Higher Education General Manager

Pay: $100000 per year - $110000 per year

Location: Syracuse, NY

Summary: The Higher Education General Manager is responsible for the overall leadership, performance, and success of an assigned higher education dining account. This role oversees day-to-day dining, catering, and hospitality operations while ensuring exceptional food quality, outstanding customer service, strong financial performance, and a positive team culture.

As the primary on-site leader, the General Manager serves as the key partner to the client and is responsible for building strong relationships with students, faculty, staff, and campus stakeholders. Working closely with culinary and operations leaders, this position drives service excellence, team development, operational consistency, and client satisfaction while maintaining compliance with all company standards and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead all dining and hospitality operations for the assigned account, including daily meal service, retail operations, and catering events.
• Serve as the primary on-site representative of American Dining Creations, maintaining a strong and professional relationship with clients, campus partners, guests, and vendors.
• Partner with culinary leadership to ensure successful execution of menu offerings, food quality standards, presentation, customer requests, and overall dining experience.
• Drive operational excellence by monitoring service standards, workflow, cleanliness, staffing, and guest satisfaction across all areas of the account.
• Oversee financial performance of the account, including budgeting, labor management, food cost awareness, purchasing, inventory controls, and point-of-sale reporting.
• Complete and manage daily, weekly, and monthly reports for district leadership, providing operational updates, financial insight, and recommendations for improvement.
• Manage staffing plans and work schedules in alignment with labor needs, service demands, and business goals.
• Recruit, train, coach, and develop team members to support engagement, retention, succession planning, and operational success.
• Foster a culture of accountability, hospitality, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Interact daily with clients, guests, students, faculty, and vendors to ensure a high level of responsiveness and service.
• Respond promptly and professionally to feedback, resolving concerns and implementing improvements when needed.
• Support special events, campus programs, openings, transitions, and other strategic initiatives as needed.
• Ensure all food handling, preparation, temperature logs, sanitation practices, and production records are completed accurately and in compliance with company policies and local health regulations.
• Maintain compliance with all local, state, and federal safety, sanitation, and workplace regulations.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Business, Restaurant Management, or related field preferred; Culinary degree from an accredited culinary association also considered.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive management experience in foodservice, hospitality, retail dining, hotel, business dining, or higher education dining environments.
• Proven ability to lead operations in a high-volume service environment with responsibility for team performance, customer satisfaction, and financial results.
• Solid understanding of budgeting, food ordering, inventory, labor management, and point-of-sale systems.
• Experience managing service volumes of 500 or more customers daily and leading teams of 5 or more employees.
• Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong client relationships and lead teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, CaterTrax, and other online ordering or foodservice systems.
• Ability to work on a flexible schedule based on operational and campus needs.
• Valid driver’s license is required.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand, walk, bend, and move throughout the workday.
• Ability to lift 30 pounds unassisted.
• Ability to work in both office and foodservice environments as needed.

American Dining Creations is a division of American Food & Vending and one of the largest privately held hospitality service partners in the United States.

At American Dining Creations, we recognize that all corporate and education dining partners are unique. We pride ourselves on creating programs and providing dining services with the strength of a national program and the flexibility and innovation of an industry leader.

We pair superior culinary offerings with outstanding management practices, providing every client with the highest operation standards and flexibility and responding quickly with creative menus, comprehensive concepts, and top-notch service.

Our full range of dining and catering amenities brings the guest experience to the next level by providing students, guests, and faculty with outstanding and memorable dining solutions.

We currently operate nationwide dining accounts, employing over 2,000 people and growing, serving hundreds of thousands of guests daily. Our services include full café dining emphasizing our Fresh Difference culinary philosophy, mobile ordering, catering, events and our grab-and-go program, My Fresh Market. We stand committed to providing true partnership, customization, and 24/7 support.

American Dining Creations Offers

• Weekly pay
• 401K with company match
• Employee Assistance Program
• Eligible employees offered Medical, Prescription, Dental, and Vision Plans, FSA/HSA
• Ongoing training and development programs
• Bonus programs for eligible positions

American Food & Vending is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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