Restaurant Manager with Bartender Experience

Job Description

Job Description

General Manager – Coconuts Caribbean Restaurant

Location: Downtown Palo Alto, CA

Compensation: $80,000–$100,000 + Lucrative Quarterly Performance Bonus Opportunity & Clear Pathway to Group Leadership

About Coconuts

Coconuts Caribbean Restaurant is a vibrant, full-service culinary destination in Downtown Palo Alto, renowned for authentic Caribbean flavors, warm hospitality, and a dynamic bar program.

We are entering an important period of growth with Coconuts 2.0—our vision for the next generation of Coconuts and the continued growth of our restaurant group. We are looking for a General Manager who wants to be a key driver of that expansion.

This is not simply a position for someone looking to run shifts and maintain the restaurant. We are looking for a true restaurant operator with vision, strong leadership skills, financial discipline, and an entrepreneurial mindset who can lead Coconuts today while helping us build what comes next.

The Opportunity

The General Manager will hold full P&L responsibility, driving operations, hospitality, team development, financial performance, bar execution, and brand standards. Crucially, you will play a hands-on role in architecting the systems, standards, and talent pipeline required to scale Coconuts 2.0 into multi-unit operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Operations & Guest Experience: Maintain total FOH/BOH alignment, safeguard food/beverage quality, and ensure consistent, high-energy Caribbean hospitality across all shifts.
  
• People, Leadership & Culture: Recruit, coach, and retain top talent. Build clear accountability structures, conduct regular performance reviews, and establish career growth pathways to prepare emerging leaders for group-level expansion.
  
• Financial & Business Management: Drive P&L performance. Optimize labor scheduling, monitor food and beverage waste/costs, and collaborate with ownership on forecasting, budgeting, and data-driven operational strategies.
  
• Sales, Beverage & Events: Identify new revenue drivers by optimizing average guest checks, strengthening the bar/cocktail program, and scaling catering, private dining, and community partnerships.
  
• Coconuts 2.0 Systems Architecture: Standardize operational SOPs, technology platforms (POS, inventory, scheduling), and training frameworks to prepare the business for multi-unit growth.
  

Qualifications

• 5+ years of restaurant management experience preferred (GM, AGM, or Owner/Operator strongly preferred).
  

Experience managing a high-volume, full-service restaurant.

• Strong understanding of both FOH and BOH operations, including proven P&L management, labor optimization, and cost controls.
  
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, train, and develop high-performing teams.
  
• Strong background or familiarity with bar and beverage programs, as well as catering and special events execution.
  
• Solid understanding of California labor compliance, health safety, and modern restaurant tech/POS platforms.
  
• Entrepreneurial mindset with an ambition to grow beyond daily shift management.
  

Compensation & Benefits

• Base Salary: $80,000–$100,000 (commensurate with experience)
  
• Quarterly Performance Bonus tied directly to key financial and operational metrics
  
• Health, Vision, and Dental Insurance
  
• Paid Time Off (PTO) & Professional Development
  
• Accelerated career growth and expanded leadership scope as Coconuts 2.0 and the restaurant group expand
  

We are a fast paced restaurant serving Jamaican style of food. We thrive in our mission: "Back A Yard's mission is to enrich the lives of our guests, our employees, and owners. We do this through superior quality food and beverages, legendary customer service, sales growth, cost controls, and treating our employees like family. We believe that our employees are our most important resource and our success depends upon creating and training a staff capable of delivering an exceptional dining experience to every customer, every time".

Company Description

We are a fast paced restaurant serving Jamaican style of food. We thrive in our mission: "Back A Yard's mission is to enrich the lives of our guests, our employees, and owners. We do this through superior quality food and beverages, legendary customer service, sales growth, cost controls, and treating our employees like family. We believe that our employees are our most important resource and our success depends upon creating and training a staff capable of delivering an exceptional dining experience to every customer, every time".