Operations Manager

Geis Companies; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Geis Companies is seeking an Operations Manager for Wild Eagle Steak & Saloon in Chicago. This role involves leading front-of-house and back-of-house operations during busy shifts, ensuring both guest satisfaction and quality food output. Ideal candidates will have over 3 years of restaurant management experience in a high-volume environment and possess strong kitchen knowledge.

You will be responsible for managing staff, maintaining standards, and protecting food quality while supporting the team during peak hours. A ServSafe certification is required, or one must be obtained shortly after hire.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of restaurant management in a full-service, high-volume house.
• Proven track record managing labor, food costs, and inventory.
• Able to earn ServSafe certification within 60 days.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily operations from front-of-house to back-of-house.
• Manage floor flow during busy periods.
• Recruit and train hourly staff.

Skills

Restaurant management

Kitchen knowledge

Labor management

Food safety

Customer service

Education

ServSafe certification

Tools

POS (Toast preferred)

Scheduling tools

Job description

Wild Eagle isn’t a quiet place. We pour heavy, we cook hot, and we run a floor with a pulse. We’re looking for an Operations Manager who can lead from the middle of it — someone who reads a packed dining room and a slammed line at the same time and keeps both moving. You set the standard, you hold the standard, and you don’t hide in the office while the team fights through a rush.

This is a working leadership role. You’ll need real kitchen knowledge — enough to jump on a station, hold the line on quality, and lead the back of house when senior kitchen leadership is out. If you know your way around a floor and a line, keep reading.

Snapshot

Position Title: Operations Manager

Location: Wild Eagle Steak & Saloon

Reports To: General Manager

Pay: Commensurate with experience, plus performance-based bonus.

What You’ll Own

Run the Floor & the Line

• Lead daily front-of-house and back-of-house operations to Wild Eagle standards — open to close.
• Own the rush: manage floor flow, ticket times, and service recovery when the room is full and the line is buried.
• Keep the building tight — clean, stocked, equipment working, ready for the next rush.
• Hold the line on health, safety, sanitation, and Ohio liquor control compliance. No shortcuts.

Hold the Kitchen Standard

• Use real kitchen knowledge to support stations, prep, line execution, and plating — and jump in when the line needs you.
• Protect food quality, portioning, and recipe adherence. What leaves the pass is on you.
• Watch waste, food cost, ordering, and receiving accuracy alongside kitchen leadership.

Protect the Numbers

• Schedule labor to forecasted volume and hit budgeted labor targets.
• Stay on food and beverage cost, inventory, and ordering to kill variance before it grows.
• Review daily sales, voids, comps, and cash handling — accuracy and accountability, every shift.

Build the Team

• Recruit, train, schedule, and lead hourly staff across front and back of house.
• Run sharp pre-shifts, coach in the moment, and document performance feedback fairly and consistently.
• Set the tone. The energy on the floor starts with you.

Own the Guest

• Hold a high bar for guest experience and step in to fix problems directly — don’t pass them off.
• Track guest feedback and run down recurring issues until they’re solved.

What It Takes

• 3+ years of restaurant management in a full-service, high-volume house.
• Real kitchen knowledge — line execution, food safety, and culinary standards. You can hold your own on a station.
• Proven track record managing labor, food cost, and inventory to budget.
• ServSafe certified, or able to earn it within 60 days of hire.
• Comfortable on POS (Toast preferred) and scheduling tools.
• Available nights, weekends, and holidays — that’s when the eagle flies.

Bonus Points

• Steakhouse, bar-forward, or scratch-kitchen background.
• Experience leading both front and back of house.
• Hands‑on with cost‑control platforms.

The Honest Part

This job is loud, hot, and fast. You’ll be on your feet for long stretches, lift and carry up to 50 pounds, and work in a kitchen with heat, noise, and swing temperatures. If that sounds like your kind of night, you’ll fit right in. Reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with applicable law.

Wild Eagle Steak & Saloon / Geis Hospitality Group is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to any legally protected status.