Restaurant Manager

RESTAURANT MANAGER — FOOD & BEVERAGE Porto Vista Hotel · Little Italy, San Diego

JOB SUMMARY

The Porto Vista Hotel in Little Italy, San Diego is seeking an experienced Restaurant Manager to take full ownership of all Food & Beverage operations, including our full-service restaurant, catering, and convention banquet functions.

This role runs both sides of the pass. The right candidate has real culinary and back-of-house experience — they can walk a line during a rush, hold a plate to standard, talk menu costing with the Chef, and manage a kitchen team — in addition to leading front-of-house service and banquets.

NOTE: This is not an entry-level or first-time Restaurant Manager position. Prior banquet leadership and hands-on kitchen/culinary experience are both required.

CULINARY & KITCHEN OPERATIONS

• Partner with the Chef on menu development, recipe costing, plate specs, and seasonal menu changes.
• Understand and oversee back-of-house operations: line flow, station setup, prep par levels, expediting, and dish-up standards for both à la carte and banquet volume.
• Own food quality assurance — taste, temperature, presentation, and consistency across restaurant, catering, and banquet service.
• Enforce food safety, sanitation, and HACCP standards; lead the team through health department inspections.
• Manage food cost through yield tracking, waste control, portion control, and purchasing discipline.
• Support kitchen staffing: hiring, training, scheduling, and performance management of BOH team members alongside the Chef.
• Step in operationally when needed — this is a hands-on floor and kitchen role, not a desk role.

FINANCIAL & OPERATIONAL DUTIES

• Achieve budgeted Food & Beverage revenue and maximize profitability.
• Manage department labor and food costs; develop and maintain all cost control procedures.
• Provide a detailed monthly forecast of revenue, food cost, and labor for each department.
• Establish F&B inventory PARs with the Chef and Beverage Manager based on forecast and business levels.
• Handle all F&B ordering, including completion of PO requisitions for all items purchased.
• Conduct monthly inventories of all F&B items (kitchen goods, china, glass, silver, etc.).
• Complete weekly schedules and shift duties, holding budgeted labor cost while ensuring a consistent guest experience.

BANQUETS & CATERING

• Full command of convention and catering banquet execution: BEOs, timing, room set-up, pricing, meal guarantees, and dish-up standards.
• Coordinate with Sales and the kitchen to deliver events on spec and on time.

LEADERSHIP & GUEST EXPERIENCE

• Own all staff training on service standards and service recovery; drive top-level service from every employee.
• Manage all employee matters with Human Resources: timekeeping, new hire paperwork, annual reviews, disciplinary and termination procedures, and required documentation.
• Attend weekly F&B and staff meetings; run departmental meetings to keep daily communication flowing between managers and line-level team.
• Protect the hotel's reputation — train the team on problem resolution to minimize guest complaints.
• Contribute to F&B marketing and promotions; solicit local business with promotional offerings.
• Know the competition — conduct a competitive analysis every six months to evaluate the hotel's market position.
• Participate in overall hotel maintenance and cleanliness; report equipment deficiencies.
• Minimize Workers' Compensation claims by enforcing safety standards.

QUALIFICATIONS (REQUIRED)

• Minimum 3–5 years in a Restaurant Manager or F&B Manager role, hotel experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated culinary and kitchen operations background — culinary school, prior Chef/Sous Chef/Kitchen Manager experience, or equivalent documented back-of-house leadership.
• Proven banquet and catering leadership, including BEO execution.
• Working command of food and labor cost control, forecasting, and inventory.
• ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification (Manager's Food Handler's Card).
• California RBS (Responsible Beverage Service) certification, or ability to obtain within 60 days.
• Able to maintain RBS and TIPS certification compliance for all F&B staff.
• Available to work nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Team player with solid relationships across departments.

Resumes without demonstrated kitchen or culinary experience will not be considered.