Bower Surf Club General Manager

Location: Santa Monica, CA 

Restaurant: Bower Surf Club

Company: New School Hospitality 

Bower Santa Monica is a new restaurant opening this August at the Colorado Center, a premier 15-acre office campus in Santa Monica. Bower, spanning 6,500 square feet, brings together California Coastal cuisine with influences from Australian cafe culture as well as Mediterranean and Southeast Asian flavors. From daytime espresso, grain bowls, and smoothies to evening shareable plates, whole-grilled fish, and cocktails. Founded by restaurateur Dave Harper (Bondi Harvest, Amigo Roasters, Likeminded Wellness Club) in partnership with BXP and New School Hospitality, Bower is rooted in a love of surfing, coastal living, and genuine community. With warm, earthy interiors, open-air accordion doors, and an outdoor patio, we're creating a laid-back yet vibrant gathering place for the people who work, live, and play on the Westside.

Position Overview: 

As the General Manager of Bower, you will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the restaurant's operations including directional leadership, staff management, ensuring exceptional customer service, maintaining quality standards, and driving profitability. You will have 1 Direct Report: a Director of Operations, who will assist you in achieving operational excellence. This is a leadership role that requires strong organizational skills, a passion for the culinary industry, and the ability to lead a team and emerging concept to success.

Key Responsibilities Include (but are not limited to):

Leadership and Team Management:

• Provide strong leadership and guidance to the entire restaurant team, fostering a positive work environment and ensuring staff morale and motivation.
• Oversee the hiring, training, scheduling, and performance management of all restaurant staff with quantifiable data and growth plans. 
• Conduct regular staff meetings to communicate goals, provide feedback, and address any issues or concerns.
• Foster a culture of teamwork, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Proven experience leading a junior management team and hourly staff
• Proven experience with employee management, and HR escalation.

Operations Management:

• Ensure smooth day-to-day operations of the restaurant, including opening and closing procedures, inventory management, and cash handling.
• Monitor and maintain quality standards for food preparation, safety and sanitation, presentation, and service, consistently exceeding customer expectations.
• Implement and enforce health and safety regulations to create a safe and clean environment for both customers and staff.
• Regularly review and update standard operating procedures to optimize efficiency and minimize waste in both product and labor costs.

Guest Experience:

• Lead by example in delivering exceptional customer service, setting the standard for the restaurant team.
• Respond promptly and professionally to Guest feedback, resolving any issues or complaints to ensure Guest satisfaction.
• Continuously seek opportunities to improve the overall Guest experience, striving to exceed guest expectations.
• Has a general awareness of others needs and is able to predict them effectively.
• Showcase personable and engaging qualities as a conversationalist and understands the fundamentals of sales within a dining establishment.
• Regularly demonstrate patience with the ability to keep calm in the face of distress.
• Look closely at their work and their team contributions to identify and correct errors and improve weaknesses with a commitment to detail.
• Operate with appropriate speed and efficiency without sacrificing elements of quality.
• Relies on the ability to multitask and prioritize a variety of tasks and responsibilities.

Financial Management:

• Develop and manage the restaurant's annual budget, ensuring cost-effective operations and maximizing profitability.
• Monitor and analyze financial performance indicators, such as sales trends, food and labor costs, and profitability, taking proactive measures to address any deviations from targets.
• Implement effective cost-control measures without compromising quality or service.
• Own the restaurant's P&L by managing budgeting, labor, inventory, and cost control initiatives while monitoring and analyzing all financial performance indicators including sales trends, revenue mix, COGS, labor costs, operating expenses, and net profitability to achieve revenue and profitability goals.
• Optimize labor scheduling to balance service excellence with budgetary efficiency.
• Address any deviations from financial targets and implement cost-control measures. 
• Prepare regular financial reports and performance summaries to ownership.
• Execute strategies for increasing revenue through covers, average check growth, private dining, events, and wine sales.
• Understand how the General Manager role influences the company's longevity, reputation, and guest experience.
• Demonstrate strong data literacy and business judgment in decision-making.

Adherence to Policies and Regulations: 

• Ensure compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, and company policies.

Relationship Management:

• Strategically maintain an ongoing level of engagement with others to develop positive social experiences and strong partnerships.
• Utilize emotional intelligence to best serve the needs of their organization, the individuals with whom they regularly interact, and themselves.
• Communicate effectively with team members while leading and modeling conflict resolution techniques.
• Effectively communicate and exchange information with a variety of diverse individuals to support collaboration and growth.

Training and Development:

• Understands effective learning models and techniques to inform training curriculum and developmental strategies.
• Invested in the development and growth of others with the ability to view long term company objectives.
• Understands the value of positive and constructive feedback rooted in data when they perform employee evaluations.
• Support the opening through recruitment, onboarding, systems development, and vendor partnerships

Business Acumen:

• Demonstrate an interest and intrigue in business operations and objectives, with the willingness to understand and learn metrics relevant to the organization and the industry.
• Demonstrate an understanding of food safety/health inspector knowledge
• Demonstrate an understanding of how their role of Chef influences the company’s longevity

Growth Mindset

• Works towards improving and developing professional abilities through dedication and hard work
• View setbacks and challenges as learning opportunities and a chance to enhance their performance
• Show resilience and flexibility through a variety of changes and transitions

Qualifications and Skills:

• Previous experience of minimum 2-3 years in a similar role in the restaurant industry.
• Proven leadership and team management skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire a diverse workforce.
• Strong organizational and multitasking abilities, with exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport with both staff and customers.
• Sound financial acumen and the ability to analyze and interpret financial data.
• Passion for the food industry and a commitment to delivering outstanding food and service.
• Knowledge of health and safety regulations and best practices.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required.
• Experience with all day cafes and at least 1-2 openings. 
• Strong experience and focus on events/catering and corporate partnerships.

Compensation and Benefits 

• 110-120k plus bonus program 
• PTO + Benefits (Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance stipend) 
• Professional development support

Perks

• The opportunity to work hand in hand with a best-in-class F&B management company
• A collaborative, mission-driven team environment
• Direct access to thought leaders in culinary, hospitality, and design
• An entrepreneurial culture that celebrates creativity, autonomy, and grit
• Dining discounts available at managed location

Teaching and teamwork are the core of what we do on all levels. We look forward to meeting you.

Bower Businesses 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.