Restaurant Recruiter Guy
Matching the best talent in the restaurant and hospitality industry!
Matching the best talent in the restaurant and hospitality industry!
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Fast Casual Restaurant — Multi-Unit Franchise Group
The Opportunity
A rapidly growing, multi-brand franchise group is seeking a Director of Operations to lead their high-volume fast casual restaurant division across multiple Midwest markets. This is a high-visibility leadership role reporting directly to the VP of Operations within a 130+ unit franchise platform that is scaling aggressively.
The brand you’d be leading is one of the fastest-growing fast casual concepts in the country — with $3M+ average unit volumes, a cult-level consumer following, national media attention, & significant expansion plans. This is not a maintenance role. This is a build role with a clear path to VP-level leadership as the company adds new brands and new markets.
What You’ll Do
• Oversee multi-unit operations across two regional markets with District Managers reporting directly to you
• Lead, develop, and hold accountable a team of DMs, General Managers, and unit-level leadership
• Spend the majority of your time in restaurants — coaching teams, identifying bottlenecks, and driving operational exceptional work during peak periods
• Build your bench: recruit, train, and develop your next generation of GMs and DMs
• Own the P&L across your markets — drive sales, manage costs, & offer strong unit-level profitability
• Support new store openings as the company continues to grow its footprint
• Partner directly with the VP of Operations & ownership group on strategy, growth, and talent
• Keep it simple — execute brand standards, take care of your people, & don’t overcomplicate it
What We’re hiring
This isn’t about a perfect resume. It’s about the right person. The ownership group is building something special and they hire for culture, energy, and long-term fit above all else.
• Multi-Unit Leadership: You’ve directly managed 8+ restaurant locations with full P&L accountability. Not just overseeing — owning the numbers.
• People Builder: Your track record shows a history of developing GMs, DMs, and future leaders. You get energy from watching your people grow.
• Restaurant-First Operator: You lead from the floor, not from a laptop. You’re in your restaurants during peak hours, coaching your teams, and seeing operations firsthand. Including some evenings.
• High Energy & Culture Fit: You bring positive energy to every conversation. You’re the type of person your team wants to work hard for — and someone the leadership team would want to grab a beer with after work.
• Solid Tenure: You’ve devoted to your past roles and built something. We’re hiring stability and loyalty, not a resume full of 12–18 month stops.
• Franchise Group Experience (desired): You understand what it means to operate within a franchisee environment — lean teams, hands-on ownership, & the autonomy to run your business.
• Growth Mentality: You’re excited by the idea of building markets, opening new stores, and scaling a brand — not just maintaining what’s already there.
Background & Experience
We’re open-minded on where you come from. Fast casual and QSR multi-unit operators are a natural fit, but we’ve built our leadership team from a variety of backgrounds and we’ll consider any segment if you’re the right person.
• Fast casual, QSR, or casual dining multi-unit operations leadership
• Director of Operations, Area Director, District Manager, eager to step up
• Experience with high-volume restaurants ($2M–$4M+ AUV desired)
• Franchise group or multi-brand operator experience is a strong plus
• New store opening experience is a plus
• No degree requirement — we care about what you’ve built, not where you went to school
Compensation & Benefits
Base pay: $110,000 – $120,000
Bonus: 15–20% of base pay (performance-based)
Estimated Total Comp: $126,500 – $144,000 in year one
health benefits: Company-subsidized health, dental, & vision
Car Allowance: Provided for director-level roles
PTO: Competitive and flexible PTO
Growth Upside: Clear path to VP of Operations as the company scales
Tagged as: Director, VP
