General manager, multi-unit restaurant operations

The General Manager holds full profit and loss ownership for three restaurant locations. The role runs the full operation: revenue and cost performance, staffing and development, purchasing and supplier relationships, guest experience, and compliance with Costa Rican health, labor, and licensing requirements. Site managers report to the General Manager, and the General Manager reports directly to the owner.

Setting: rotating across three locations in Puntarenas Highlands
Working Hours: Full time, 6 Days a week including evenings, weekends, and holidays as the business requires


Key Responsibilities

Financial Ownership
• Own the consolidated P&L across all three locations, and the P&L of each site individually
• Build and manage annual budgets and monthly forecasts for revenue, food cost, beverage cost, and labor
• Hold food cost, beverage cost, and labor percentages within agreed targets, and act on variances within the same period they appear
• Set and review menu pricing with the owner based on plate costing, competitive position, and margin targets
• Review daily and weekly sales reporting, and use the sales numbers to make clear operational decisions

Purchasing and Supply (Procurement)
• Oversee supplier relationships, purchasing negotiations, and consolidating orders across the three sites to secure better rates
• Accountable for inventory control, ordering cycles, par levels, and waste tracking
• Accountable for periodic inventory counts and reconciliation of variances against theoretical usage

Staffing and labor costs
• Recruit, onboard, and develop restaurant managers, kitchen leads, and floor staff
• Build schedules that protect service quality while holding labor cost to target
• Set performance expectations for each site lead, run regular one on ones, and address underperformance directly
• Reduce turnover through training, clear progression paths, and consistent management practice
• Ensure employment practices comply with the Codigo de Trabajo, CCSS registration and reporting, INS coverage, and correct handling of aguinaldo and vacation accrual

Operations and Standards
• Set and enforce consistent service, food quality, and presentation standards across all three restaurants
• Run regular site walkthroughs and audits covering kitchen, front of house, cleanliness, and equipment
• Maintain Ministerio de Salud sanitary permits, municipal patentes, liquor licensing under Ley 9047, and fire and safety compliance
• Manage maintenance, equipment servicing, and capital repair decisions
• Own POS configuration, cash handling controls, and loss prevention procedures
Guest Experience and Growth
• Monitor guest feedback across Google, TripAdvisor, and social channels, and follow up on and resolve recurring complaints
• Work with the owner on menu development, seasonal offers, events, and local marketing
• Grow covers and average check through service standards, upselling, and operational consistency
• Represent the business with landlords, municipal authorities, and community partners

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Minimum 3+ years in restaurant management, including running more than one location, with P&L responsibility for a team of at least 30 people.
• Bachelor's degree in relevant fields.
• Demonstrated P&L ownership including KPI management with specific examples of food cost, labor cost, and margin improvement
• Proven experience leading organizational and cultural change, including implementing systems and SOPs
• Working knowledge of Costa Rican labor law, CCSS obligations, and Ministerio de Salud requirements for food service
• Proficiency with Excel, restaurant POS systems, reporting systems, inventory management systems and HR systems.
• Proficiency using AI tools
• Fluent Spanish and strong English, spoken and written
• Driver's license

Advantages
• Background in both kitchen and front of house
• Experience serving a mixed local and tourist customer base
• Culinary training or a hospitality management qualification
• Experience leading board meetings

Director

Bachillerato universitario

Educación Primaria

5 años de experiencia

1 Vacante