Head of Service & Guest Experience – Fine Dining

Goodwin Recruiting; Elk (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Sick time

Vacation

Paid floating holidays

Life insurance

Food, beverage, and lodging discounts

Job summary

Goodwin Recruiting is seeking an experienced Service Director to lead service operations and guest experiences for a Michelin-rated restaurant in California. You will collaborate with the Executive Chef and Owners to oversee the service team, beverage program, and daily service standards.

The ideal candidate has extensive fine dining experience, luxury hospitality expertise, and a proven ability to manage high-performing teams while delivering exceptional guest service.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of food, beverage, and/or hospitality service experience.
• Experience leading service teams in a fine dining, luxury hospitality, or high-end restaurant environment.
• Level 1 (Introductory) Sommelier certification preferred.
• Strong knowledge of food, wine, beverage, and hospitality.
• Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills in English.
• Experience with POS and PMS systems.
• Knowledge of OpenTable, Tock, or similar reservation platforms.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities under time constraints.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Creative problem-solving and critical decision-making abilities.
• Professional demeanor with the ability to remain calm and effective under pressure.
• Genuine commitment to hospitality and exceptional guest service.
• Ability to work collaboratively with culinary, beverage, concierge, and property leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee all service staff in partnership with the Executive Chef.
• Provide warm, knowledgeable, and genuine hospitality throughout the operation.
• Oversee service standards and ensure a seamless guest experience.
• Build meaningful relationships with guests and assist in curating personalized guest experiences.
• Maintain strong knowledge of the cuisine and educate guests on food and beverage offerings.
• Ensure guest dietary restrictions and preferences are handled with care and attention.
• Direct the curation, management, and oversight of the beverage program.
• Research and order beverages to build and maintain an exceptional program.
• Manage beverage inventory, cost control, and wine storage planning.
• Oversee dining room organization, cleanliness, table settings, service tools, and guest-facing spaces.
• Foster a warm, collaborative, and hospitality-focused team culture.
• Provide ongoing education and development related to food, wine, beverage, and service.
• Participate in daily briefings and departmental and interdepartmental meetings.
• Partner closely with the Executive Chef, Culinary Leadership, Beverage Director, Concierge, Owners, and other departments.
• Maintain clear, consistent, and timely communication with staff, leadership, guests, vendors, and industry partners.
• Assist with hiring, performance management, and termination decisions in accordance with company policies and applicable regulations.

Skills

Leadership

Guest relations

Communication

Problem-solving

Team collaboration

Hospitality knowledge

Education

Level 1 Sommelier certification

Tools

POS systems

PMS systems

OpenTable

Tock

Job description

Goodwin Recruiting is seeking an experienced Service Director to lead service operations and guest experiences for a Michelin-rated restaurant in California. You will collaborate with the Executive Chef and Owners to oversee the service team, beverage program, and daily service standards.

The ideal candidate has extensive fine dining experience, luxury hospitality expertise, and a proven ability to manage high-performing teams while delivering exceptional guest service.