Director of Restaurant Operations - RDG

Position Overview

RDG introduced its first restaurant-concept brand, MILA, in January 2020 in Miami Beach, offering guests an exquisite culinary journey through MediterrAsian cuisine. At RDG, our focus is on genuine hospitality, fine dining, and a sophisticated nightlife atmosphere, making MILA a premier destination in Miami’s upscale social scene. We are now looking for an experienced Director, Restaurant Operations to organize and oversee the daily operations of one of our restaurants. This hands-on role reports directly to the CEO and requires a leader who is skilled in streamlining processes, coaching teams, and ensuring top-notch guest satisfaction while driving long-term operational success.

Key Responsibilities

• Must be a self-starter with strong analytical abilities and the capacity for self-criticism.
• Demonstrate a high level of communication skills.
• Oversee multiple outlets within one venue or across several venues.
• Develop a set of management and accountability principles.
• Create budgets in collaboration with the finance department and develop strategies to manage them.
• Develop overall strategies and vision for operations.
• Communicate the company’s vision and mission effectively.
• Create a positive and respectful work environment.
• Develop operational systems and processes.
• Focus relentlessly on the customer experience.
• Lead a team consisting of General Manager, Assistant General Manager, Floor Managers, etc.
• Be close to your KPIs: measuring financial performance, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, product satisfaction, and other key indicators.
• Maintain an extremely organized, professional, and efficient work ethic.
• Operate with business transparency, ensuring alignment with core values and the company culture.
• Employ a bottom-up management approach by encouraging creativity, proactivity, autonomy, and thereby fostering higher employee engagement and accountability.
• Recognize that those “in the field” can offer insights that may be overlooked by higher management.
• Transparency & collaboration with a hands-on HR Team is a MUST! Ensure HR has visibility into your property to guide best practices and mitigate potential legal claims.
• Foster a creative culture where diverse perspectives lead to innovative processes, products, and revenue opportunities.
• Be product-driven by ensuring daily tasting and product evaluations, with any inconsistencies promptly disclosed.
• Exhibit a passion for providing top-notch hospitality by achieving or exceeding a 4.6-star guest satisfaction rating (covering food, service, and ambiance).
• Demonstrate integrity by consistently making the right decisions for the restaurant, staff, and guests.
• Show confidence in industry knowledge by staying updated with trends through an annual restaurant/hospitality experience expenses budget.
• Utilize strong problem-solving and relationship-building skills.
• Strategize effectively based on customer demographics.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Train and coach teams successfully, including the formulation of training calendars and training-the-trainer programs.
• Drive VIP and member-based operations by ensuring premium treatment, expedited services, and personalized relationship management.
• Identify operational issues and develop actionable solutions.
• Oversee day-to-day operations while progressing toward long-term business goals.
• Emphasize hiring, training, and staffing based on payroll analysis and company standards to maintain high guest satisfaction.
• Monitor profits and losses, ensuring operations remain within budgetary parameters.
• Maintain daily communication with various teams including accounting, operations, HR, and executive management.
• Interview, hire, train, and manage new supervisors and managers; actively source talent via LinkedIn and industry networks.
• Develop team members by providing clear growth paths within the company.
• Uphold company culture and staff morale.
• Streamline operations as much as possible.
• Ensure adherence to operational standards including grooming, policies, and procedures.
• Identify key revenue drivers and opportunities for improvement.
• Make informed decisions from both guest and financial perspectives.
• Leverage support from the support center and department heads as needed.
• Pay close attention to details – “the devil is in the details” – to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.
• Define and share clear strategic objectives with the organization to establish a value-based culture.
• Highlight value drivers for meeting financial and operational goals and assign accountability for each target.
• Delineate roles and responsibilities to ensure collective success.
• Promote organizational improvement by transitioning from good (clear organizational charts) to better (comprehensive job descriptions) to best (corporate strategy cascaded into individual objectives).
• Assess the current state of the business to prioritize resource investments to fill any gaps in people, process, or technology.
• Measure progress, reward success, and align employee objectives with the company’s overall strategy to cultivate a win-win culture.

Required Qualifications

• A minimum of 10 years of experience as a Senior GM or DOO in a fine dining/luxury, high volume, recognized dining, and cocktail bar/lounge venue setting.
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, hospitality, or a related field (or equivalent education/experience) is required.
• Demonstrated experience managing a multi-use venue (multiple restaurants in one location).
• Must be detail oriented with effective communication and written skills.
• State compliant food handling certificate & TIPS certification required.
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
• Must be a team player who is self-motivated and performance driven.
• Punctuality along with regular and reliable attendance.
• Proven effective communication, both written and interpersonal.
• Strong time management skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of company information.
• Flexibility to work weekends, holidays, and varied shifts (including mornings and evenings).
• Willingness to travel among RDG properties and accept new assignments when necessary.