General Manager

General Manager – Job Description (The Dawson, Chicago)

Job Summary

The General Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for The Dawson. You will oversee daily Front of House (FOH) operations while collaborating directly with Back of House (BOH) leadership to maintain elite quality and execution. This role demands an expert hand at navigating a diverse revenue model—including high-volume weekend brunch, corporate buyouts, and heavy patio-season pushes.

Core Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Multi-Level Management : Supervise service flow across the main dining room, upper-level private lounge, and extensive outdoor patio.
• High-Volume Oversight : Maintain flawless hospitality standards during extreme volume shifts, particularly heavy weekend patio dinner/brunch sessions and seasonal events.
• Cross-Department Synergy : Partner with the Executive Chef and Director of Beverage to align kitchen capabilities, prep levels, and menu changes with floor operations.
• Event Integration : Coordinate closely with the Private Events Sales team to execute seamless transitions between regular floor service and private buyouts.

Financial & Administrative Stewardship

• P&L Ownership : Analyze weekly profit and loss statements, drive operational profitability, and manage precise financial forecasting.
• Cost Containment : Enforce strict targets for labor optimization, beverage pours, and food waste to maximize margins.
• Vendor and Facilities Care : Oversee physical plant maintenance—including custom architectural features like the wood-fired grill and patio fireplaces—while managing third-party vendor contracts.

Team Management & Development

• Recruitment & Retention : Hire, onboard, and train a high-performing FOH service, bar, and host team.
• Culture & Accountability : Drive rigorous staff development through consistent coaching, performance evaluations, and ongoing menu/beverage education.
• Scheduling : Generate optimized labor grids balancing payroll goals against guest demand curves.

Guest Relations

• Table Touches & Hospitality : Maintain a constant floor presence during peak hours to engage guests, cultivate regulars, and immediately resolve service friction.
• Brand Ambassador : Champion the restaurant's reputation for highly detail-oriented hospitality within the local Chicago culinary community.

Key Requirements

• Experience : 5+ years of upscale, high-volume hospitality management experience, with at least 2 years operating as a high-volume General Manager.
• Environment Expertise : Proven success managing multi-million-dollar restaurants with large, logistically complex outdoor operations and high-end private events.
• Technical Savvy : High proficiency in modern restaurant tech stacks, including modern POS systems, OpenTable platform management, and detailed Excel-based financial reporting.
• Compliance & Certifications : Valid Illinois/Chicago Food Protection Manager and Basset certifications.
• Physical Demands : Capability to stand and walk for prolonged sequences, lift up to 40 pounds regularly, and work a flexible schedule heavily featuring nights, weekends, and holidays.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary Range: $90,000-$95,000 per year, commensurate based on experience.
• Health & Wellness: Medical, prescription, dental, vision, health savings account (HSA), employee assistance program (EAP), accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, pet insurance benefits and transportation benefits. The company contributes $350 per month toward employee-only medical coverage and pays 100% of employee-only premiums for the Dental Low Plan and Vision Plan.
• 401k Program with Match: Company matches $1 for $1 up to $1,000 per calendar year.
• Paid Time Off: 3 weeks paid vacation 
• Paid Sick Leave: 1 week paid sick leave
• Dining: Generous dining benefit discounts across Gage Hospitality Group restaurants.

How to Apply

To be considered, please submit a current resume with your application.

Gage Hospitality Group is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, Gage Hospitality Group will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.