General Manager

General Manager
Role Overview:

The General Manager is responsible for the overall performance, culture, and operational excellence of the store. This role leads the front-of-house, kitchen, and service teams to deliver a consistently high-quality guest experience across custom sundaes, signature menu items, and seated plated dessert service.

 The General Manager will act as the day-to-day leader of the business, ensuring product quality, food safety compliance, team development, financial recording, and brand standards are upheld at all times.

This role requires a hands-on hospitality leader with strong people management skills, a high attention to detail, and experience operating in a fast-paced, premium food environment.

About Softville
Softville is New York’s newest dessert destination where chef-driven desserts, contemporary art and community come together to create memorable experiences for our guests.
Creativity, hospitality, human connection and joy is at the heart of everything we do.

Softville is a collaboration between Gelato Messina and Studio Jeremyville.

Gelato Messina brings world-class product, craftsmanship, innovation and an uncompromising commitment to quality shaped by years of experience.
Messina has become one of Australia’s most celebrated gelato and dessert brands, with locations across Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Softville marks the team’s first venture into New York City.

Studio Jeremyville brings the creative vision, transforming the space through art, design and storytelling to create an immersive destination unlike anywhere else in the city.

As part of our founding team, you’ll help bring the Softville world to life, creating a genuine connection for every guest through hospitality, community and care.

Key Responsibilities:

Team Leadership

• Recruit, train, and lead a high‑performing front‑of‑house team
• Set and uphold standards for service, speed, cleanliness, and presentation
• Build a positive, accountable team culture
• Manage scheduling, labor targets, and ongoing staff development

Guest Experience

• Ensure every guest receives warm, consistent, high‑quality service
• Maintain excellent soft‑serve texture, sundae presentation, and portioning
• Handle guest feedback professionally and support the team during peak hours

Quality & Food Safety

• Maintain product freshness, presentation, and stock levels
• Enforce food safety, sanitation, and temperature‑control procedures
• Keep accurate records and ensure compliance with NYC Health Department regulations

Operations Management

• Oversee daily opening/closing procedures and operational checklists
• Ensure equipment is properly used, cleaned, and serviced
• Manage ordering, inventory, and waste reduction
• Implement and uphold all SOPs and systems

Financial Performance

• Monitor sales, labor, COGS, and waste to meet store‑level targets
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability
• Support new menu launches and seasonal offerings

Brand Standards

• Maintain a clean, visually polished store aligned with brand aesthetics
• Ensure staff grooming and uniforms meet brand expectations
• Act as a brand ambassador within the community

Skills & Experience:

• 2+ years experience in a General Manager role within hospitality, dessert, café, or premium QSR environments
• Strong leadership and people-management skills
• Experience with food safety compliance and audits (NYC preferred)
• High attention to detail and presentation
• Confident managing both counter service and table service operations
• Financial literacy with labor and cost control
• Calm, solution-focused approach under pressure
• Certification for food handling (NYC)

Personal Attributes:

• Hands-on and proactive
• Passionate about guest experience, design, art and food
• Organised, reliable, and accountable
• Strong communicator and team motivator
• Comfortable working weekends, evenings, and holidays as required
• Willing to work overtime (paid) during the opening and busy periods.
• Ability to physically perform food service work which may include standing, sitting, bending, lifting, twisting and cleaning for long periods of time

Benefits:

• Stipend towards medical, dental and vision insurance
• Paid time off
• Paid compassionate/bereavement leave
• Paid Sick leave and parental leave
• Retirement savings plan
• Performance bonus
• Free family meal and meals during shifts
• Dining discount program

Softville provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.