Restaurant Manager

Position: Restaurant Manager
Department: Food & Beverage
Location: Chicago, IL
Employment Type: Full-Time / Salaried
Reports To: Restaurant General Manager

Truth Be Told , the British-inspired tavern located within The Study at University of Chicago , is seeking an experienced, engaging, and hospitality-driven Restaurant Manager to join our Food & Beverage leadership team. This hands-on management position supports the Restaurant General Manager in leading daily Front-of-House operations, developing the restaurant team, and delivering a consistently thoughtful and memorable guest experience.

Truth Be Told is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, welcoming hotel guests, the University of Chicago community, Hyde Park neighbors, and visitors to the area. The Restaurant Manager is an active presence on the floor, leading service, engaging with guests, coaching team members, and ensuring the restaurant operates efficiently throughout each service period.

The ideal candidate genuinely enjoys hospitality, meeting new people, and creating connections with guests and team members. We are looking for a confident restaurant leader with an engaging personality, strong operational instincts, and the ability to balance guest experience, team leadership, beverage knowledge, financial awareness, and attention to detail.

Our caring and attentive associates reinforce our belief that guest service is our highest priority. We seek leaders who set clear expectations, create accountability, encourage curiosity and teamwork, and understand that a successful restaurant is built through both exceptional hospitality and disciplined daily execution.

Restaurant Operations Snapshot

• Truth Be Told - British-inspired tavern located within The Study at University of Chicago
• Approximately 100-seat restaurant and tavern
• Seven-day operation serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Full-service dining and bar operation
• Cocktail, spirits, wine, and beer program
• Hands-on Front-of-House leadership position
• Serving hotel guests, university visitors, Hyde Park neighbors, and the surrounding community
• Additional hotel Food & Beverage operations and private events supported as business needs require

Responsibilities

• Support the Restaurant General Manager in the day-to-day leadership and operation of Truth Be Told, with a primary focus on Front-of-House service and restaurant execution.
• Serve as a visible, hands-on manager during service, actively engaging with guests and team members while monitoring the overall flow of the restaurant.
• Ensure Study Hotels hospitality and service standards are consistently understood and executed throughout the Front-of-House operation.
• Lead pre-shift meetings, communicate daily priorities, assign responsibilities, and ensure the restaurant is fully prepared for service.
• Supervise, coach, motivate, and develop Servers, Bartenders, Hosts, Restaurant Support, and other Front-of-House team members.
• Establish clear expectations and accountability while creating a positive working environment that promotes curiosity, teamwork, professional development, and genuine hospitality.
• Assist with onboarding and training new team members and provide ongoing coaching to strengthen service knowledge and execution.
• Monitor the guest experience throughout service, anticipate needs, engage with guests, and resolve concerns promptly and professionally.
• Support service recovery and make appropriate decisions to resolve guest concerns while protecting the overall guest experience.
• Maintain strong working knowledge of food menus, ingredients, allergy considerations, cocktails, spirits, beer, wine, and restaurant offerings.
• Support the development, execution, and continued improvement of the restaurant's beverage program, including cocktails, spirits, wine, and beer.
• Assist with beverage purchasing, receiving, inventory, product organization, pricing, and cost-control procedures.
• Monitor beverage usage, inventory levels, waste, and other operating practices to support established cost objectives.
• Assist the Restaurant General Manager with scheduling, labor management, payroll-related processes, and staffing decisions based on anticipated business levels.
• Monitor daily restaurant performance and help identify opportunities to improve productivity, revenue, cost control, and profitability.
• Support restaurant promotions, programming, and other initiatives designed to strengthen guest engagement and restaurant revenue.
• Work collaboratively with Marketing and Communications teams on restaurant initiatives and support appropriate responses to guest feedback and online reviews.
• Oversee reservation and table management practices to support efficient seating, restaurant flow, and the guest experience.
• Ensure opening, closing, side work, cash handling, payment processing, and other established operating procedures are completed accurately.
• Maintain appropriate controls for restaurant supplies, equipment, and operating materials.
• Ensure compliance with applicable food safety, sanitation, responsible alcohol service, workplace safety, and restaurant operating requirements.
• Maintain restaurant spaces in a clean, organized, safe, and guest-ready condition and promptly address maintenance or operational concerns.
• Work closely with the Executive Chef and culinary leadership to coordinate service, menu execution, timing, allergy concerns, guest feedback, and operational priorities.
• Collaborate with Front Office and other hotel departments to provide seamless service to hotel guests and support overall property operations.
• Assist with hotel Food & Beverage operations, meetings, banquets, and private events as needed based on business demands.
• Assume appropriate restaurant leadership responsibilities in the Restaurant General Manager's absence.
• Perform additional duties as assigned based on restaurant and hotel operational needs.

Fundamentals

• Minimum of 3 years of progressive restaurant experience in an upscale casual, full-service restaurant, hotel, tavern, or comparable hospitality environment preferred.
• Recent restaurant management, assistant management, or comparable Front-of-House leadership experience required.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a Front-of-House team, delegate responsibilities, establish priorities, coach performance, and create accountability.
• Strong understanding of full-service restaurant operations and service standards.
• Experience with beverage operations and working knowledge of cocktails, spirits, wine, and beer strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting beverage inventory, purchasing, cost control, and product management preferred.
• Strong guest-relations and service-recovery skills with the confidence to make decisions in a fast-paced operating environment.
• Working knowledge of restaurant financial fundamentals, including labor management, inventory, cost control, and revenue generation.
• Experience with restaurant reservation and table management systems such as OpenTable, Resy, or comparable platforms preferred.
• Experience with restaurant POS systems required.
• Experience with ADP Workforce Now or comparable scheduling, timekeeping, or payroll systems is a plus.
• Working knowledge of food safety, sanitation, responsible alcohol service, and applicable restaurant operating requirements.
• Food safety and responsible alcohol service certifications required or ability to obtain applicable certifications as required.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational, follow-up, and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to remain composed, decisive, and guest-focused during high-volume service periods.
• High school diploma or equivalent required; hospitality, restaurant management, or related education is a plus.
• Availability to work a flexible schedule based on restaurant needs, including early mornings, days, evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• Proficiency in English required; a second language is a plus.
• Ability to stand, walk, and remain active for extended periods throughout the workday.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, or otherwise move items weighing up to 40 pounds.

About Us

The Study at University of Chicago is a 167-room hotel located on the Midway Plaisance in Chicago's historic Hyde Park neighborhood. Designed as a place of discovery and connection, the hotel reflects the character and energy of the University of Chicago while providing thoughtful, contemporary accommodations for university visitors, families, faculty, business travelers, and the surrounding community.

The hotel is home to Truth Be Told , a British-inspired tavern offering a welcoming gathering place for hotel guests, the University of Chicago community, Hyde Park neighbors, and visitors to the area. The property also features 4,700 square feet of meeting and event space, including a 2,500-square-foot Winter Garden designed for social events and private functions.

Eligible full-time team members are offered a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, paid time off, and paid holidays. Team members may also participate in our 401(k) retirement savings plan and Employee Assistance Program.

Study Hotels is a drug-free workplace. Pre-employment drug test and background check required.

Study Hotels is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, disability, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

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