Food Service Manager / Café Operations Manager

Ace Hardware Corporation; Venice (FL); On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Career growth opportunities

Job summary

Ace Hardware Corporation is opening two new café locations in Florida and is seeking a skilled Food Service Manager. This key role involves planning and managing daily operations, ensuring quality service and food standards, and training the team to create a positive customer experience.

The ideal candidate will have extensive food service management experience, a proactive mindset, and the ability to build effective systems from the ground up. This is an exciting opportunity to help launch and operate two vibrant café locations!

Qualifications

• Experience in food service, café, restaurant, or hospitality management.
• Ability to manage daily operations efficiently.
• Strong training and development skills.

Responsibilities

• Help finalize café operations prior to opening.
• Manage daily café operations across two locations.
• Train new and existing employees on café operations.

Skills

Food service management experience

Café or restaurant management

Organization and proactive mindset

Job description

We are opening two café locations (One in Port Charlotte and one in North Venice) this month and are seeking an experienced, motivated, and hands‑on Food Service Manager / Café Operations Manager to help us successfully plan, prepare, launch, and operate both locations.

Our cafés will offer a polished, welcoming customer experience with a menu that may include coffee, pastries, sandwiches, salads, soups, smoothies, açaí bowls, beer/wine, and other grab‑and‑go or made‑to‑order food and beverage items.

This is a key leadership role for someone who can take ownership, create structure, train a team, manage daily operations, and help turn a new concept into a well‑run business.

Position Overview

The Food Service Manager will be responsible for helping finalize café operations prior to opening, coordinating the launch of two locations, and managing ongoing daily food service operations after opening.

We are looking for someone with strong food service, café, restaurant, or hospitality management experience who can confidently “take the reins.” The ideal candidate is organized, proactive, calm under pressure, and capable of building systems from the ground up.

This person will work closely with ownership and the existing team to help establish menus, workflows, staffing plans, ordering systems, food safety practices, training procedures, and customer service standards.

Key Responsibilities

Opening & Launch Responsibilities

• Assist ownership with preparing two café locations for opening.
• Help finalize operational workflows, service procedures, and kitchen/prep systems.
• Support menu execution, recipe consistency, portioning, food prep standards, and product presentation.
• Coordinate equipment, supplies, smallwares, ingredients, and opening inventory.
• Help establish vendor ordering routines and par levels.
• Assist with pricing, product mix, menu organization, and cost controls.
• Create opening checklists, closing checklists, prep lists, cleaning schedules, and training materials.
• Train new and existing employees on café operations, customer service, food handling, recipes, and POS use.
• Help oversee soft opening, grand opening, and early operating adjustments.

Ongoing Management Responsibilities

• Manage daily café operations across two locations.
• Supervise, train, schedule, and support café staff.
• Maintain high standards for food quality, drink quality, cleanliness, speed of service, and customer experience.
• Monitor inventory, ordering, waste, food costs, labor usage, and product availability.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, health department, and alcohol service requirements where applicable.
• Maintain proper opening, closing, cleaning, and cash-handling procedures.
• Hold team members accountable to standards while creating a positive work environment.
• Troubleshoot operational issues and make practical improvements.
• Communicate regularly with ownership regarding performance, staffing, customer feedback, and business needs.
• Help identify opportunities to grow sales, improve efficiency, and strengthen the café brand.

Company Introduction

MRT Lawn and Garden Center has been family owned and operated in Venice, FL since 2003. With locations in South Venice (Englewood Rd), North Venice (US 41 Bypass N), and Port Charlotte (El Jobean Rd), MRT is growing and searching for our next team member. Want to grow alongside Florida's largest and most tropical independently owned garden centers? Apply to join the MRT family today!