General Manager

Company Overview

JINYA founder Tomo Takahashi wants a world where eating ramen is an everyday ritual, like ordering pizza or going out for a great burger. In 2010, he opened our first JINYA Ramen Bar in Studio City, CA, where guests experience ramen as it was meant to be – with thick, rich broth in perfect balance with handmade noodles. JINYA is ramen culture, where the relationship between the broth and noodles is serious but delicious business. From the water we use to prepare our broths – we only just Fuji, which is 99.9% free from impurities – to the special aging process that our noodles undergo before they are cooked and served, we’re crazy about ramen and pay meticulous attention to everything that goes into your bowl. You’ll quickly see why we say, “No Ramen, No Life.”JINYA has four restaurant concepts. Our first and home‑based concept is JINYA Ramen Bar, serving exciting and very authentic Ramen and small plates recipe. The goal is to translate ramen into our daily community and expand this concept throughout the United States and all over the world. Robata JINYA is our second concept, a take on traditional Japanese grill, offering a unique and fun dining experience in a relaxed and casual atmosphere. JINYA Ramen Express is our “fast‑casual” Japanese Ramen Bar concept, where our guests customize and build their own ramen, incorporating a fun experience. And our fourth concept, bushi, meaning samurai warrior, serves limited ramen and small plates menu with authentic hand‑made sushi rolls.Combining both corporate and franchisees, JINYA currently has 50+ restaurants nationwide, with growth projections of over 100 locations by 2025.

Job Summary

The General Manager serves as a Customer Service Ambassador by ensuring the food and service always exceeds our standards of excellence. The GM coaches and guides the FOH crew, maximizes productivity, maintains cleanliness, organization and food quality, and provides accurate, speedy service. The GM ensures all operational duties are completed timely, acts as a liaison to ownership and corporate management, and demonstrates full leadership skills while setting an example for all other employees.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serves customers in a professional manner as per training guidelines. Running food and managing the entire guest experience from start to finish.
• Uses suggestive selling techniques to offer food specials, menu items, daily desserts and other promotions.
• Applies knowledge of full menu and other restaurant information such as hours, table numbers and payment options.
• Responsible for full daily communication of operation including text, email and phone call.
• Cross‑training of qualified team members to expand the operational efficiency of all shifts.
• Assign daily work stations, ensure opening and closing duties have been completed properly.
• Manage breaks and employee scheduling.
• Ensure cleanliness and provide oversight to the cleaning program.
• Manage the day‑to‑day operation; identify and resolve problems effectively.
• Manage cash handling procedures with precision, including turning in all cash/credit transaction receipts at end of each shift and proper reconciliation of nightly cash drops. No room for error policy regarding all cash handling transactions.
• Oversee FOH employee tips with full accountability.
• Ensure consistent and accurate reporting of all daily server reports, end‑of‑night reporting, timeclock review/edits.
• Manage store opening and closing procedures as responsible key holder.
• Organizational skills with sense of urgency and a positive attitude.
• Communicating with Maintenance Department of basic repairs and upkeep of the facility and/or safety concerns. Report violations immediately to management.
• Effectively lead others, including work relationships, with emphasis on an exceptional work environment for all employees.
• Delegate daily tasks to ensure accountability of tasks assigned with great follow‑up. Re‑stocks items in dining room and bar as needed and alerts kitchen staff and manager of stock shortages.
• Thorough knowledge of service steps, menu items, allergy charts and food preparation procedures.
• Develop a mutual respect among team members.
• Ongoing development and coaching of subordinates.
• Ensure proper training of all team members as they are hired and make suggestions to management when necessary.
• Quarterly store assessment with score related to cleanliness, food quality and presentation.
• Conducts annual employee evaluations.
• Execution of all food safety laws and have a valid certified food handler certificate.
• Embracing the JINYA Culture and participating in collective greetings of “lrasshai” “Arigato” and “Ai‑yo!”.
• Must have full knowledge of all FOH positions and understanding of BOH operations to fill in and assist when needed.
• All other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in restaurant and/or hospitality. Preferred high‑volume and Fast Casual Restaurant experience. Supervisory or Management experience required.
• Outstanding and professional verbal and written skills; strong ability to multi‑task.
• Ability to work side by side with Team Member up to 10‑12 hours per shift.
• Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence and memos, and able write simple correspondence.
• Ability to lead by example, inspire and motivate team spirit and effectively present information in one‑on‑one setting and/or small group situations.
• Ability to work well under pressure.
• Capable of conducting and assessing restaurant inventory.
• Must have knowledge of restaurant systems, including but not limited to ALOHA, CTUIT or other POS systems; knowledge of MS Office Suites; able to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measures, using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals.
• Ability to effectively present information in one‑on‑one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.
• Possesses excellent interpersonal communication skills with qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment to corporate mission. Exceptional organization and leadership skills.
• Must be dependable and reliable.
• Experience working in a multi‑cultural environment.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) is preferred.
• Ability and willingness to work flexible hours, including weekends and holidays.

Required Education

High School Diploma or equivalent highly desired. Two to three years of related experience and/or training in Restaurant Management; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Must be able to write and speak English, preferably Spanish and/or Japanese is a plus. Must have appropriate city, state and federal certifications according to location of restaurant, including alcohol and food handling certificates.

Work Environment

This job operates in a fun yet professional restaurant environment. The role routinely moves inside and outside of the kitchen and operates tools such as pots, pans and other kitchen equipment. Manager will occasionally ascend/descend ladder to reach overhead items. Manager will frequently communicate with staff, guests and other team members; must be able to exchange accurate and factual information in all cases. Manager must be able to detect fires, spills and other safety‑related issues and immediately resolve them. Changing business needs may necessitate a variation in start and end times, as well as in the total hours of scheduled work each day and each week.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by our team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the team member is regularly required to talk and hear. The team member frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. Manager must be able to distinguish between sweet, savory and other food flavors. Manager will work indoor kitchen environment, which might be hot, humid and wet. Be able to reach, bend, and frequently lift/move up to 50 pounds. Be able to work in a standing position for long periods of time.

Travel Requirements

Travel is primarily local during the business day based on home restaurant location, but may be required to various locations for training, meetings and other job‑related functions.