General Manager

Role: General Manager at One Cornelia 

Reports To: Director of Operations

Direct Reports: Bar and Service Managers, and Hourly Team Members

Key Relationships: Apres Cru Partners and Team

One address. Three Experiences.

In the heart of the West Village, at the corner of West 4th and Cornelia Streets, sits an historic brick building. One Cornelia is more than just a premier address, it’s also a must-visit destination for some of the City’s best food and cocktails. This landmark building brings together three distinctive–and delicious!–concepts under one roof: Tacos 1986, Mixteca and Kees.

Founded in 2018 in Los Angeles, Tacos 1986 serves Tijuana-style tacos, burritos, and more. The taqueria started as a street cart in a parking lot and now has 9 locations – 8 in LA and 1 in NYC. Their signature tacos are made with flame-grilled meats, guacamole and fresh corn tortillas that are made to order. 

Mixteca is an agave-focused bar that draws inspiration from the vibrant culture and flavors of Puebla, Mexico while embracing the lively energy of New York’s West Village neighborhood.   It's a new project from Jeff Bell and Victor Lopez of the award-winning speakeasy, PDT (Please Don’t Tell).   Victor, a Puebla-born bartender and veteran of NYC's craft cocktail scene, created a menu inspired by the rich agave traditions of Mexico’s Mixteca region.

I nspired by glamorous mid-century New York nightlife, Kees evokes the elegance and exclusivity of that era, while redefining modern luxury with tasteful showmanship and unforgettable hospitality.   Meticulously-crafted cocktails, top-notch service and a sophisticated design combine to create an elevated, destination-worthy cocktail lounge in the West Village. The menu at Kees celebrates classic cocktails reimagined through a modern lens by Jeff Bell who is also a managing partner at PDT (Please Don't Tell) in the East Village.

Essential Duties / Responsibilities 

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following and may change or be adjusted at any time:

Leadership: 

Bring to life the our company values. Engage and inspire the management and line staff. 

• Work with the Managing Partner to develop and execute strategies to achieve operational goals at the restaurant level.
• Serve as the ambassador to their team and the community.
• Is a leader for the entire team and unites both FOH and BOH towards a common goal of continually raising the bar.
• Conduct weekly manager meetings and attend daily preshifts
• Leads with an “If you see something, say something” approach to providing feedback to all team members.
• Actively participate in service and the day-to-day operations of the business.
• Delegate key areas of responsibility to managers and lead team members and hold them accountable for following through.
• Handles all staff responsibilities in partnership with the HR team (includes: training and development, employee relations, disciplinary action, documentation, terminations, etc.)

Guest Engagement:
Ensure we are actively engaging with guests, before, during and after their experience. 

• Is acutely aware of the atmosphere of the bar and restaurant and works to constantly monitor and adjust it throughout the day.
• Work with the VP of Brand and Marketing & Managing Partner on PR and marketing to activate company wide and bespoke strategic initiatives.
• Ensure the restaurant team is delivering on our service standards and 100% table touches are non-negotiable at every service.
• Work the floor during guest hours to create hospitality legends and cultivate regulars.
• Work with third-party delivery services to increase revenue. 
• Ensure consistent execution of Food, Beverage, Service, and Hospitality that aligns with the company’s values.
• Actively listens and engages on all social media channels. Responds to guest comments, both written and verbal, with the ability to creatively solve problems and develop robust solutions that result in fans for life.
• Leads the restaurant team to deliver a great guest experience in order to build lifelong repeat guests.
• Is responsible for handling all repairs and maintenance of the restaurant
• Ensures the entire space looks, smells, and feels on brand (lighting, temperature, bathrooms, cleanliness, and seating arrangements)

Business Acumen and Compliance:
Operate smarter, play offense with sales, and build trust with guests and investors.

• Research local sales building opportunities specific to the neighborhood, i.e., lunch to-go sales, delivery, and special events to help grow the business.
• Work with the Managing Partner to implement, monitor, and fine tune clear strategic initiatives to ensure that top and bottom-line targets are achieved.
• Focus on a proactive approach to managing prime costs, with an eye on the daily, weekly, monthly and annual projections, and budgets.
• Deliver correct staffing levels, schedules, and systems that allow the restaurant to achieve excellence in operations while taking care of the bottom line.
• Submit weekly costed schedules and accurate inventories, that deliver a great PDT experience while remaining fiscally responsible to budgeted targets.
• Forecast and monitor weekly sales and labor numbers and adjust at the moment to ensure hospitality and financial targets are achieved.
• Communicate targets, goals, and data to the management team in order to achieve financial targets in real-time.
• Lead daily and weekly walk through’s to ensure facilities are up to our standard.
• Ensure that HR practices are consistent with company values and compliant with all local, state and federal laws.
• Lead a best-in-class approach to cleanliness, safety, sanitation, and food safety.
• Exhibit a mastery of all operational systems. Including the ability to train and delegate to direct reports.
• Ensures Bookkeepers have accurate payroll, inventory, and supporting information to provide timely reporting.
• Provide monthly commentary on Financial performance actual vs. budget with actionable tactics going forward.

Employee Development: 

Identify/hire great people and develop them into great leaders.

• Create a talent pipeline of lead FOH and BOH team members
• Interview and approve the hiring of all hourly team members.
• Ensure that operational and training standards are consistently followed and executed by the entire restaurant team.
• Create a structured learning and development plan for hourly team members
• Lead the behavior that creates a safe and enriching workplace for all employees.
• Conduct talent reviews and performance evaluations on a timely basis; recommend promotions or corrective actions where appropriate.
• Provide feedback and hold all salary and hourly team members accountable to company values, goals, and standards.
• Ensure new company initiatives are supported and communicated clearly to all managers and team members.
• Lead and foster a restaurant culture that promotes employee development and coaching on a daily basis.
• Conduct Monthly New Hire Orientations for all new team members

Additional Skills and Responsibilities:

• Exude excellence in hospitality for all employees and guests.
• Possess excellent strategic planning skills, with an emphasis on delivering, executing and assessing action plans.
• Proactively communicates to Apres Cru, ownership, and partners. 
• Excellent time management, organizational, strategic thinker and multi-tasker
• Ability to adapt and lead change.
• Analytical and organizational skills, as well the ability to define and effectively solve and deal with a variety of changing situations under stress.
• Must possess strong interpersonal skills and the ability to resolve conflicting interests with the goal of obtaining cooperation.
• Passion for exceptional hospitality, food, and beverages.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Self-driven, results-oriented, and possesses a solid track-record of leading high-caliber, upscale restaurants.
• Flexible work schedules, including nights and weekends
• May be required to lift, carry, push, or pull heavy objects up to 50 lbs.
• Kneel, bend, or stoop, ascend or descend stairs; be on feet for extended amounts of time

Preferred Experience:

• 3 years in a senior leadership level overseeing a full-service restaurant and ownership of P&L.
• NYC Food Protection Certificate
• Proven Track record overseeing $5 million+ in revenue.
• Bachelor’s Degree preferred.
• Strong foundation of beverage knowledge and barmanship
• Well versed in restaurant industry specific labor laws.
• Proficient in a variety of technology systems, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), Payroll, POS, and COGS Systems.
• Strong communication and organizational skills are essential, as well as the ability to effectively train, coach, evaluate, and discipline employees.