Vice President Restaurant Operations

Job Description

Vice President Restaurant Operations

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The Vice President of Restaurant Operations is responsible for driving operational excellence, financial performance, and sustainable growth across an assigned territory. This executive leader provides strategic direction to Division Presidents and their leadership teams, ensuring consistent execution of Steak 'n Shake's brand standards for Quality, Service, and Cleanliness while achieving market and company financial objectives.

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Partnering closely with cross-functional leaders, the Vice President champions new restaurant growth, operational innovation, and talent development to strengthen organizational capability and accelerate business performance. This role fosters a high-performance, accountability-driven culture rooted in Steak 'n Shake's core principles—Exceed Guest Expectations, Entrepreneurial Approach, Economic Objective, Relentless Pursuit of Excellence, and the Golden Rule—creating an environment where exceptional leaders, teams, and restaurants thrive.

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Location: Role will be remote but needs to be in proximity to a major airport and priority given to locations with multiple corporate Steak n Shake locations.

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Department: Restaurant Operations Reports to: COO

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Primary and On-Going Accountabilities

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• Drive sales growth and restaurant profitability by leveraging operational best practices, financial discipline, and continuous improvement initiatives.
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• Deliver sustainable financial performance by achieving revenue, profitability, and operational objectives while supporting the company's long-term growth strategy.
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• Ensure P&L goals are obtained at the individual store level – developing mitigation strategies for stores below goal ensuring Division Presidents are implementing with team.
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• Partner with Operations, Marketing, Construction, Training, and Franchise leadership to ensure seamless execution of growth initiatives and strategic priorities.
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• Establish operational disciplines and performance standards that drive exceptional guest experiences, consistent execution, and brand integrity across all locations.
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• Lead, coach, and develop field leadership teams to maximize engagement, accountability, talent retention, and succession planning.
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• Ensure enterprise-wide compliance with food safety, health, security, and regulatory requirements while mitigating operational risk.
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• Champion franchise success by providing strategic guidance, leadership development, and operational consulting to franchise partner potential GMs.
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• Develop and execute talent acquisition, workforce planning, and leadership development strategies that support organizational growth and restaurant expansion.
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• Provide strategic leadership to ensure compliance with employment laws, HR policies, and company standards while fostering a high-performance culture.
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• Build organizational capability by developing restaurants into certified Training Restaurants, creating scalable leadership pipelines and sustainable operational excellence.
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REQUIREMENTS: Typical minimum requirements for the job

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• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
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• 10+ years of progressive multi-unit restaurant operations leadership, including senior leadership experience supporting large-scale growth initiatives.
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• Demonstrated success leading new restaurant openings, operational excellence, and organizational growth across multiple markets.
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• Proven ability to recruit, develop, and retain high-performing leaders while building strong succession pipelines.
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• Strong financial acumen with experience managing P&L performance, budgeting, labor, and operational metrics.
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• Comprehensive knowledge of employment practices, food safety regulations, and applicable federal, state, and local compliance requirements.
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• Exceptional strategic planning, organizational, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.
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• Ability to influence stakeholders, drive change, and lead through periods of rapid growth and transformation.
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• Willingness to travel extensively and work a flexible schedule to support restaurant operations, new market expansion, and business priorities.
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• Demonstrates Steak 'n Shake's core values through a relentless commitment to operational excellence, guest satisfaction, accountability, and results.
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Note: This is not an exhaustive list of roles, activities, requirements, efforts, or working conditions associated with the position. This description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position. Steak n Shake reserves the right to revise the position or to require that other or different activities be performed when circumstances change (i.e., emergencies, changes in personnel or workload, rush jobs, or technological developments).