Front of House Manager

Agupdate; Frederick, Northern (MD, KY); Hybrid; USD 34,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

40 hours PTO

40 hours Sick Leave

MarylandSaves retirement plans

30% employee meal discount

Job summary

Café Bueno is seeking an experienced Front of House Manager to lead the front-of-house team and ensure excellent dining experiences. The role balances daily service leadership with event planning and administrative duties in a hospitality setting.

The ideal candidate has at least five years in restaurants or hospitality, with prior management experience, fluent English, and a willingness to oversee shifts, catering, and guest relations.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years experience in restaurants, hospitality, or food service.
• Two years management experience preferred.
• Fluent in English; Spanish (intermediate to fluent) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and support a team of 8–10 servers to deliver exceptional service.
• Manage the server schedule and time-off requests; ensure adequate coverage for peak periods.
• Oversee catering orders from intake to delivery, collect deposits and final payments, confirm accuracy.

Skills

Team management

Guest service

Scheduling

Event planning

Communication

Job description

Café Bueno is hiring a Front of House Manager

Overview

We are seeking an experienced, organized, and guest-focused Front of House Manager to lead our front-of-house team and ensure excellent dining experiences at Café Bueno. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys people, thrives on operational details, and can balance daily service leadership with event planning and administrative responsibilities.

Primary Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and support a team of 8–10 servers to deliver exceptional service and maintain high morale. Manage the server schedule, process time-off requests, and ensure adequate coverage for peak periods. Oversee catering orders from intake to delivery: communicate with clients, collect deposits and final payments, confirm accuracy, and ensure delivery materials and crates are returned clean. Plan and execute special events and holiday initiatives (Winter Holiday decorating, Cinco de Mayo, Santa event in December, Valentine’s Day specials). Coordinate with our social media partner to promote menu specials, fundraisers, and events; maintain a calendar of monthly fundraisers and ensure prompt payments to partner organizations. Communicate daily with the kitchen to stay current on specials and update front-of-house staff; administer menu knowledge tests and use the employee handbook to onboard and train new hires. Maintain cleanliness standards throughout the dining room, patio, and entry areas; manage deep-clean schedules and confirm completion of side work tasks. Make operational decisions such as closing the patio for inclement weather and assisting with reopening when safe. Support service during staff shortages by handling carryout orders, hosting, managing wait lists, and answering phones. Manage third-party delivery platform accuracy, work with the merchant processor on payment issues, and call POS help desk for technical support as needed. Ensure responsible alcohol service: maintain current TIPS certification, attend mandated liquor board training, and assist with inspections and incident reporting.

Requirements

Valid Driver’s License and legal authorization to work in the United States. Fluent in English; Spanish (intermediate to fluent) preferred. Minimum five years experience in restaurants, hospitality, or food service; two years management experience preferred. At least 21 years old.

Compensation & Benefits

$28/hr for the first year with a wage renegotiation after 12 months. A guaranteed 2% annual cost-of-living adjustment; additional increases possible based on performance and company growth. 40 hours PTO and 40 hours Sick Leave. Retirement plans available through MarylandSaves. No health insurance. 30% employee meal discount.

Schedule

30–40 hours/week, 5–6 days per week. Flexible schedule including nights and weekends; some split shifts. Closed Sundays and unpaid holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day).