Restaurant Manager - Chicago Suburbs (West)

Nando's; Naperville (IL); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Nando’s North America is seeking a Restaurant Manager to lead the Chicago Suburbs (West) location, ensuring a warm, consistent guest experience while guiding a high-performing team. The role blends floor leadership with strategic shift execution to sustain brand standards and operational excellence.

You will supervise openings and closings, coach staff, manage inventory, uphold food safety, and drive guest satisfaction, all within a hybrid work model and brand values.

Qualifications

• 2–3 years of restaurant management experience.
• Proven ability to lead full shifts and manage peak times.
• Experience delivering KPIs (sales, guest satisfaction, speed).
• Experience hiring, onboarding, and developing team members.
• Inventory, ordering, prep, and stock management.
• Proven ability to resolve guest issues with empathy and judgement.
• Knowledge of food safety, health department standards, and brand policies.
• Track record of developing team members into new roles.

Responsibilities

• Lead on-floor operations and set the tone for service.
• Coach, train, and develop team members to build belonging.
• Protect Nando’s experience by upholding standards and hospitality.
• Oversee opening, mid-shift, and closing responsibilities and handovers.
• Manage safety, stock, cleanliness, and food safety compliance.
• Monitor forecasts, staffing, and guest flow to optimize service.

Skills

Restaurant management

Lead shifts

KPIs

Hiring onboarding

Inventory management

Guest resolution

Food safety

Team development

Education

High school diploma or equivalent; Serv Safe Manager

Job description

Restaurant Manager - Chicago Suburbs (West)

#023-653

Multiple Locations

Hybrid

Job Description

At Nando’s, we want to be the most loved restaurant brand in North America, sharing the spirit of Nando’s PERi-PERi with everyone who chooses to access it. We will redesign and build a business that thrives as it answers fully it’s consumers’ needs - and endures over time through genuinely putting people at the heart of what we do. We will lead with our values and act with care, compassion, and kindness. By doing this, we will Change Lives Together, every day and everywhere.

RESTAURANT MANAGER

As Restaurant Manager, you make the restaurant feel brilliantly consistent, human, and alive—You show up where it matters most, on the floor , with the team – setting the tone for service and bringing calm, confident direction to every moment while, protecting the Nando’s experience and keeping the whole operation humming. You set the tone for service, coach in the moment, uphold standards without compromise, and grow confidence and capability shift after shift—so guests feel the warmth of our hospitality every time.

Your Purpose

Lead a safe, smooth, standard of tight operation that delights guests and develops people. Translate plans into daily execution, use insight to make smart decisions fast, and create an inclusive environment where everyone can do their best work.

Scope & Span of Accountability

Operates as an in-restaurant leader of leaders, ensuring the restaurant is prepared before peaks; standards are upheld throughout service, and handovers set up the next team for success. Alternates between leading the floor and picking up critical stations to protect speed, quality, and atmosphere.

Operational Rhythms

• Opening
  • Review Manager Communication Log (MCL), staffing lineup, catering orders, and the day’s forecast; validate previous inventory and complete prep/production sheets.
  • Complete safe count; assign cash drawers; order change; prepare chicken cook sheet (where applicable).
• Shift Changeover
  • Reconcile AM monies and the safe; validate production and station readiness; walkthrough; document MCL handover notes.
• Closing
  
  • Final walkthrough; setnext daycatering; closing inventory; reconcile cash;validatetimekeeping; run end-of-day reports; update the MCL
• Cash & Security (when supervising)
  
  • Practice responsible cash management: floats, safe counts, deposits, cashier check‑outs, refunds/voids/discounts per policy; safeguard keys, secure doors, set alarms; follow escalation protocols.

Key Focus Areas & Responsibilities

• P eople — Lead, Coach, and Build Belonging
  • Lead in the Nando’s Way : Model Pride, Passion, Courage, Integrity, and Family; grow culture through daily behaviors and decisions.
  • Communicate Brilliantly: set clear expectations, run motivating briefs/meetings, give timely feedback, flex style to the person and the moment.
  • Recruit, Onboard & Develop: support interviewing, onboarding, and station sign offs; coach on SOPs; build c ross training plans; strengthen the buddy system; grow future Shift Leads.
  • Manage People Processes: ensure fairness and consistency; support ER basics; ensure required documentation is complete and filed correctly.
  • Wellbeing & Safety: monitor en ergy and breaks; de escape conflict; keep the environment psychologically and physically safe.
• Brand — Protect the Nando’s Experience
  • Deliver Consistent Standards: Conduct travel path s ; uphol d critical touchpoint s ( a tm osphere, quality, speed) across all channels.
  • Hospitality & Recovery: r ole model warm welcomes/fond farewells; table touches/check backs; resolve issues with empathy and judgment; elevate per process.
  • Channel Management: k eep eat in g primacy while maintaining takeaway and delivery standards; coach accuracy t o reduce missing items.
• Commercial — Sales, Labor, and Profit
  • Drive Sustainable Sales: connect the team to daily/weekly targets; apply simple, approved local tactics in line with guidance.
  • Use Insights to Decide: read and react to forecast; align deployment and breaks to flow; coach leaders to use dashboards and act on trends.
  • Optimize Profit: manage portion control and waste (“cook less, more often”); protect speed/quality; handle daily financial processes to standard
• Operations — Food Safety, Stock, Cleanliness
  • Food Safety & Compliance: enforce hygiene; complete daily/weekly logs ( tempera tures , labels, hot holds); manage allergy orders; elevate food safety complaints appropriately.
  • Stock & Production: Set production to forecast; accept deliveries accurately; rotate stock; maintain portions; reduce waste with coaching and daily checks.
  • Cleaning & Maintenance: lead daily/weekly cleaning schedules; ensure appropriate PPE ; log and elevate ma intenance issues; adjust service flow when issues arise.
• Changing Lives — Community, Planet, Opportunity
  • Create Belonging: j udgment free team environment; celebrate strengths; build confidence; live “Family.”
  • Planetary Goals: reinforce recycling/energy routines; ensure oil recycling and waste processes are followed on shift.
  • Community Actions: follow local partnership processes (e.g., food donation programs) and share wins to inspire participation.
• Level & Decision Rights
  • Scope & Span: Owns the day-to-day restaurant operation—scheduling/roster execution, onboarding, ER support, stock and cleaning routines, and customer recovery.
  • Decision Authority: Leads tactical and operational decisions for service, deployment, and standards; supports ER cases; implements weekly plans; escalates higher risk/enterprise issues to Patrão /MD as required .
  • Risk & Compliance Exposure: Daily/weekly audit readiness; food safety, H&S basics, license postings/incident documentation; protects brand and legal posture on shift and across the week.
  • Time Horizon: Daily → weekly (turning the plan into consistent execution and KPI delivery).
• Own the restaurant’s audit cadence (daily/weekly routines) and compliance posture: food safety, H&S basics, licensing visibility, incident documentation; support ER processes and elevate h igh - risk issues promptly.

Leading in the Nando’s Way

You bring the spirit of Ubuntu into action—leading collaboratively, challenging with heart, and uplifting those around you. You blend having fun, making money, and changing lives; communicate brilliantly; support change with positivity; and role‑model Pride, Passion, Courage, Integrity, and Family.

Future Leaders Wanted

Some people see a restaurant job. We see future Shift Leads, Assistant Managers, Patraos, and business leaders.

If you're driven, curious, and ready to grow, we'll provide the training, coaching, and opportunities to help you take the next step in your career. Many of our leaders started on the front line. Your journey could start here too.

Location

Requirements

What You Bring(Knowledge, Skills & Experience)

• 2–3 years of restaurant management experience (fast casual, QSR, or full service)
• Demonstrated ability to lead full shifts, including deployment, breaks, and peak‑time operations
• Proven experience delivering KPIs (sales, labor, food quality, audits, speed of service)
• Experience hiring, onboarding, and training team members
• Documented experience managing inventory, ordering, prep, and food safety routines
• Proven ability to resolve guest issues and support team conflict resolution
• Experience maintaining compliance with food safety, health department, and brand standards
• Track record of developing team members into new roles or certifications
• Education / Certifications: High school diploma or equivalent; Serv Safe Manager (or market equivalent), Allergen Certification and alcohol service certifications where required.

Physical Requirements

• Able to independently lift up to 50lbs for an extended period of time
• Must be able to walk and/or stand for 8-10 hours per day
• Hand-eye coordination
• Reaching, bending twisting, stooping
• Pushing and Pulling
• Must be able to climb stairs in restaurants that have multiple levels

Nandos North America provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

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Employer Privacy Policy

This Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or on any other basis prohibited by law. Information on race, gender and national origin will only be used for statistical and recordkeeping purposes, and will not be used in making any employment decisions. All information provided will be kept separate from your expression of interest. Providing this information is strictly voluntary, and you will not be subjected to any adverse action or treatment if you choose not to provide this information. If you do not choose to answer these questions, we ask that you select "Decline to Identify" for each question. Thank you for your voluntary cooperation.

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