Restaurant General Manager

Restaurant General Manager

Zaman Mediterranean Fresh | Denver, CO 80209

$85,000–$100,000 Base Salary 10%–15% Performance Bonus

Full-Time | On-Site

A Note From Ownership

We built Zaman Mediterranean Fresh from scratch, literally.

Our meats are grilled in-house, our sauces and dips are made fresh daily, and our breads are baked in our own kitchen. That commitment to quality has earned us a loyal Denver following, more than 900 Google reviews, and a 4.8-star rating.

We've built a restaurant we're proud of. Now we're looking for an exceptional General Manager to help us take it to the next level.

We want someone who knows how to run a successful restaurant, understands the numbers behind profitability, builds great teams, and takes pride in doing things the right way.

This isn't a position where you'll simply maintain the operation. You'll have the opportunity to make meaningful improvements, build systems, and help shape the future of Zaman.

If you've been successfully running someone else's restaurant and want more ownership of decisions, a direct relationship with the people who own the business, and the opportunity to make a lasting impact, we'd like to meet you.

The Opportunity

As General Manager, you'll have full responsibility for Zaman's daily operations, with meaningful authority over staffing, scheduling, training, purchasing, and operating systems within agreed budgets and standards.

You'll lead a team of approximately 10 employees across the kitchen and front counter.

We're independently owned, so there isn't a large corporate structure or multiple layers of management. You'll work directly with ownership and have the ability to put your ideas into action.

This is a hands-on leadership position. You'll work stations during peak periods, know what's happening in the kitchen at all times, and lead from the floor, not the office.

Your success will be measured by how well the restaurant operates, the strength of your team, our guests' experience, and the financial results you deliver.

What You'll Be Responsible For

Restaurant Operations & Profitability

• Lead all day-to-day restaurant operations and take accountability for financial and operational performance.
• Manage labor costs, food costs, inventory, purchasing, and other controllable expenses.
• Develop labor schedules based on forecasted sales, production needs, and productivity.
• Review sales, labor, food cost, and P&L reports regularly and take action to improve results.
• Identify operational inefficiencies and implement practical solutions that improve profitability.

Team Leadership & Development

• Recruit, hire, train, coach, and retain a dependable, high-performing team.
• Establish clear expectations, accountability, and consistent operating standards.
• Develop a strong shift leader who can confidently manage the restaurant in your absence.
• Create a positive, respectful workplace where employees take pride in their work.
• Lead by example and support the team during busy service periods.

Kitchen Operations & Guest Experience

• Oversee scratch-kitchen production, preparation, portion control, and food quality.
• Improve kitchen efficiency while maintaining the quality and authenticity that make Zaman special.
• Maintain high standards for food safety, sanitation, cleanliness, and health inspections.
• Deliver consistent, welcoming hospitality and respond professionally to guest feedback.
• Ensure the kitchen and front counter work together efficiently.

Catering & Business Growth

• Oversee the preparation and execution of catering orders, including production planning, staffing, packaging, and delivery coordination.
• Develop efficient, repeatable catering procedures that allow us to increase order volume while maintaining food quality and smooth restaurant operations.
• Partner with ownership and marketing to support catering growth, ensuring the restaurant has the staffing, production capacity, and systems to execute orders profitably.
• Establish practical operating procedures, checklists, and training systems that improve consistency and support future expansion.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for an experienced restaurant operator who has demonstrated the ability to lead a team, manage financial performance, and run a restaurant with confidence and accountability.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of progressive restaurant management experience, including at least 3 years as a General Manager or comparable restaurant operations leader with direct financial and operational responsibility.
• Experience managing a high-volume restaurant with direct responsibility for kitchen operations, food production, labor scheduling, and financial performance.
• Demonstrated responsibility for restaurant P&Ls, labor management, food costs, inventory, purchasing, and budgeting.
• Proven ability to improve restaurant performance through effective cost controls, staffing, and operational improvements.
• Strong experience recruiting, training, developing, and retaining employees.
• Solid understanding of kitchen operations, food preparation, production planning, food safety, and sanitation.
• Ability to lead independently, exercise sound judgment, and make decisions without constant oversight.
• Willing and able to work kitchen and front-counter stations during peak periods.
• Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a scratch-made kitchen or high-production restaurant environment.
• Documented improvements in restaurant profitability, labor productivity, or food costs.
• Experience with catering, large-order production, or off-premise dining.
• Experience creating operating procedures, training programs, and systems that improve efficiency.
• Experience with Toast POS or similar restaurant management systems.
• Experience opening new restaurant locations or supporting multi-unit growth.
• Bilingual English/Spanish communication skills.

What Success Looks Like

During your first 90 days, we'll work together to establish clear priorities and measurable goals.

We'd expect you to:

• Take ownership of daily operations, staffing, and scheduling.
• Understand the restaurant's financial performance and identify opportunities to improve labor productivity and food costs.
• Strengthen kitchen production, inventory controls, portioning, and operating consistency.
• Establish clear expectations and accountability across the team.
• Build dependable catering production and execution procedures.
• Create consistent reporting and communication with ownership.
• Begin implementing improvements that support stronger profitability and a more independently operated restaurant.

We're not expecting someone to change everything overnight. We are looking for someone who knows how to evaluate an operation, prioritize what matters, and deliver measurable progress.

Schedule

• Full-time, approximately 50 hours per week.
• The GM typically works five days per week, including Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with two consecutive days off.
• Must be available to work a flexible schedule, including mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends, and holidays, based on business needs.
• A combination of opening, closing, and peak-volume shifts is required.
• Additional flexibility may be needed for catering events and other operational needs.

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary: $85,000–$100,000 annually, based on experience and demonstrated results.

Performance Bonus: Annual performance bonus opportunity of 10%–15% of base salary, based on achievement of agreed goals for restaurant profitability, labor and food cost management, and catering growth.

Additional benefits include:

• Employer contribution toward individual health insurance premiums.
• Paid time off.
• Employee meals during shifts.
• Direct access to ownership and meaningful decision-making authority.
• Opportunity for professional growth as Zaman expands.

Where This Can Go

We have long-term plans to grow Zaman beyond one location.

We're looking for a General Manager who can help us build the foundation for that growth through strong financial performance, well-trained employees, consistent operations, and systems that can be replicated.

For the right person, this is an opportunity to have a lasting impact on a growing, independently owned restaurant.

If that sounds like you, we'd welcome the opportunity to meet you.

Pay: $85,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Paid time off

Application Question(s):

• In your most recent restaurant management position, what were your average labor cost and food cost percentages? Share one specific action you personally took to improve either number. If you weren't responsible for these metrics, explain which financial results you managed.
• Tell us about a time you improved a restaurant's operations or profitability. What was the challenge, what changes did you make, and what measurable results did you achieve?

Experience:

• Restaurant management: 5 years (Required)
• Restaurant general management: 3 years (Preferred)

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Required)
• Night Shift (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $85,000 - $100,000