Restaurant Operations Manager

Position Overview

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Directly manage corporate store management teams: set expectations, conduct regular one-to-ones, manage performance, and develop individuals at all levels.
• Drive store-level KPIs including COGS, labor ratios, waste, customer satisfaction, and audit scores; hold managers accountable with clarity and consistency.
• Lead corporate store teams through change including menu updates, system rollouts, and operational pivots, with clear communication and on-the-ground presence.
• Partner with the HR function on hiring, onboarding, and where necessary disciplinary or exit processes for corporate store employees.
• Serve as the primary contact for a portfolio of licensed locations, providing responsive, expert support across operations, supply, and brand matters.
• Build trust-based relationships with operators; influence brand standard adherence and performance improvement through coaching, data-sharing, and commercial logic.
• Manage the full onboarding journey for new partners from initial set-up through to post-opening review, ensuring a smooth and brand-consistent launch.
• Maintain a regular cadence of structured partner reviews; identify underperformance early and agree remediation plans where required.
• Design and deliver training programs for corporate and partner teams covering operations, food safety, brand standards, and product knowledge.
• Conduct structured operational audits across the network; produce clear, actionable reports and track improvement trends over time.
• Maintain up-to-date SOPs, training guides, and reference materials; ensure all locations meet ServSafe and relevant food safety requirements.
• Monitor and report on financial and operational performance across both corporate and partner locations; surface risks and opportunities to the Director of Operations.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain on demand forecasting, inventory management, and partner procurement set-up.
• Contribute operationally to new location openings, business development due diligence, and cross-functional improvement projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience preferred; relevant hospitality or operations qualification accepted.
• ServSafe Manager Food Safety Certification required within 30 days of employment.
• Valid driving license; willingness and ability to travel regularly across the US.
• Three to five years of multi-unit operations management in a fast-casual, QSR, or branded food service environment.
• Proven experience directly managing store-level teams: recruiting, developing, and performance-managing people at a manager level.
• Demonstrated ability to manage franchisee, licensee, or independent operator relationships, delivering compliance and performance through influence rather than authority.
• Comfortable with P&L and operational data; able to connect financial performance to operational behavior and build improvement plans accordingly.

Skills And Competencies

• Direct Leadership: sets clear expectations, coaches for performance, and creates team environments where people take ownership.
• Influence Without Authority: earns credibility with independent operators through expertise, follow-through, and constructive challenge.
• Operational Excellence: strong working knowledge of food service operations including labor, COGS, food safety, and customer experience.
• Communication: adapts style across audiences from store crew to senior leadership to independent business owners; produces clear written outputs.
• Commercial Acumen: understands unit economics; brings solutions alongside problems; manages priorities under pressure in a scaling business.

Desirable Attributes

• Genuine affinity for SAMBAZON's mission and the health-and-wellness food service category.
• Experience contributing to franchise or licensing system design and roll-out.
• Familiarity with Voice of the Guest or equivalent customer feedback platforms.
• Experience with workforce management platforms such as ADP, PayCom, or equivalent.
• Experience working with a nationally recognized brand is strongly preferred.

Working Conditions

• This is a field-intensive role; most working time is spent visiting stores and partner locations.
• Travel across the US by air and road is a core requirement.
• The role involves working in fast-paced food service environments and requires flexibility to cover evenings, weekends, or holidays around peak periods, new openings, and partner onboarding.