflows to support teams effectively.
• Identify inefficiencies and implement practical, scalable solutions that improve speed, quality, and consistency.

• Partner with Finance to monitor P&L performance across all restaurants.

• Coach leaders on managing labor, food costs, and controllable expenses.

• Identify trends, address gaps quickly, and celebrate wins with the team.

• Balance profitability with a commitment to quality and guest experience.

• Collaborate & Innovate

• Work cross-functionally with Culinary, Marketing, People, and Finance to improve systems and processes.
• Advocate for tools, training, and resources that help restaurants succeed.
• Stay current on restaurant industry trends, competitive practices, and emerging opportunities.

Experience

• Multi-unit restaurant operations leadership experience (fast-casual or full-service preferred).

• Strong understanding of both FOH hospitality and BOH execution.

• Proven ability to lead through others and develop high-performing teams.

• Financial acumen with experience managing restaurant-level P&Ls.

• Passion for food, people, and creating great guest experiences.

• Hands-on leadership style with a willingness to be in restaurants regularly.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Tacodeli is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.