Restaurant General Manager (GM)

• Are you a strong leader, with the ability to spot talent and develop healthy and high-performing teams?
• Do you live and breathe hospitality? Are you obsessed with making people feel welcome, valued, and taken care of?
• Are you a bit fanatical about the details, making sure things are buttoned-up and done just right ?
• Are you super comfortable with a P+L, a budget, and running a profitable restaurant?
• Do you love the excitement or a new restaurant opening, and the challenge of rolling up your sleeves to get it done?
• Are you the type of person that takes your career seriously, but doesn't take yourself too seriously?

Yes?! Then YOU should join our team!

WHY WORK HERE? :

Here are some of the perks!

• PPO medical, dental, + vision Insurance with 50% company contribution
• 401K retirement savings plan w / 3% company match
• 2 weeks of paid time off + 5 sick days
• Back-to-back days off
• A generous, never-expires, $250 monthly food + drink allowance
• A free, $25 dining allowance every day you work
• A 50% employee discount on food before + after your shifts
• A 20% employee discount on food + drinks anytime you're not working, for you & your whole table
• Monthly gift card rewards for giving recognition to your team (+ for getting it, too!)
• Access to lots of company-paid business coaching + resources
• Access to an all-paid leadership book club; grow yourself personally + professionally
• As a company, we run on EOS; so we're a collaborative, strategic, and winning team (i.e. no more meetings that just waste your time - promise!)
• Quarterly, off-site meetings with the whole leadership team - to recenter, refocus, and set goals that actually matter
• An annual, 2-day retreat with the whole leadership team - a break from working in the business to work on it
• Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, & your birthday off, automatically
• The opportunity to grow quickly with a forward-thinking company that regularly reinvests in itself and it's people
• The flexibility to optimize your own role - we'll teach you how to to get the things you don't like and aren't good at off your back, so you can focus on doing the things you do like and are good at

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE? :

Responsibilities

As a General Manager you'll have a seat on our leadership team, and be at the helm of your restaurant's operations. These are the results our General Manager will be hired to accomplish :

① Hire & Develop a High-Performing Restaurant Team

Hand-pick your A-players, coach & develop your B-players, and encourage the C-players... to work somewhere else.

② Champion Playful Hospitality & the 'Good-Time Guest Experience'

We guarantee a good time! And as the head of all things hospitality, you'll lead the charge to make magic happen, service after service.

③ Run Top-Notch Operations

Ensure our operations run smooth like butta - and mke sure the *whole house* stays on point from open to close.

④ Drive Restaurant Profitability

Maximize yours P's and minimize your L's, bb! You'll be responsible for (and damn good at!) driving sales and controlling costs.

⑤ Be an Ambassador in the Local Community

Get involved! Shake hands! Kiss babies! Make Wooden Paddle a fixture in our local community.

The pay range for this position is $90,000 - $100,000. Base salary depends on relevant experience, and quarterly bonus potential based on sales, performance targets, and completion of special projects.

Work Schedule

This position is full-time and salaried, with a semi-set schedule that allows for flexibility. Days off are scheduled back-to-back.

Our General Manager will work 5 days, and typically 50 hours per week.

WINNING TRAITS :

The *best* candidate will have the following skills & traits :

• Resourcefulness / Initiative
• A Natural Knack for Hospitality
• Being a Team Player
• Performance Management
• Organization / Planning
• Verbal Communication
• Adaptability
• Excellence
• Judgement / Decision Making
• Stress Management
• Enthusiasm / Passion
• Leadership / Inspiring Followership

JOB REQUIREMENTS :

Here are some of our must-haves + would-like-to-haves :

• At least 5 years of high-volume restaurant experience in a General Manager role
• Upscale or fine-dining experience in a General Manager role - a major plus!
• Experience with (successful) new restaurant openings - a major plus!
• A Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management or similar, preferred
• Must be at least 21 years old
• Must have open availability
• Must have the ability to regularly work 50+ hours per week
• Must have a valid driver's license & sole access to a personal vehicle
• Must have current ServSafe Manager & BASSET Certifications
• Familiarity w / Toast POS, SevenRooms, and 7shifts, a plus!

A BIT ABOUT US :

Wooden Paddle is hybrid restaurant and catering company. Our focus is communal, wood-fired comfort food and artsy cocktails.

We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we take our food, drinks, and service extremely seriously.

And we're growing! We're opening up a 2nd restaurant in La Grange in late 2024, an event venue in late 2024, and a rooftop bar in mid 2026.

Opportunities for growth are everywhere here!

Wooden Paddle is 11-years-young restaurant & catering company, started in 2013. (That's a whole middle-schooler ago!)

Our purpose, and the reason we exist, is to be 'The Place You Want to Be'.

Our niche, and the thing we work really freaking hard to do better than anyone else, is creating Super Fun Dining Experiences .

Our focus is shareable, wood-fired comfort foods , artsy cocktails , & good-time energy ️.

As a team, we're scrappy go-getters who don't take ourselves too seriously - but we take our food, drinks, and hospitality *extremely* seriously.

And we're all on a mission to hit 10 Million Good-Time Guest Experiences by 2033! Come for the pizza, stay for the party bb!