Area Leader - Central Virginia

CAVA - Virginia; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Bonus opportunity

Unlimited PTO

Health benefits

401k match

Paid leave

Free CAVA food

Casual environment

Growth potential

Job summary

CAVA, a fast-growing Mediterranean brand, seeks an Area Leader to direct operations across multiple restaurants in Virginia. You will oversee 6–8 General Managers, translate strategic goals into daily coaching, and ensure guest satisfaction, team engagement, and profitability.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, strong communication, and rigorous analysis of P&L performance. You will build leadership talent, collaborate with peers, and promote a culture of high performance while maintaining

Qualifications

• Experience managing multiple restaurant units.
• Hands-on leadership style with leading by example.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical ability to identify trends and guide decisions.
• Proficient with PC and MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Lead the GM leadership team to support and enable the growth goals for the company.
• Uphold the standards and reputation of the CAVA Brand while enhancing Guest and Team Member experience and profitability.
• Translate the overall business strategy into day-to-day execution, providing coaching to the GMs.
• Oversee planning, preparation, and performance analysis of all restaurant P&L’s in the area.
• Execute on programs introduced to the field.
• Build organizational talent by promoting internal leaders and attracting high-potential external candidates.
• Guide Operations leaders to connect metrics to business processes and continuous improvement strategies.
• Cultivate a culture of high performance and accountability.
• Identify objectives and systems to improve consistency and synergy across restaurants.
• Partner with peer Area Leaders to ensure market consistency.

Skills

Multi-unit restaurant management

Hands-on leadership

Excellent communication

Analytical skills

PC & MS Office proficiency

Job description

Company Profile:

At CAVA, we make it deliciously simple to eat well and feel good every day.We are guided by a Mediterranean heritage that’s been perfecting how to eat and live for four thousand years. We prioritize authenticity, curiosity and the pursuit of excellence in everything we do. We are working towards something big, together.

We foster a culture built on five core values:

• Positivity – Every one of us can change someone’s day for the better.
• Transparency –We use transparency to help us make decisions through open dialogue
• Humility – We can always find ways to improve.
• Fanaticism – We are passionate about the opportunity to turn every guest into a fanatic.
• Thoughtfulness –We go above and beyond for our guests, our teams, and communities.

The Role

The Area Leader is responsible for providing direction and executing operational processes and procedures for an assigned area. This multi-unit leader will be expected to provide oversight and development of their direct reports, approximately 6 – 8 Restaurant General Managers while working in cooperation with other functional leaders to ensure CAVA remains profitable.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the General Manager (GM) leadership team to support and enable the growth goals for the company.
• Ensure that each GM upholds the standards and reputation of the CAVA Brand while enhancing Guest and Team Member experience, as well as profitability.
• Translate the overall business strategy into day-to-day execution, providing coaching and feedback to the GMs.
• Oversight of the planning, preparation, and performance analysis of all restaurant P & L’s in the assigned area of responsibility.
• Execute on all programs introduced to the field.
• Build organizational talent by promoting the development of internal leaders, as well as championing the identification and attraction of high potential external candidates.
• Provide guidance to Operations leaders to help them connect the metrics to business processes and focus on continuous improvement strategies to achieve business objectives.
• Cultivate a culture of high performance and accountability
• Identify objectives and systems to improve consistency and synergy throughout our restaurants.
• Partner with peer Area Leader’s to ensure consistency between markets.

The Qualifications

• Multi-unit restaurant management experience
• Must believe in a hands‑on managing style and be willing to lead by example
• Excellent written/verbal communication and interpersonal skills
• Analytical skills to identify trends, make operational decisions and solve problems
• Knowledgeable of and have the ability to use a PC and MS Office Suite proficiently

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to maintain a stationary position to be able to operate a computer and other office equipment
• Must be able to identify, analyze and assess details
• For certain positions, must be able to occasionally move or transport items up to 50 pounds
• Ability to communicate with others and exchange information accurately and effectively
• Constantly positions self and move about to support ordinary restaurant or food production support or office operations, as applicable
• Ability to work in a constant state of alertness and in a safe manner

Benefits

• We’ve got you covered. Here are just some of the benefits available to support center team members:
• Competitive base salary, plus bonus
• Unlimited PTO
• Health, Dental, Vision, Telemedicine, Pet Insurance plus more!
• 401k enrollment with company contribution
• Paid sick leave, parental leave, and community service leave
• Free CAVA food
• Casual work environment
• The opportunity to be on the ground floor of a rapidly growing brand

As an equal opportunity employer, CAVA considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, height, weight, marital status, sexual orientation, familial status, genetic information or any other characteristic or protected classes as defined by federal, state, or local law.