Restaurant Manager

Merriweather Lakehouse; Columbia (MD); On-site; USD 62,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

Merriweather Lakehouse, Autograph Collection in Columbia, MD is seeking a hands-on Restaurant Manager to lead daily front-of-house operations across the restaurant, bar, lounge, and private dining. You will inspire the team, connect with guests, and develop people while delivering exceptional experiences.

The ideal candidate has 3–5+ years in upscale hotel food & beverage management, strong sales and service skills, and availability for evenings and events.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of restaurant management experience, preferably upscale, lifestyle, luxury, or hotel hospitality.
• Strong floor presence and hands-on leadership.
• Private dining/event experience preferred.
• Marriott or hotel F&B experience preferred.
• Flexibility with evenings, weekends, holidays, and events.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily front-of-house operations for the restaurant, bar, lounge, and private dining.
• Deliver elevated, personalized service and build relationships with guests and VIPs.
• Lead opening/closing procedures, staffing, service standards, cleanliness, and compliance.
• Handle guest concerns and service recovery with professionalism.
• Partner with Culinary, Banquets, and Hotel leadership to ensure seamless operations.
• Develop and execute private dining, cocktail events, celebrations, and special programming.
• Build relationships with event clients and assist with menus, beverages, timelines, and logistics.
• Identify opportunities to increase restaurant and event revenue through sales, upselling, and creative programming.
• Recruit, train, coach, and develop servers, bartenders, hosts, and supervisors.
• Lead engaging pre-shift meetings focused on service, menu knowledge, and sales.
• Create a culture of teamwork, accountability, and genuine hospitality.
• Lead by example during high-volume service.
• Manage scheduling, labor, payroll, inventory, and departmental budgets.
• Monitor sales, labor, and P&L performance.
• Partner with leadership on forecasting and operational planning.

Skills

Floor presence

Hands-on leadership

Hospitality

Sales

Communication

Organizational skills

Leadership

POS systems

Restaurant management software

Tools

POS systems

Restaurant management software

Job description

Lead the floor. Build the team. Create experiences people remember.

LAK at Merriweather Lakehouse Hotel is seeking a hands-on, hospitality-driven Restaurant Manager to lead daily operations, inspire the team, and create exceptional guest experiences.

This is an opportunity for a leader who loves being on the floor, connecting with guests, developing people, driving revenue, and creating memorable dining and private event experiences.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily front-of-house operations for the restaurant, bar, lounge, and private dining.
• Deliver elevated, personalized service and build relationships with guests and VIPs.
• Lead opening/closing procedures, staffing, service standards, cleanliness, and compliance.
• Handle guest concerns and service recovery with professionalism.
• Partner with Culinary, Banquets, and Hotel leadership to ensure seamless operations.
• Develop and execute private dining, cocktail events, celebrations, and special programming.
• Build relationships with event clients and assist with menus, beverages, timelines, and logistics.
• Identify opportunities to increase restaurant and event revenue through sales, upselling, and creative programming.
• Recruit, train, coach, and develop servers, bartenders, hosts, and supervisors.
• Lead engaging pre-shift meetings focused on service, menu knowledge, and sales.
• Create a culture of teamwork, accountability, and genuine hospitality.
• Lead by example during high-volume service.
• Manage scheduling, labor, payroll, inventory, and departmental budgets.
• Monitor sales, labor, and P&L performance.
• Partner with leadership on forecasting and operational planning.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of restaurant management experience, preferably upscale, lifestyle, luxury, or hotel hospitality.
• Strong floor presence and hands‑on leadership style.
• Passion for hospitality and exceptional guest experiences.
• Private dining/event experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of wine, spirits, and elevated service standards.
• Excellent communication, sales, organizational, and leadership skills.
• Marriott or hotel F&B experience preferred.
• Flexible availability including evenings, weekends, holidays, and events.

The Ideal Candidate

You're a hospitality leader who leads from the front. You connect naturally with guests, develop your team, stay calm under pressure, and take pride in creating an experience people want to come back for.

If you're ready to lead, grow the business, and help make LAK a destination‑come be part of the team!