Restaurant Manager - Shift Leader to First Assistant

Workstream; Fort Wayne (IN); On-site; USD 24,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meal discounts

Health insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid leadership training

Daily Pay available

Scholarship opportunities

Job summary

Culver’s in Fort Wayne, IN is hiring for a Restaurant Leadership Team. Positions include Shift Leader, Assistant Manager, and First Assistant. Starting role and pay depend on experience, leadership ability, availability, and readiness for responsibility.

We offer growth opportunities, paid leadership and operational training, and a commitment to developing people. Join a family-owned restaurant that values service and teamwork.

Qualifications

• Restaurant leadership experience preferred.
• Ability to lead teams, coach in the moment, and communicate expectations clearly.
• Strong focus on guest service and maintaining standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead shifts with confidence, positivity, and urgency.
• Coach team members and develop future leaders.
• Create exceptional guest experiences through hospitality.
• Maintain high standards for food quality, accuracy, cleanliness, and food safety.
• Jump into any position to support the restaurant or team.
• Resolve guest and operational concerns professionally.
• Manage labor, breaks, deployment, inventory, and shift execution.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Guest service

Communication

Problem solving

Labor management

Job description

RESTAURANT LEADERSHIP TEAM

• Shift Leader
• Assistant Manager
• First Assistant

$17.50–$21.00 per hour

Full-Time | Approximately 40–45 Hours Per Week

WE DON’T JUST RUN SHIFTS. WE BUILD PEOPLE.

At our family-owned Culver’s restaurant, we believe we are in the people business—we just happen to serve great food.

Every guest who walks through our doors has already made a choice. Our responsibility is to give them a reason to come back. That begins with leaders who set the tone, serve their team, protect our standards, and help others succeed.

We are hiring leaders at several levels, including Shift Leader, Assistant Manager, and First Assistant. Your starting role and compensation will be based on your experience, leadership ability, availability, and readiness for responsibility.

Restaurant management experience is valuable.

The ability and desire to lead people is even more important.

WHAT LEADERSHIP MEANS HERE

We are not looking for someone to simply supervise a shift.

Our leaders work alongside their teams, coach in the moment, solve problems calmly, communicate expectations clearly, and step in wherever they are needed.

The best leaders do not ask:

“How can my team make my job easier?”

They ask:

“What does my team need from me to succeed today?”

WHAT YOU’LL DO

As a member of our Restaurant Leadership Team, you will help shape the culture, set the pace, and uphold the brand standards that define our restaurant.

Depending on your experience and position, you may:

• Lead shifts with confidence, positivity, and urgency.
• Coach team members and help develop future leaders.
• Create exceptional guest experiences through genuine hospitality.
• Maintain high standards for food quality, accuracy, cleanliness, and food safety.
• Jump into any position when the restaurant or team needs support.
• Resolve guest and operational concerns calmly and professionally.
• Help manage labor, breaks, deployment, inventory, and shift execution.
• Hold yourself and others accountable while building a culture that team members are proud to be part of and guests are proud to return to.
• Communicate effectively with fellow leaders and restaurant ownership.
• Leave each shift and each person better than you found them.

YOU’LL PROBABLY THRIVE HERE IF YOU:

• Lead by example rather than relying on a title.
• Enjoy helping others improve and understand that every leader is a coach first.
• Remain calm and focused when the restaurant gets busy.
• Recognize urgency and help others move with purpose.
• Take ownership and run each shift as if your name were on the building.
• Uphold Culver’s standards while helping the people around you improve each day.
• Communicate directly, clearly, and professionally.
• Accept coaching and believe strong leaders never stop learning.
• Notice what the restaurant and team need without waiting to be told.
• Understand that accountability and support belong together.

We are not looking for managers who want authority.

We are looking for leaders who accept responsibility.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US

We will provide training, coaching, feedback, and hands-on development to help you strengthen both your leadership and operational abilities.

We will challenge you, support you, and give you opportunities to grow.

We do not expect perfection.

We expect effort, ownership, and a willingness to improve.

If you are willing to invest in your team, we will invest in you.

LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

This posting may be used to fill several leadership levels based on experience, ability, and readiness for responsibility:

• Shift Leader — An emerging leader who can help direct shifts, support team members, and maintain standards.
• Assistant Manager — A developing restaurant manager who can lead shifts independently, coach team members, and help manage daily operations.
• First Assistant — An experienced leader who can develop other managers, protect operational standards, and take meaningful ownership of restaurant performance.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Benefits may vary based on position, hours worked, and eligibility.

• $17.50–$21.00 per hour, based on experience, leadership ability, and position.
• Full-time schedule with the potential for approximately 40–45 hours per week.
• Performance-based wage growth and advancement opportunities.
• Paid leadership and operational training.
• Ongoing coaching and development.
• Daily Pay available.
• Meal discounts.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance for eligible team members.
• 401(k) with company match for eligible team members.
• Scholarship opportunities.
• Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas off.
• The opportunity to work directly with owners and senior leaders who are committed to developing people.

SCHEDULE AND AVAILABILITY

Restaurant leadership requires dependable, flexible availability.

Candidates should be prepared to work a combination of day shifts, evening shifts, weekends, and opening or closing shifts based on restaurant needs.

Specific scheduling expectations can be discussed during the interview process.

READY TO LEAD?

Our goal is not simply to run great shifts.

It is to build great people, provide exceptional guest service, and create a restaurant our community chooses again and again.

You may be an experienced Assistant Manager ready for more responsibility.

You may be a Shift Leader looking for the right place to grow.

You may be a high-potential leader ready for your first management opportunity.

What matters most is that you care about people, take ownership, hold yourself accountable, move with urgency, and remain committed to improving.

Bring humility.

Bring effort.

Bring responsibility.

We’ll help you grow.

Whether we’re cooking the perfect ButterBurger® to order or scooping up our freshest batch of the Flavor of the Day, we work hard to ensure you will always leave happy.
It all goes back to our small-town Wisconsin roots. We know you have a lot to do and many options to choose from, so we appreciate when you take the time to visit Culver’s. If we can do our part to make your day better – with a wholesome, delicious meal or a heartfelt smile, we’ve done our job.