Area Manager - Woodstock

Our client in Woodstock, Cape Town is seeking an experienced and dynamic Area Manager to oversee multiple restaurant outlets. The ideal candidate will have 3–5+ years’ experience in restaurant or hospitality management, with at least 2 years’ experience in a multi-site, Area Manager, Regional Manager, or similar role. Experience managing high-volume restaurants, together with a proven track record of managing, developing, and mentoring Restaurant/Branch Managers, will be highly advantageous. If you are a strong operational leader with a passion for people, performance, and delivering exceptional customer experiences, we would love to hear from you.

• Oversee the smooth day-to-day running of restaurants within the assigned area.
• Ensure the correct operational procedures are consistently executed across all restaurants.
• Stay informed about emerging trends that may affect the business.
• Demonstrate ownership and accountability by consistently improving restaurant operating standards and taking the necessary corrective action.
• Monitor underperforming restaurants and implement corrective action plans to improve operational performance and profitability.

Standards & Regulatory Compliance:

• Conduct routine inspections of restaurants to measure compliance with operational standards.
• Liaise regularly with internal audit teams to ensure restaurants consistently achieve good audit scores and take corrective action when audit results decline.
• Ensure strict compliance with all occupational health and safety regulations, as well as any other applicable legislation at restaurant level.

Reporting:

• Identify and communicate operational and financial risks and develop corrective action plans.
• Monitor and ensure adherence to financial policies, processes, and budgets.
• Monitor and improve restaurant profitability.
• Monitor restaurant P&Ls, provide guidance, and actively support General Managers in achieving budgeted results.

Leadership:

• Submit daily, weekly, monthly, and other required reports in a timely manner.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and strategic direction to restaurant management teams.
• Manage, monitor, and assist with employee relations in line with company policies and procedures.
• Ensure restaurant labour is managed efficiently to meet service standards and cost requirements.
• Ensure restaurant employees and management are engaged and that morale remains high.
• Ensure the training and retraining of applicable employees in line with succession management and planning guidelines.

Monthly Tasks:

• Complete the following tasks at each restaurant on a monthly basis:
• Conduct a safe audit, including petty cash.
• Conduct a maintenance walk-through.
• Conduct at least one monthly meeting at each restaurant to gauge employee morale and address any concerns.
• Conduct a waste analysis for each restaurant.
• Conduct a variance analysis for each restaurant.
• Manage P&L projections and restaurant expenditure in accordance with the company’s financial plan.
• Conduct a weekly General Manager meeting to discuss results, opportunities, challenges, and overall performance.

Store Visits:

• Work any shift required to meet the operational needs of the restaurant. If a restaurant trades more actively at night, spend time at that restaurant during evening trading.
• Visit each restaurant regularly throughout the month, preferably planning visits to cover different trading periods.
• Perform additional responsibilities, although not specifically detailed above, as required by operational needs and management requests.

HOURS:

• Monday to Friday: 08:00 – 17:00