District Manager - Restaurant & Café Operations

Job Description

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced District Manager to oversee multiple high-volume bakery café locations throughout the Chicago market. This role is responsible for driving operational excellence, sales growth, profitability, and an exceptional guest experience while leading and developing café management teams. The ideal candidate is a hands-on, people-focused leader with a passion for coaching, operational execution, and growing multi-unit restaurant businesses.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily operations across multiple bakery café locations.
• Drive sales, profitability, guest satisfaction, and operational excellence.
• Coach, mentor, and develop General Managers and café leadership teams.
• Recruit, retain, and develop top talent.
• Monitor P&L performance, labor, food costs, inventory, and operating expenses.
• Ensure consistent execution of brand standards, food safety, and sanitation procedures.
• Analyze financial and operational performance and implement action plans.
• Support new café openings, training, and operational initiatives.
• Partner with franchise and corporate teams to ensure consistent execution.
• Conduct regular café visits, operational audits, and performance reviews.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• 5–7+ years of multi-unit leadership experience in high-volume restaurants, bakery cafés, coffee concepts, hospitality, or retail food service.
• 3–5+ years of District Manager or equivalent multi-unit leadership experience.
• Strong P&L management, budgeting, forecasting, and inventory control experience.
• Experience leading high-performing teams in fast-paced environments.
• Knowledge of POS systems (Toast preferred).
• Strong communication, coaching, and organizational skills.
• Ability to travel regularly between locations.

Preferred Background

• Bakery Café
• Coffee & Café Concepts
• Fast Casual
• Quick Service Restaurants (QSR)
• Multi-Unit Hospitality Operations

The Restaurant Zone is a leading hospitality recruitment agency specializing in connecting top-tier talent with restaurants, hotels, and hospitality groups across the United States. We partner with growing brands and established operators to deliver high-quality candidates for management, executive, and specialized roles. Our team combines industry expertise, a vast candidate network, and a results-driven approach to help businesses build strong, reliable teams. At The Restaurant Zone, we focus on speed, quality, and long-term fit—ensuring both clients and candidates succeed.

Company Description

The Restaurant Zone is a leading hospitality recruitment agency specializing in connecting top-tier talent with restaurants, hotels, and hospitality groups across the United States. We partner with growing brands and established operators to deliver high-quality candidates for management, executive, and specialized roles. Our team combines industry expertise, a vast candidate network, and a results-driven approach to help businesses build strong, reliable teams. At The Restaurant Zone, we focus on speed, quality, and long-term fit—ensuring both clients and candidates succeed.