Service Manager

Required Experience: 3+ years of restaurant leadership experience

Alta Adams is a Los Angeles restaurant from Chef Keith Corbin, serving seasonal California cuisine informed by the American South and the diverse culinary traditions of Los Angeles.

We are looking for a Service Manager who can lead the dining room with warmth, discipline, consistency, and genuine hospitality.

This role is for an experienced restaurant professional who understands that exceptional service does not happen by accident. It comes from strong systems, clear expectations, thoughtful training, attention to detail, and leaders who hold themselves and their teams accountable to the standard every day.

The Service Manager will take ownership of daily front-of-house execution and help ensure that Alta's service standards are consistently delivered, whether ownership is in the building or not.

As Service Manager, you will be responsible for leading the dining room team and overseeing the guest experience from arrival through departure.

You will work closely with ownership, culinary leadership, and the beverage team to ensure that service is organized, informed, gracious, efficient, and consistent.

This is a hands-on management position. You will be expected to be present on the floor, anticipate problems before they affect guests, coach employees in real time, and follow through when standards are not being met.

Just as importantly, you will be responsible for maintaining the operational systems established by the restaurant. Our standards, procedures, checklists, training materials, reporting requirements, and service systems are not optional. The Service Manager is responsible for making sure they are executed consistently by the entire FOH team.

Service Leadership

• Lead the dining room before, during, and after service
• Conduct organized and effective pre-shift meetings
• Ensure the dining room is fully prepared before doors open
• Manage service flow, pacing, sections, breaks, and floor coverage
• Maintain awareness of every table and identify potential service failures before they escalate
• Coordinate closely with the kitchen throughout service
• Lead guest recovery when something goes wrong
• Ensure every guest leaves feeling genuinely cared for

Standards & Accountability

• Uphold Alta's established service standards and operating procedures
• Ensure opening, closing, side work, and service checklists are completed accurately
• Hold employees accountable for performance, attendance, professionalism, and execution
• Address performance issues promptly rather than allowing standards to erode
• Document operational issues and communicate them clearly to ownership
• Complete required manager reporting consistently and accurately
• Follow through on directives and confirm completion

Training & Development

• Onboard and train new FOH employees
• Coach servers, hosts, support staff, and other FOH team members during service
• Identify training gaps and proactively address them
• Reinforce menu, beverage, allergy, POS, service, and hospitality knowledge
• Develop employees rather than simply correcting mistakes
• Help build a culture where feedback, accountability, and continuous improvement are expected

Guest Experience

• Maintain a strong presence in the dining room
• Recognize returning guests and special occasions
• Monitor pacing, table maintenance, beverage service, and overall hospitality
• Handle guest concerns with professionalism, urgency, and sound judgment
• Ensure service recovery is followed through to completion
• Protect the details that distinguish an ordinary restaurant experience from an exceptional one

Daily Operations

• Support FOH scheduling and labor management
• Monitor reservations, covers, VIPs, large parties, and special requests before service
• Maintain dining room organization and readiness
• Ensure POS procedures and restaurant systems are followed correctly
• Communicate maintenance and facility issues promptly
• Partner with culinary and beverage leadership on daily operational needs
• Maintain accurate shift notes and management communication

• Have 3+ years of restaurant management or significant FOH leadership experience
• Have experience in a polished, chef-driven, upscale, or fine-dining restaurant
• Care deeply about hospitality and the guest experience
• Notice details other people miss
• Believe standards should be maintained even when ownership isn't watching
• Understand that accountability and kindness can coexist
• Are comfortable giving clear, direct feedback
• Follow systems consistently and improve them thoughtfully rather than abandoning them
• Stay composed and decisive during busy or difficult services
• Know how to coach employees without managing through fear
• Communicate exceptionally well with both FOH and BOH teams
• Have strong food and beverage knowledge
• Are comfortable with wine service and willing to continue developing your wine knowledge
• Understand restaurant POS, reservation, scheduling, and operational systems
• Can prioritize multiple problems without losing sight of the guest
• Take ownership rather than waiting to be told what needs to happen
• Follow through

Warmth without performance.

Precision without stiffness.

Accountability without ego.

We believe hospitality should feel genuine and personal while being supported by disciplined execution behind the scenes.

We value people who take pride in doing things correctly, communicate directly, support their teammates, accept feedback, solve problems, and leave the restaurant stronger than they found it.

The right manager will not simply maintain the floor. They will help build a stronger service organization.

• 3+ years of restaurant management or comparable FOH leadership experience
• Upscale or fine-dining experience strongly preferred
• Strong understanding of dining room operations and service sequencing
• Demonstrated experience training and developing employees
• Strong conflict-resolution and guest-recovery skills
• Working knowledge of wine and beverage service
• Experience with restaurant POS and reservation systems
• Scheduling and labor-management experience preferred
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work nights, weekends, and holidays as required by restaurant operations

Interview Process

Selected candidates will complete an initial interview followed by an in-person interview and observational stage.

We are interested not only in where you have worked, but how you lead, how you think during service, and how you build accountability within a team.

Please submit a resume and a brief introduction explaining why this role and Alta Adams interest you.