Head of Restaurant Operations

Happy Cooking Hospitality; New York (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Happy Cooking Hospitality, the team behind Joseph Leonard, Jeffrey’s Grocery, Fairfax, and Sailor, seeks a Director of Operations with deep restaurant experience. You’ll lead service, build structure for projects, and translate priorities into actionable plans with clear direction.

Reporting to the COO, you’ll spend substantial time in our Manhattan and Brooklyn restaurants, observing service, supporting managers, and aligning decisions with our shared hospitality standards.

Qualifications

• Extensive leadership in full-service restaurants, including GM or operating lead experience.
• Ability to ensure guests and staff feel heard and understood.
• Strong hospitality instincts with attention to service details.
• Ability to read a dining room, service demands, and earn team trust.
• Experience developing managers and turning feedback into improved work.
• Excellent organization and written communication to keep details clear.
• Calm, resourceful judgment; able to navigate problems with the team.
• Hold people accountable while offering support to succeed.
• Familiarity with restaurant reservation, POS, scheduling, and team comms systems.
• Willingness to work across Manhattan and Brooklyn locations, including day/evening shifts.

Responsibilities

• Translate company and restaurant priorities into clear plans with owners, milestones, and deadlines.
• Break larger initiatives into manageable steps with defined objectives and resources.
• Lead focused meetings and regular check-ins to drive decisions and visibility.
• Follow objectives through to completion, removing obstacles and adapting as needed.
• Turn shift notes, reports, guest feedback, and observations into action.
• Manage and support GMs through visits, coaching, and clear expectations.
• Help managers prioritize, delegate, communicate, and develop their teams.
• Step onto the floor for pre-shift coverage or guest handling when required.
• Assess service and hospitality, implement improvements, and verify results.
• Train through structured explanation, demonstration, and feedback.

Skills

Restaurant leadership

Guest listening & empathy

Hospitality expertise

Service observation & guidance

Management development

Organizational skills

Clear written communication

Calm, decisive judgment

Accountability with support

Restaurant tech familiarity

Tools

POS systems

Reservation systems

Scheduling software

Team communication tools

Job description

Happy Cooking Hospitality, the team behind Joseph Leonard, Jeffrey’s Grocery, Fairfax, and Sailor, seeks a Director of Operations with deep restaurant experience. You’ll lead service, build structure for projects, and translate priorities into actionable plans with clear direction.

Reporting to the COO, you’ll spend substantial time in our Manhattan and Brooklyn restaurants, observing service, supporting managers, and aligning decisions with our shared hospitality standards.