General Manager - AUH

RIKAS Hospitality Group; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

RIKAS Hospitality Group seeks a hands-on General Manager to lead the opening and daily operations of a new cafe concept in Abu Dhabi. You will drive exceptional guest experiences, manage budgets, and lead a large multicultural team with a strong on-floor presence.

The ideal candidate brings 3+ years as GM in premium F&B, pre-opening experience preferred, and a passion for delivering memorable hospitality in a high-energy environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years' experience as a General Manager in a high-end restaurant, café, lifestyle venue, or premium F&B concept.
• Strong experience in premium and/or high-volume F&B operations.
• Pre-opening experience highly preferred.
• Experience with recognised hospitality brands is an advantage.
• Strong understanding of high-end hospitality, guest engagement, and VIP service standards.
• Proven track record of driving revenue, profitability, and operational performance.
• Strong financial knowledge: budgeting, forecasting, P&L, labour cost control, cost management.
• Experience recruiting and leading large multicultural teams.
• Strong commercial awareness to identify revenue opportunities.
• Excellent leadership, communication, interpersonal, and decision-making skills.
• Hands-on, floor presence with passion for hospitality and guest experiences.
• Fluency in English; additional languages are an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead pre-opening and opening of the venue, ensuring operational readiness across all areas.
• Oversee day-to-day operation with high standards of service, food and beverage quality, hospitality and guest experience.
• Ensure concept, atmosphere, and service standards are delivered throughout the guest journey.
• Drive revenue growth, profitability, and overall business performance.
• Manage budgets, labour costs, forecasting, P&L, inventory, and procurement.
• Monitor KPI-based performance and implement actions to improve results.
• Recruit, lead, coach, and develop front and back of house teams; foster teamwork and accountability.
• Maintain strong floor presence and build relationships with VIPs and regular guests.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Events, and other teams on launch activities and partnerships.
• Address guest feedback and operational issues to enhance experience.
• Ensure compliance with policies, health and safety; UAE laws.
• Collaborate with HR, Finance, Marketing, Procurement to ensure smooth operations.
• Build a strong team culture aligned with the group's values.

Skills

Leadership

Hospitality

VIP service

Budgeting

Pre-opening

Staff development

English fluency

Job description

Role: General Manager

Type: Full Time

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and passionate General Manager to lead the opening and operation of an exciting new café concept in Abu Dhabi.

The venue will be part of an established hospitality group and will offer a vibrant, high-quality food and beverage experience, combining excellent products, warm hospitality, and a distinctive atmosphere.

We are looking for a strong and hands-on hospitality leader with experience in high-end restaurants, cafés, lifestyle venues, or premium F&B concepts, who can lead the venue from pre-opening through to successful day-to-day operations.

The ideal candidate will be commercially driven, highly present on the floor, and passionate about creating exceptional guest experiences while ensuring consistently high operational and service standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead the pre-opening and opening of the venue, ensuring operational readiness across all areas.
• Oversee the day-to-day operation, ensuring consistently high standards of service, food and beverage quality, hospitality, and guest experience.
• Ensure the concept, atmosphere, and service standards are consistently delivered throughout the guest journey.
• Drive revenue growth, profitability, and overall business performance.
• Manage budgets, labour costs, forecasting, P&L, inventory, purchasing, and operational costs.
• Monitor key financial and operational KPIs and implement action plans to continuously improve performance.
• Recruit, lead, coach, and develop the front and back of house teams, creating a strong culture of hospitality, teamwork, accountability, and service excellence.
• Maintain a strong presence on the floor, engaging with guests and building relationships with VIPs, regular guests, and key stakeholders.
• Ensure high standards of service, presentation, cleanliness, product quality, and attention to detail at all times.
• Work closely with Marketing, Events, and other relevant teams on launch activities, activations, partnerships, and events to build awareness and drive revenue.
• Monitor guest feedback and operational performance, taking proactive action to address issues and enhance the overall guest experience.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, health and safety regulations, food safety standards, licensing requirements, and UAE legal requirements.
• Collaborate closely with HR, Finance, Marketing, Procurement, and other support departments to ensure the smooth operation of the venue.
• Build and maintain a strong team culture aligned with the values and standards of the hospitality group.
• Carry out any other duties required to support the successful operation and development of the venue.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years' experience as a General Manager within a high-end restaurant, café, lifestyle venue, or premium F&B concept.
• Strong experience in premium and/or high-volume F&B operations.
• Pre-opening experience is highly preferred.
• Experience within a recognised hospitality, lifestyle, or international F&B brand is an advantage.
• Strong understanding of high-end hospitality, guest engagement, and VIP service standards.
• Proven track record of driving revenue, profitability, and operational performance.
• Strong financial knowledge, including budgeting, forecasting, P&L management, labour cost control, and cost management.
• Experience recruiting, leading, and developing large multicultural teams.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to identify opportunities to drive revenue and improve profitability.
• Excellent leadership, communication, interpersonal, and decision-making skills.
• Highly visible and hands-on leadership style, with a strong presence on the floor.
• Passion for hospitality, food and beverage, and delivering memorable guest experiences.
• Fluency in English is required; additional languages are an advantage.

About the Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to join an established hospitality group and play a key role in the launch and long-term success of a new concept in Abu Dhabi.

Discover more about our company

https://paris-society.com/