General Manager - Restaurant

General Manager - Dear Charlotte

Charlotte, NC | Steele Creek

$80,000-$90,000 + Bonus Opportunity | Full-Time

About Dear Charlotte

Dear Charlotte is a new Mediterranean-inspired rooftop restaurant, bar, and event destination coming to the top floor of the Hilton Garden Inn Charlotte Steele Creek.

Designed as a high-energy destination with a sophisticated but approachable atmosphere, Dear Charlotte will feature Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, a cocktail-forward beverage program, and approximately 120 seats across indoor and outdoor spaces.

This is an opportunity to join the concept during its opening phase and help build the restaurant from the ground up.

We're looking for a General Manager who is energized by opening restaurants, building teams, creating systems, and delivering an elevated guest experience.

The Opportunity

As General Manager, you will have significant ownership over the restaurant's pre-opening, launch, and ongoing operations.

You will work closely with ownership and key operational partners to build the team, establish standards, create a strong culture, and position Dear Charlotte for long-term success.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who enjoys being in the operation and understands that successful openings require preparation, flexibility, and a willingness to solve problems as they arise.

What You'll Own

• Lead Dear Charlotte through pre-opening, opening, and ongoing operations
• Recruit, hire, train, and develop FOH and BOH leadership teams
• Build and establish service standards, operating procedures, and training systems
• Create a strong culture centered around hospitality, accountability, and teamwork
• Own restaurant P&L performance, including labor, food cost, beverage cost, and profitability
• Oversee a projected $3-4M+ annual revenue operation across dinner, brunch, private events, and other revenue opportunities
• Partner with culinary leadership to ensure consistent food quality, execution, and menu standards
• Lead and develop a strong beverage program with a focus on cocktail execution and bar performance
• Oversee scheduling, labor management, inventory, purchasing, and daily operational controls
• Drive guest satisfaction, retention, VIP relationships, and service recovery
• Lead private events and other revenue-generating opportunities
• Establish systems for accountability, communication, and continuous improvement
• Navigate the unique operational requirements of a rooftop restaurant, including a downstairs prep kitchen and rooftop finishing line
• Partner with hotel leadership, ownership, culinary teams, vendors, and other stakeholders
• Be visible and hands-on during service, especially throughout the opening period

What We're Looking For

We're looking for an experienced restaurant leader who has successfully operated in high-volume environments and understands what it takes to build something from the ground up.

Required:

• 5+ years of progressive restaurant management experience
• Previous new restaurant opening experience
• Experience with full restaurant P&L ownership
• Proven ability to recruit, build, train, and lead high-performing teams
• Strong understanding of labor, food cost, beverage cost, and operational controls
• Experience leading elevated, high-volume, or beverage-forward restaurant operations
• Strong guest recovery and hospitality mindset
• Hands-on leadership style with a willingness to be deeply involved in the operation
• Strong communication, organization, and problem-solving skills

Ideal experience includes:

• Rooftop restaurant or bar operations
• Hotel food & beverage
• Fine dining or elevated casual dining
• Cocktail-forward beverage programs
• Private dining and event operations
• Multi-outlet or multi-revenue-stream environments

What Makes You Successful Here

The right person for Dear Charlotte will be someone who runs toward the challenge of an opening rather than away from it.

You should be comfortable building systems that don't exist yet, hiring people you've never worked with before, solving problems in real time, and creating a culture that will ultimately define the restaurant.

We're looking for a leader who:

• Gets excited about food, beverage, and hospitality
• Thinks in both people and numbers
• Can talk comfortably about P&L, labor, costs, and revenue
• Builds teams rather than simply managing schedules
• Understands that great hospitality goes beyond good service
• Takes ownership when things go wrong
• Is comfortable working in a fast-moving, evolving environment
• Has the energy and resilience required to open a brand-new restaurant

Why Join Dear Charlotte?

• Opportunity to build a restaurant from the ground up
• Significant ownership and visibility with the ownership group
• Opportunity to shape the team, culture, systems, and service standards
• High-profile rooftop location in the Steele Creek market
• Mediterranean-inspired food and cocktail-forward beverage program
• Opportunity to create a destination restaurant and event space
• Competitive salary of $80,000-$90,000 + bonus opportunity
• Health benefits
• PTO
• Dining perks
• Opportunity for long-term growth with a growing hospitality company

About Maya Hotels

Dear Charlotte is part of Maya Hotels, a growing hospitality company focused on developing and operating hotels, restaurants, and hospitality experiences.

This is an opportunity to join the team at the beginning of something new and have a direct impact on what Dear Charlotte becomes.

If you're an experienced restaurant leader who loves openings, building teams, developing hospitality cultures, and creating memorable guest experiences, we'd love to hear from you.