Dining Manager, Cornell Dining

Zymtronix Catalytic Systems Inc; City of Ithaca (NY); On-site; USD 65,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Cornell Dining, part of Cornell University, seeks a Dining Manager to oversee all-you-care-to-eat units, ensuring menu execution, product quality, and visual presentation. The role involves coaching staff, reinforcing food safety, and maintaining high guest satisfaction while achieving financial goals.

The successful candidate will lead training, manage daily operations, and collaborate with campus partners to foster a welcoming environment and strong teamwork across shifts.

Qualifications

• Associate's degree in culinary arts, food service, hospitality management, or business management, and/or at least two years of food service experience.
• Technical/computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Office Suite productivity tools
• Highly effective verbal and written communication skills
• Working knowledge of applicable food and health codes
• Demonstrated skill in understanding cultural differences.

Responsibilities

• Foster a welcoming, service-focused environment by building strong relationships with campus partners and ensuring excellent food and beverage service, including prompt responses to concerns.
• Maintain a consistent management presence to ensure facilities remain clean, attractive, safe, and fully prepared for guests and staff.
• Engage actively with staff, providing hands-on training, daily coaching, and motivation to support strong performance and a productive team culture.
• Understand key financial indicators and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, manage costs, and strengthen overall profitability.
• Support regular shift meetings and help ensure daily staffing levels meet operational needs.
• Uphold Dining and University policies by modeling consistent, positive adherence and reinforcing standards across the team.

Skills

Microsoft Office

Verbal communication

Written communication

Food safety knowledge

Cultural awareness

Education

Associate degree or higher in culinary/food service/ hospitality/ business

Job description

Student & Campus Life (SCL) inspires transformation in all Cornell students on their journey of individual, academic and personal evolution. Our division is comprised of leading student affairs experts who support our campus on pressing student life matters including public service, health, wellbeing, connection and belonging, residential living, food services, sports, recreation, career services, and student activities and organizations including sorority and fraternity life. We provide support and services to roughly 25,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on multiple campuses in the U.S. and abroad.
As part of SCL, Cornell Dining is comprised of more than 30 on-campus eateries, including multiple all-access dining rooms, cafés, coffee shops, food courts, retail convenience stores, concession stands, a restaurant, and catering services. From crafting holiday-themed meals to chef surprises and dining room special events, the Cornell Dining team of more than 400 skilled culinarians and front-line associates, and 600 student employees work hard every day to offer a variety of fresh and healthy food from all over the world. Cornell Dining’s mission is a commitment to Nourishing the Future: both for our guests and for our team. This is accomplished with a team-oriented and customer service mindset, and an emphasis on training, education, professional development, and career path opportunities for our entire organization.

The Dining Manager, working in close collaboration with a Sr. Dining Manager, will play a key role in delivering an exceptional dining experience while ensuring the assigned all‑you‑care‑to‑eat unit(s) meet operational and financial goals. This position provides daily oversight of menu execution, product quality, and visual presentation, ensuring that every meal period reflects high standards of freshness, consistency, and guest satisfaction. The Dining Manager is also responsible for supporting staff training and ongoing skill development, reinforcing proper food safety, sanitation, and quality‑assurance practices to maintain a safe and compliant operation. In partnership with the Sr. Dining Manager, the Dining Manager will actively coach employees on the floor, offering real‑time feedback that strengthens performance, builds confidence, and supports professional growth. Through intentional leadership, the Dining Manager helps cultivate strong teamwork, effective communication, and a positive environment where all staff feel valued and empowered to contribute to the success of the unit.

While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of oneself and others.

A successful Dining Manager will:

• Foster a welcoming, service‑focused environment by building strong relationships with campus partners and ensuring excellent food and beverage service, including prompt responses to concerns.
• Maintain a consistent management presence to ensure facilities remain clean, attractive, safe, and fully prepared for guests and staff.
• Engage actively with staff, providing hands‑on training, daily coaching, and motivation to support strong performance and a productive team culture.
• Understand key financial indicators and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, manage costs, and strengthen overall profitability.
• Support regular shift meetings and help ensure daily staffing levels meet operational needs.
• Uphold Dining and University policies by modeling consistent, positive adherence and reinforcing standards across the team.
• Effectively manage competing priorities by staying organized and maintaining focus on both guest experience and operational needs.

Required Qualifications

• Associate's degree in culinary arts, food service, hospitality management, or business management, and/or at least two years of food service experience or a combination of education and experience.
• Technical/computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Office Suite productivity tools
• Highly effective verbal and written communication skills
• Working knowledge of applicable food and health codes
• Demonstrated skill in understanding cultural differences.

Unit assignments and schedules are likely to change. Individual must be able to work varied and extended hours, including nights, weekends, and some holidays.

Preferred Qualifications

• Additional professional or educational experience, preferably in a high-quality collegiate dining program
• Familiarity with board plan operations and menu cycles

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. This position is located in Ithaca, New York. The successful applicant will be expected to work on campus.

University Job Title: Dining Assoc I

Job Family: Auxiliary Services

Level: E

Pay Rate Type: Salary

Pay Range: $65,447.00 - $75,632.00

Remote Option Availability: Onsite

Company: Endowed

Contact Name: Jana English

Contact Email: [e-mail]

Job Titles and Pay Ranges:

Non-Union Positions

Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience
• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position
• Unique applicable skills
• Academic Discipline

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The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement. To learn more about Cornell’s union wages, see Union Pay Rates.

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Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League university and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose and contribute creative ideas to further the university's mission of teaching, discovery and engagement. With our main campus located in Ithaca, NY, Cornell's far-flung global presence includes the medical college's campuses on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Doha, Qatar, as well as the Cornell Tech campus located on Roosevelt Island in the heart of New York City.

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