Vice President of Restaurant Operations

Big Onion Hospitality, LLC; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 115,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Medical insurance

Life & ADD

Dental & Voluntary benefits

401k with match

Annual bonus

Growth opportunities

Inclusive work environment

Job summary

Big Onion Hospitality, LLC seeks a strategic Vice President of Restaurant Operations to drive performance across full-service and quick-service brands. You’ll mentor General Managers, set KPIs, and own guest experience, people development and profitability across a growing portfolio.

You will lead expansion efforts, develop new concepts, and partner with HR, Marketing and Event Sales to optimize operations and growth. This role requires hands-on, executive leadership and strong financial acumen.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in restaurant operations with multi-unit leadership at director level or above.
• Experience across full-service and quick-service brands.
• Proven track record of driving sales, guest satisfaction and P&L results.
• Experience opening/new concepts and leading pre-opening planning.
• Strong leadership, accountability and people development skills.
• Financial acumen: budgeting, forecasting and P&L analysis.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; Spanish a plus.
• Advanced knowledge of Restaurant365 and related costing/purchasing systems.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and restaurant-specific software.
• Solid knowledge of food safety, labor laws and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead GMs and restaurant leadership teams; align with culinary and corporate leaders.
• Set goals, KPIs, and accountability across all locations.
• Oversee hiring, training, development and succession planning.
• Own P&L performance, annual plans and forecasts.
• Develop scalable operating procedures and opening playbooks.
• Guide expansion efforts: site eval, concept development, pre-opening staffing.
• Collaborate with Event Sales and Marketing to drive promotions and catering.
• Monitor guest feedback, reviews and operational metrics; take corrective action.
• Ensure compliance with labor laws, food safety and cost controls.

Skills

Leadership

Multi-unit

P&L management

Budgeting

Forecasting

Operations management

Spanish (conversational)

Restaurant365

Microsoft Office

Vendor relations

Tools

Restaurant365

POS systems

Scheduling software

Inventory & costing

Job description

Big Onion Hospitality is a dynamic and expanding restaurant group known for its exceptional dining experiences and commitment to excellence. Our growing portfolio includes both full-service restaurants and a quick-service concept. We are seeking a strategic and results-driven Vice President of Restaurant Operations to lead our operations team and drive growth across our portfolio of restaurants. We value our employees and offer a very competitive benefit package detailed below.

Our Mission:

It’s our Mission to “make each and every guest feel as though they are walking into our own personal home.”

Position Overview:

As the Vice President of Restaurant Operations, you will be the driving force behind the operational strategy and performance of every restaurant in our portfolio, across both full-service and quick-service models. Reporting to ownership and senior management team, you will lead our General Managers and multi-unit leadership, hold the operations team accountable for guest experience, people and financial results, and ensure seamless coordination between operations and all corporate departments. You will also play a key role in the company’s expansion efforts, including new concept development, new restaurant openings and building the infrastructure needed to scale. The ideal candidate will possess a blend of strategic vision, executive leadership, financial acumen and hands-on, multi-unit experience in the hospitality industry.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Team Management:

• Lead, mentor and manage all General Managers and restaurant leadership teams, and partner closely with the Vice President of Culinary.
• Establish clear goals, KPIs and performance metrics for each restaurant and its leadership team and hold the team accountable for results.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable and hospitality-driven culture across all locations.
• Oversee the hiring, training, development and succession planning of restaurant management, building a bench of future leaders to support growth.
• Lead operations meetings, GM meetings, third party meetings and company meetings.
• Develop and implement comprehensive operational strategies that strengthen our standing in the marketplace in regard to guest experience, value, consistency and profitability.
• Tailor standards, service models and systems to the distinct needs of full-service and quick-service formats while protecting a consistent Big Onion guest experience.
• Play a lead role in expansion, including site evaluation input, new concept development, pre-opening planning, opening team staffing and training, and post-opening stabilization.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities, including catering, events and off-premise channels, in partnership with the Event Sales Department.
• Research and stay abreast of industry, guest and operational trends.
• Own the P&L performance of all restaurants, including sales, labor, cost of goods, controllables and profitability.
• Work with ownership, the corporate team and General Managers to develop annual business plans, calendar planning and store budgets.
• Lead accurate forecasting of all operations-related P&L line items, review results regularly and drive actionable plans for achievement.
• Monitor key metrics such as sales trends, labor percentage, food and beverage costs, ticket times and guest satisfaction, and act quickly on variances.
• Oversee all aspects of restaurant operations including service standards, guest experience, hospitality training, labor scheduling and deployment, safety, sanitation & food safety, cash handling and loss prevention, facilities and R&M, equipment, vendor relationships, beverage programs, inventory procedures and cost controls across all brands and locations.
• Conduct regular restaurant visits and operational audits to ensure brand standards are consistently executed.
• Monitor and respond to guest feedback and online reviews, and resolve escalated guest issues.
• Collaborate with the Event Sales Department to deliver high-quality events and catering experiences.
• Work closely with the Marketing Department to develop and execute LTOs, promotions, local store marketing and campaigns that drive traffic and sales.
• Partner with HR to ensure compliance with labor laws, company policies and fair, consistent employee relations practices.

Systems & Processes:

• Build and implement effective systems, standard operating procedures and checklists for restaurant operations.
• Leverage technology (POS, scheduling, inventory and reporting platforms) to reduce costs, enhance quality and improve the employee life cycle.
• Establish and implement short- and long-range departmental goals, objectives, policies and operating procedures.
• Develop scalable processes and opening playbooks that support the company’s continued growth.
• Participate in the development of new company initiatives, procedures and project proposals.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10 years of restaurant operations experience, with at least 5 years of multi-unit leadership at the Director of Operations level or above.
• Experience with both full-service and quick-service restaurant models strongly preferred.
• Proven track record of driving sales growth, guest satisfaction and P&L results across multiple locations.
• New restaurant opening and/or new concept development experience strongly preferred.
• Strong leadership and team management skills with the ability to motivate, develop and hold leaders accountable.
• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting and P&L analysis.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. Conversational Spanish a plus.
• Advanced knowledge of Restaurant 365 (R365), including inventory, recipes and costing, purchasing, scheduling and labor, and P&L and financial reporting.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and ability to learn restaurant-based software platforms for POS.
• General knowledge of state/local regulations in regards to food safety, restaurant labor and operations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to stand/walk/move for 10+ hours.

Requirements:

Full-time, mix of in office and on-site, with regular travel between locations

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary ($115,000 to $150,000) and performance-based incentives.
• Medical insurance with employer contribution.
• Employer paid Basic Life & ADD
• Voluntary dental, life, accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity insurance
• 401k with employer match
• Annual bonus opportunity
• Opportunities for professional growth and development.
• A dynamic and inclusive work environment.

Big Onion Hospitality is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from all qualified individuals.