Founding Bistro Manager — Elevate Wellness Hospitality

Yora Nordic Spa - Brownstone; Portland (CT); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid time off

Wellness privileges for employees

Bistro and retail discounts

Learning and development

Job summary

Yora Nordic Spa is launching its Bistro Restaurant with a founding leadership team to open in November 2026. The Bistro Restaurant Manager will recruit, train and lead the Front of House to welcome our first Bistro guests, starting mid-October 2026.

This role balances guest satisfaction with table utilization, labor productivity and financial performance, delivering warm, effortless service in a welcoming, social and unhurried environment.

Qualifications

• Three to five years of progressive restaurant leadership experience in hospitality, premium casual dining, boutique hotels, resorts or wellness environments.
• Demonstrated success leading high-volume restaurant operations.
• Experience managing reservations, guest flow, seating strategy, table utilization and service pacing.
• Strong understanding of premium hospitality, guest service and service recovery.
• Experience recruiting, coaching and developing high-performing restaurant teams.
• Strong financial awareness, including labor management, revenue optimization and productivity.
• Excellent communication, coaching, organization and problem-solving skills.
• Experience using point-of-sale, reservation, scheduling, Microsoft Office and restaurant technology systems.
• The ability to remain calm, visible and organized in a fast-paced hospitality environment.

Responsibilities

• Recruit, onboard, coach and develop an engaged, high-performing Front of House team.
• Lead daily Front of House operations with consistency, organization and efficiency.
• Create a Bistro experience that feels welcoming, relaxed, social and unhurried.
• Manage reservations, seating plans, table availability, guest pacing and dining-room capacity.
• Monitor wait times and service pace and adjust seating strategies throughout the day to prevent bottlenecks.
• Organize staffing, sections and floor plans to match anticipated guest demand.
• Maintain a visible presence in the dining room and respond professionally to guest feedback and service-recovery opportunities.
• Ensure opening, closing, side work, cash-handling and service procedures are consistently completed.
• Ensure menus, point-of-sale systems, reservation systems and service procedures are current and accurately executed.
• Partner with the Kitchen Manager to coordinate food quality, service timing, dietary requirements and peak-period execution.
• Lead pre-shift meetings and provide regular coaching, feedback and hands-on support to team members.
• Manage Front of House labor and operating expenses within approved budgets.
• Monitor revenue, average guest check, covers, beverage sales, table utilization and service productivity.
• Use guest feedback, operational data and financial results to continuously improve Bistro performance.

Skills

Leadership

High-volume service

Guest flow management

Communication

Coaching

Organizational skills

Problem-solving

POS & reservations tech

Customer service

Tools

POS (Point-of-Sale)

Reservation systems

Scheduling software

Microsoft Office

Restaurant technology systems

Job description

Yora Nordic Spa is launching its Bistro Restaurant with a founding leadership team to open in November 2026. The Bistro Restaurant Manager will recruit, train and lead the Front of House to welcome our first Bistro guests, starting mid-October 2026.

This role balances guest satisfaction with table utilization, labor productivity and financial performance, delivering warm, effortless service in a welcoming, social and unhurried environment.