General Manager - Restaurant

Socket.dev

Charlotte (NC)

On-site

USD 80,000 - 90,000

Full time

4 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Excellent benefits package

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Health and wellness benefits

Dining perks

Bonus opportunities for eligible lead

Career growth and advancement

Brand-new restaurant opening

Job summary

Dear Charlotte, a new Mediterranean-inspired rooftop restaurant, bar, and event destination in Charlotte's Steele Creek, seeks a General Manager to lead pre-opening through ongoing operations. You will build the team, culture, systems, and guest experience from day one, and own P&L, labor, and cost controls in a high-volume, beverage-forward setting.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years of progressive restaurant management, new-opening experience, and a hands-on leadership style with strong

Qualifications

5+ years of progressive restaurant management experience.
New restaurant opening experience.
Full P&L ownership experience.
Strong leadership and team-building abilities.
Understanding of labor, food cost, beverage cost, and profitability.
Experience in high-volume, elevated or beverage-forward restaurants.
Strong guest recovery and hospitality skills.
Hands-on leadership style.
Strong communication and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

Lead Dear Charlotte through pre-opening, opening, and ongoing operations.
Recruit, hire, train, and develop the FOH and BOH leadership teams.
Build the restaurant's culture, service standards, and operating systems.
Own restaurant P&L performance, including labor, food cost, beverage cost, and profitability.
Oversee a projected $3–4M+ annual revenue operation.
Lead dinner, brunch, private events, and other revenue opportunities.
Partner with culinary leadership on food quality, execution, and menu standards.
Lead a cocktail-forward beverage program and bar performance.
Manage scheduling, labor, inventory, purchasing, and operational controls.
Develop training and accountability systems.
Drive guest satisfaction, VIP relationships, and service recovery.
Build relationships with vendors, partners, and community connections.
Be highly visible and hands-on throughout the opening.
Help solve the inevitable challenges that come with building something new.

Skills

Restaurant management

New restaurant opening

P&L ownership

Team leadership

Labor cost control

Food & beverage profitability

Guest recovery

Hands-on leadership

Communication skills

Job description

General Manager – Dear Charlotte

Charlotte, NC | Steele Creek

$80,000–$90,000 + Bonus Opportunity | Full-Time

About Dear Charlotte

Dear Charlotte is a new Mediterranean-inspired rooftop restaurant, bar, and event destination coming to Charlotte's Steele Creek area.

With approximately 120 indoor and outdoor seats, Dear Charlotte will feature Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, a cocktail-forward beverage program, dinner, brunch, private events, and a high-energy atmosphere designed to become a destination in its own right.

We're building Dear Charlotte from the ground up and looking for a General Manager who wants to have a real hand in shaping what this restaurant becomes.

The Opportunity

This is more than taking over an existing restaurant. You'll help build the team, culture, systems, service standards, and guest experience from day one.

You'll work closely with ownership and the leadership team through pre-opening, launch, and ongoing operations.

What You'll Own

Lead Dear Charlotte through pre-opening, opening, and ongoing operations
Recruit, hire, train, and develop the FOH and BOH leadership teams
Build the restaurant's culture, service standards, and operating systems
Own restaurant P&L performance, including labor, food cost, beverage cost, and profitability
Oversee a projected $3–4M+ annual revenue operation
Lead dinner, brunch, private events, and other revenue opportunities
Partner with culinary leadership on food quality, execution, and menu standards
Lead a cocktail-forward beverage program and bar performance
Manage scheduling, labor, inventory, purchasing, and operational controls
Develop training and accountability systems
Drive guest satisfaction, VIP relationships, and service recovery
Build relationships with vendors, partners, and community connections
Be highly visible and hands-on throughout the opening
Help solve the inevitable challenges that come with building something new

What We’re Looking For

Required:

5+ years of progressive restaurant management experience
Previous new restaurant opening experience
Full P&L ownership experience
Proven ability to build and lead teams
Strong understanding of labor, food cost, beverage cost, and profitability
Experience in high-volume, elevated, or beverage-forward restaurants
Strong guest recovery and hospitality skills
Hands‑on leadership style
Strong communication and problem‑solving skills

Ideal experience includes:

Rooftop restaurant or bar operations
Fine dining or elevated casual dining
Cocktail-forward concepts
Private events
Brunch operations
High-volume restaurant environments
Restaurant openings

What Makes You Successful Here

We're looking for someone who runs toward the challenge of an opening.

You should be comfortable creating systems that don't exist yet, building a team from scratch, solving problems in real time, and creating a culture that people want to be part of.

The right person: