Restaurant Operations Leader

Cucina Enoteca; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

Wet Willie's in Irvine, CA is seeking an Assistant Manager to lead daily operations and guest experience. You will supervise FOH, BOH, and admin duties, manage staff training, scheduling, and performance.

You’ll collaborate with culinary and service teams to ensure consistent quality, efficiency, and safety standards in a fast-paced environment. The role emphasizes leadership, budget awareness, and delivering exceptional hospitality in a dynamic, team-oriented setting.

Qualifications

• Has management experience in premium dining or full-service restaurant operations.
• Strong leadership & team management with a hands-on approach.
• High standard for guest service, food quality, and safety.
• Experience with budgeting, scheduling, and staff development.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the full operation of the restaurant (FOH, BOH, admin).
• Supervise and train staff, conduct performance reviews and coaching.
• Ensure superior service and guest satisfaction in every interaction.
• Maintain food safety standards and sanitation practices across the unit.

Skills

Management experience

Leadership

Food & wine knowledge

Customer service

Safety & sanitation

POS systems

Cost control

Team training

English communication

Job description

Job 123123 - Assistant Manager, Restaurant
Irvine, CA

• To successfully craft the perfect dining ‘trifetca’: exceptional food and superior service in an imaginatively designed environment. The Manager is responsible for the entire operation of the restaurant (FOH, BOH, and Administration), including all aspects of the guest experience; personnel management and training; food preparation and quality control; systems controls, marketing and promotion; and unit level financial performance. Supervise and train employees, confer with culinary staff regarding food issues and assist in execution of special menus and requests for groups. Direct all team members to ensure they can provide proper sequence of service and exceptional guest experience. AsManager the employee acknowledges that they are responsible for managing their time making sure that they spend a minimum of 50% of their day fulfilling managerial and administrative duties. The Manager works to ensure that all employees (fellow managers, chefs, shift leads, and crew members) are performing their job responsibilities in all their areas of their job descriptions; to effectively produce great work.
• General Manager, Chef De Cuisine, Executive Chef, Owner and specific administration personnel
• Ensure Superior Service
• The Manager is responsible for ensuring that all other managers, chefs, wine director, and staff are providing superior service for each and every guest that enters establishment.
• Provide quality product and guest service experience that exceeds all expectation. Manager models and creates environment to ensure positive guest interaction among all service team members
• Manager anticipates potential problems before they affect guest experience and should handle serious guest service issues.
• Ensures all department leads/trainers hold team members accountable through proper training, motivation, teamwork and most importantly; leadership.
• Maintains all training programs to ensure all trainers improve team member skills, knowledge and morale.
• Evaluates each employee’s performance based on clearly communicated standards and expectations; holds each team member accountable to performance.
• Makes tough decisions regarding all performance related issues; confronts poor performance with written corrective action
• Ensure Exceptional Food
• Supports Chefs to provide quality product through passion for all food
• Commitment to excellence through being honest, transparent, and critical of food presentation and taste.
• Communicate with Chefs, managers, wine director, and all hourly team members, and guests regarding feedback of food quality.
• Ensures everyone is beating expectations by engaging culinary team members daily
• Drives chefs to make tough decisions regarding all performance related issues; confronts poor performance with written corrective action.
• Uphold food safety, food handling, and sanitation requirements, to ensure health and safety of our guests and employees.
• The facility must be strictly adhering to all guidelines concerning personnel hygiene and proper handling of perishable food product in compliance with all standards of the law.
• Ensure all employees are properly instructed and trained concerning food borne illness, cross contamination, and safe holding temperatures.
• All kitchen equipment is to be maintained in safe and good working order.
• Ensure an Imaginative Designed Environment
• Ensures restaurant facility interior/exterior inspires thought
• All team members have uniform that supports an imaginative designed environment.
• Ensures restaurant environment provides comfort of the familiar
• Drives team members to ensure restaurant is detailed, cleaned, organized, and reflective to the design.
• Inspire and educate a team centric environment that maintains the decorative design within the 4 walls.
• All furniture and equipment should be well maintained; appropriate repair requests made for broken/damaged equipment.
• All marketing, promotional, and printed material is fresh, clean, and looks new
• Effective Strategic/Tactical management
• Must manage and direct and perform manager/chef duties for a minimum of 50% of each shift worked.
• Research and write discussion papers, analysis documents summarizing progress on short and long term range plans
• Maximizes financial performance and profit
• Develop and execute the business plan for the restaurant through effective planning, communicating, delegating and follow up.
• Supports company-wide marketing programs to maximize sales.
• Can forecast/project business environment on a daily basis (tactical platform) as well as weekly/monthly basis (strategic platform) through implementation of systems.
• HR management
• Develop an environment and culture facilitating communication among all team members. Open communication, fairness, and honesty are of paramount importance to be clear, concise, and direct.
• Effective hiring, training, and firing of all staff.
• Employ development and training to all departments
• Policy development and documentation
• Engage fellow managers, chefs, trainers to be role models and positive examples for entire team in all aspects of the business.
• Employment and compliance to regulatory concerns and reporting
• Attend daily/weekly/monthly meetings with General Manager, Managers, Wine Director and Chefs.
• Works with managers to create an environment where the entire team has dignity and respect.
• Ensures all practices are within the law and consistent with policies and procedures.
• Safety in the work place. Manager is responsible to ensure all team members work safely through proper training of equipment and tools. Ensure all staff work safely at all times.
• Continually providing feedback and direction to staff regarding their performance through shift meetings, weekly meetings, and all performance reviews.
• Responsible for handling all employee conflicts, grievances and issues including employee suspensions and terminations.
• Maintain complete, current, accurate and secure employee records and files to company policy, state and federal labor laws, and Equal Employment Opportunity guidelines.
• Work and develop progressive retail sales of wine and other retail products.
• Work with management team, retail manager, and wine director to educate, teach, and engage team members to sell retail products effectively.
• Ensure retail areas are 100% stocked and looking organized and inviting.
• Maximize/Manage ToGo Operation
• Work and develop progressive operations to ensure food is prepared and packaged excellently.
• W

Requirements

• Skills Needed
  • Previous management experience in the premium or full dining food and beverage industry (preferably five or more years).
  • The ability to educate, supervise and direct the work of others.
  • Have critical thinking skills and abilities to successfully manage various aspects of restaurant operations with emphasis on maximizing revenues and minimizing expense.
  • Ability to communicate and understand the English language and have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Have an extensive knowledge of food and wine and be familiar with the standard preparation and administration of same.
  • Knowledge of safety and sanitation.
  • Knowledge of labor and inventory management.
  • Possess knowledge of the sequence of fine dining service and dining room procedures.
  • Excellent customer service skills.
  • Have a working knowledge of computer wood processing programs and restaurant POS programs.
  • Understand and possess a strong sense of cost control.
  • Physically able to stand and exert fast-paced mobility for periods of up to eight hours in length, lifting, bending and stooping and to frequently lift and carry plates, trays and other objects weighing 35 pounds or more.