General Manager

THE OPPORTUNITY

A Taste of Britain is on a mission to surprise and delight enough people every day to become America’s Favorite Tea Room. Every guest who walks through our door, whether they come for Afternoon Tea in the dining room or to browse our shop, should leave feeling they experienced something special.

We are looking for an exceptional General Manager to own that experience across both sides of our business: the dining room, which brings in about two-thirds of our revenue, and our retail shop, which brings in the other third. This is first and foremost a hospitality role. You will lead the dining room directly and spend most of your time on the floor leading service, and you will oversee the retail shop through our Retail Manager, who runs the shop day to day.

As General Manager, you also own the results of the whole business, front and back of house. You lead the management team, including your two direct reports: the Head Chef, with direct oversight of the kitchen, and the Retail Manager, who runs the shop. You drive sales, control costs, build the plan, and grow the people who will carry A Taste of Britain forward. You lead the shift and you run the business. We are planning to grow into new locations across the region, and our General Manager will play a key part in making it happen.

WHAT YOU’LL OWN

The Dining Room

Welcoming, Greeter & Reservation Management. Own the front door. Staff and train the greeter role, manage reservations and table flow, and make sure every guest is welcomed warmly, from the first call or booking to the moment they are seated.

Guest Experience. Every guest’s experience from arrival to departure: a warm welcome, a visit to every table, smooth service and pacing, and graceful recovery when something goes wrong.

Dining Room Leadership. Lead from the floor. Table readiness, turnover, cleanliness, ticket times, and close coordination with the kitchen, which reports to you through the Head Chef. Nothing in the dining room should surprise you.

Service Systems. Opening and closing routines, shift checklists, reservations, side work, and the Daily Leadership Pulse, run the same way on every shift.

The Retail Shop

Retail Manager Oversight. The Retail Manager runs the shop day to day, including buying, merchandising, stocking, and the retail team, and reports directly to you. Hold weekly one-on-ones, set clear goals, review retail results together, and coach the Retail Manager to grow the shop.

Retail Results. Hold the shop to A Taste of Britain’s standards for guest experience, presentation, inventory accuracy, gross margin, and sales growth. Support buying decisions with sales data and approve major buys with the owners.

Growing Retail Sales. Connect the dining room and the shop so that tea guests become shop customers.

Across Both Teams

Systems & Standards. Own the systems that make great hospitality repeatable: opening and closing routines, shift checklists, service standards, and SOPs for both the dining room and the shop, which the Retail Manager executes in the shop. Protect those standards every shift, whether or not you are on the floor, and keep improving them.

Your People. Recruit, train, coach, and hold accountable the dining room team, and support the Retail Manager in staffing, training, and developing the shop team. Cross-train between the dining room and the shop where it makes sense and develop future leaders.

Scheduling & Labor. Build the dining room schedule from forecasted demand, approve the Retail Manager’s shop schedule and labor, and manage labor cost without sacrificing hospitality.

Continuous Improvement. Find recurring breakdowns, fix root causes, and keep SOPs and training materials current. Always ask, “What system would prevent this from happening again?”

Administration. Manager logs, training records, coaching documentation, and guest feedback tracking.

The Business (General Manager Responsibilities)

Leadership Team. Lead, motivate, and hold accountable the management team and shift leaders, including the Head Chef and the Retail Manager, who report directly to you. Delegate well, play to each leader’s strengths, and make sure leadership coverage is right for every shift in the kitchen, the dining room, and the shop.

Kitchen Oversight. Directly supervise the Head Chef and hold the kitchen to A Taste of Britain’s standards for food quality, consistency, presentation, ticket times, food safety, and cost. Hold weekly one-on-ones with the Head Chef, review kitchen results together, and make sure the kitchen and front of house run as one operation. The Head Chef owns the menu, recipes, and daily kitchen execution; you own the standards, the results, and the accountability.

Talent & Bench Strength. Keep the business fully staffed, fully trained, and fully engaged. Make sure training programs are actually executed, identify and develop shift leaders and trainers for promotion, and run the performance management, recognition, and incentive programs consistently.

Financial Results. Own the P&L for the whole business. Review financial reports regularly and turn them into action plans that grow revenue and control expenses, so we meet or beat budget. Work with the Head Chef to manage food cost and kitchen labor, and work with the Retail Manager on retail margin, inventory, and purchasing. Keep purchasing, inventory, and billing disciplined across food, beverage, retail, equipment, and property.

Labor & Payroll. Fully responsible for labor management, including labor planning, scheduling, and payroll accuracy.

Budget & Business Plan. Build the annual budget and business plan with the owners. Set goals by period, cascade them to each department, and hold the team accountable for hitting them.

Sales Growth. Drive sales across the dining room, retail, carryout, catering, and private parties by executing our marketing plans, spotting local opportunities, and deciding on sales and performance incentives for the team.

Community Presence. Represent A Taste of Britain in Wayne and the Main Line through partnerships with community and business organizations.

Safety & Property. Keep the building safe, secure, and well maintained for guests and team members.

Vision & Culture. Create and communicate a clear vision for the business, champion our culture and values every day, and be the standard the team looks to.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Guests consistently feel welcomed and cared for, and it shows in feedback and online reviews.
• The dining room and the shop feel like one seamless A Taste of Britain experience.
• Service flows smoothly, and the dining room is guest-ready all day.
• Led by a strong Retail Manager, the shop is beautifully merchandised and in stock, retail sales are growing, and inventory is under control.
• All teams across the restaurant know what is expected of them, accountability is normal, and turnover is low.
• Labor is managed wisely across the dining room and the shop.
• The business meets or beats its budget, food and labor costs are under control in the kitchen and front of house, and sales grow period over period.
• The management team, including the Head Chef and the Retail Manager, is strong, accountable, and developing, and there is a bench of future leaders ready to step up.
• Trainers, shift leaders, and key employees are identified and developed, so the business can grow from within.

We measure this through guest feedback and online reviews, service execution, sales versus budget, P&L results including prime cost, retail sales and inventory accuracy, labor cost and productivity, and team retention, training, and internal promotions.

WHO YOU ARE

An outstanding restaurateur. This is the heart of the role. You have a proven track record leading dining room service in a high-standard hospitality setting. You set the standard and the pace for outstanding food service.

A proven operator. You have run a business, not just a shift. You have owned a P&L, built budgets, and delivered financial results, and you can turn numbers into clear action plans.

A leader of leaders. You develop all managers and shift leaders, including the Chef, Pastry Chef, and Retail Manager, delegate with clarity, and build a team that performs at a high level whether or not you are in the building. You understand kitchen operations well enough to hold a chef accountable for quality, consistency, and cost.

Retail-savvy. Retail experience is a plus but not required. You appreciate great merchandising and know how to coach a Retail Manager to grow sales and margin.

A floor leader. Visible, hands-on, and aware of everything happening around you, with the presence to lead a busy service.

A coach. You build people through real-time feedback, clear expectations, and recognition.

Organized and commercially minded. Comfortable with schedules, labor numbers, sales data, and inventory across a restaurant and a shop.

A culture champion and brand ambassador. Warm, generous, and professional with guests, team members, vendors, and the community, with the pace and energy to inspire a team. You bring the best out in those around you.

An owner. You take accountability for outcomes, not excuses.

OUR VALUES

Integrity: Do the right thing, even when no one is watching.

Excellence: Refuse to tolerate mediocrity and continually raise standards.

Hospitality: Create moments that make guests and teammates feel valued.

Accountability: Own outcomes, not excuses.

Joy: Bring positive energy and pride to the workplace every day.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Stand and walk for extended periods; lift and carry up to 40 pounds; frequent bending, reaching, and movement in a fast-paced hospitality environment.