Restaurant Operations Manager

First Watch Restaurants; Bluffton (SC); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

One Shift – No Night Shifts

401(k) Retirement Savings Program

Life Insurance

Health Insurance

PTO

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

First Watch Restaurants is seeking an Operations Manager who thrives in morning-driven service and leads both kitchen operations and the dining experience. The role centers on coaching teams, ensuring high standards, and delivering exceptional breakfast, brunch or lunch experiences.

This position emphasizes hands-on supervision across FOH and BOH, with a passion for serving others and driving period performance while fostering a positive You First culture.

Qualifications

• Certified in food safety.

Responsibilities

• Learn and support our You First culture and core values.
• Supervise daily operations to meet high standards.
• Follow and coach recipes to ensure quality.
• Understand restaurant sales/traffic goals and strive to exceed them.
• Coach and observe the First Watch Five Steps of Service at every table.
• Know and apply the 10 Commitments in action.
• Respond urgently to customer and employee concerns.
• Identify and address repair/maintenance issues.
• Interview candidates to join the team.
• Protect company assets (POS, computers, security systems).
• Understand responsibilities of every position in the restaurant.
• Stop inappropriate behavior and investigate as needed.
• Train, coach, and develop team members daily.
• Acknowledge exceptional performance.
• Handle daily revenues and deposits.
• Complete admin duties and paperwork on time.

Job description

Overview

In addition to no night shifts and our fully chef‑curated menu, our #1 priority has always been our people. We care about our customers, and we care about you! That’s where our YOU FIRST culture begins – each day, we put our employees first and strive to make them happy. They have the independence to make decisions that help provide an exceptional breakfast, brunch, or lunch experience for their customers. We like to say, we love our employees more than bacon. And that says a lot.

Perks & Benefits

• One Shift – No Night Shifts. Ever.
• Opportunity to grow your career with a great company and great people!
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Program
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Program (must be employed for 60 days and must be 21 years of age to participate)
• As a Restaurant Operations Manager, you will be eligible for quarterly bonus payment based on restaurant’s performance.
• Life Insurance
• Short Term Disability
• Long-Term Disability
• Dental
• Vision
• Health Insurance
• Bright Horizon – backup child and elder care
• Spot Insurance
• Supplemental Insurance (accident, critical illness, indemnity)
• Meal Discount
• Complimentary premium access to the Calm App, plus five gift subscriptions
• Unlimited access to medical and behavioral telemedicine through Cirrus MD
• Tuition Reimbursement & High School Diploma Program
• Perks at Work – over 30,000 discounts on purchases for travel, fitness, auto event tickets & more
• Childcare Discount Program
• Paid Time Off (PTO)

About the Position

First Watch Managers love mornings and the smell of bacon, and most importantly, they have an innate passion for serving others. We’re not just talking great customer service or amazing food (customers and food are also high on our list). We hire managers that coach and develop team members who, in turn, fall in love with serving others – and thus the beautiful cycle of restaurant life continues.

We have immense pride in our food, which is why we don’t subscribe to the old BOH versus FOH management structure. At First Watch, each manager is responsible for supervising both kitchen operations and the overall dining experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Learn and support our You First culture and core values
• Puts their supervisory skills to work, making sure daily operations run according to plan and with high standards
• Understands that we source great food for a reason and that our recipes must be followed
• Knows the restaurant sales and traffic goals – and works to exceed them
• Coaches and observes the First Watch Five Steps of Service being implemented at every table
• Understands the background story of our 10 Commitments – and puts them into action
• Responds with a sense of urgency to both customer and employee concerns
• Communicates and takes immediate ownership of repair and maintenance issues
• Is certified in food safety – and identifies and coaches in all areas of safe food handling
• Is continuously scouting for and interviewing candidates to join our team
• Keeps our company assets secure, including computers, point of sale, security systems and equipment
• Understands the key responsibilities of every position in the restaurant
• Puts an immediate stop to any inappropriate behavior, investigates as needed
• Trains, coaches, and develops team members daily
• Recognizes performance that goes above and beyond
• Accounts for all daily revenues and deposits
• Completes our admin duties and gets required paperwork on time

Equal Opportunity

First Watch is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, First Watch will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.