To apply: Email your resume and cover letter to jobs@humblesea.com with subject: GM Santa Cruz
Job Title: Humble Sea Taproom General Manager
Reports to: Director of Hospitality
Locations: Confidential restaurant with liquor in Santa Cruz County, CA.
Overview
Humble Sea Brewing Co. is expanding rapidly. We’re searching for an experienced General Manager to manage and lead day-to-day operations for a full restaurant with liquor in Santa Cruz County, CA.
This job involves crafting a business plan, opening a new location, and building a top-notch team that delivers outstanding customer, employee, and community experience consistent with Humble Sea’s brand values of “Kooky, Humble, Approachable, Innovative and Righteous." The right candidate provides the best damn customer service experience and atmosphere for drinking and eating in California, all while managing expenses responsibly and continuously seeking ways to improve.
While this role is managerial and entrepreneurial, we are looking first and foremost for an inspirational and humble leader. The best candidate motivates employees by example, surrounds themself with those who have skills that compensate for their weaknesses, is profuse with praise and transparent with improvement feedback, and provides people with the opportunity to take risks and learn from mistakes without fear.
Keys to Success
Customer Service
- Create and oversee the best damn drinking and eating experience in California.
- Design an environment that encourages people to stay, relax, and chat.
- Elicit product and brand “love” from customers.
- Empower staff to “do the right thing” in all customer-related situations while finding ways to say “yes” and turn difficulty into opportunity in even the most challenging conditions.
- Engage directly with customers in a positive, thankful, humble, or apologetic way every day.
- Provide dissatisfied customers with a reason to sing our praises after resolution.
- Promote and monitor quality service through training and by acting as a positive role model.
- Ensure that the customer always leaves fulfilled by their experience.
- Be personally available to all customers to communicate and identify their needs and address their questions or concerns.
Communication
- Review the taproom’s progress and any recommended changes with the Director of Hospitality at least monthly.
- Hold monthly staff “one-on-one” meetings.
- Hold quarterly staff meetings, and review relevant issues, asks, and feedback with the Director of Hospitality.
- Maintain open and positive relations with all employees. Treat everyone with the utmost respect and don’t “play favorites” or put yourself in a position to be perceived as doing so.
- Ensure that company policies and procedures are communicated promptly and adhered to accordingly.
Leadership, Training, Staff Management & Development
- Hire people who pursue passions that relate to Humble Sea’s food, beer, and philosophy.
- Inspire employees so that each person contributes to the productivity of the business.
- Maintain staff levels that allow for the best possible customer service.
- Delegate workload appropriately and effectively.
- Write performance evaluations and goal assessments for your key players.
- Develop and support a positive attitude towards Humble Sea. We want our employees to think of their contribution as something larger than themselves, that they are part of changing the world, and that they will be rewarded well for their efforts both financially and through praise and recognition.
- Maintain employee attitude and morale by recognizing outstanding performance and service.
- Motivate and develop staff to encourage their professional development.
- Maintain training standards to ensure product and systems expertise to improve operations and allow for better customer service.
- Provide an “open door” policy where employees are free to express their concerns and feelings without fear of retribution or ill will.
- Develop a pool of potential managers/supervisors to meet the company’s long-range food, beer, and growth objectives.
Operations
- Work with the chefs, kitchen managers, consultants, and other pertinent employees to lead, monitor, and ensure that all staff adheres to health department regulations regarding food and alcohol handling, storage, temperature, and sanitation.
- Maintain proper inventory levels of the right products at all times, including but not limited to alcohol, food, merchandise, glassware, and paper supplies.
- Oversee all administrative requirements, including regulatory changes, ABC/TTB stipulations, cash handling, completion of guest liability, property, casualty, worker’s compensation reports, and governmental compliance.
- Implement and ensure compliance with SOPs that keep employees safe and create a positive work environment.
- Be responsible for hiring, scheduling, training, and evaluating all property personnel; guiding, documenting, and mediating employee issues; and issuing corrective actions, all consistent with Humble Sea's policies and applicable laws.
- Approve and submit payroll.
- Adhere to Humble Sea policies and procedures and be willing to challenge the status quo respectfully when an opportunity for improvement is seen.
- Develop and implement additional policies, procedures, and rules as necessary.
Marketing and Programming
- Collaborate with our marketing team to develop and implement internal and external marketing initiatives, including but not limited to in-store promotions, community involvement, on-site events, off-site events, social media involvement, and employee engagement.
Financial Performance, Budgeting & Planning
- In conjunction with the Director of Hospitality, develop an annual P&L and capital expense budget for the property and periodically review revenue, expenses, and profit versus Humble Sea taproom and food program goals.
- Develop initiatives to build sales, profitability, guest counts, guest experience and frequency
- Ensure goals are met through appropriate planning and organizing staff, inventory, and expenses for short and long-term success.
- Prepare reports regarding food and menu analysis, pour costs, and overall property KPIs.
- Develop a loss prevention program to protect the company’s inventory and assets.
- Take necessary action to lower expenses during slower times.
Legal Compliance
- Ensure that the taproom and food program meet or exceed compliance with all food, drink & safety standards; State and Federal employment laws, including wage and hour, human rights, and equal employment opportunities.
- Maintain safe working conditions for employees and customers. Resolve safety concerns quickly.
Other Job Functions
- Perform additional duties as mutually agreed upon by you and the owners.
Physical Requirements
- The ability to stand/walk for extended periods and will be necessary to provide floor coverage.
- Ability to reach overhead, bend, squat, kneel, and carry product necessary for customer service and inventory restocking.
- The ability to walk up and down the staircase, carrying boxes, products, and other related items.
- The ability to perform maintenance items: sweep, vacuum, empty trash, clean.
- The ability to safely assist in moving a full 1/2 BBL keg up to 30 inches off the ground.
- The typical workweek is 50 hours - available to work weekends, holidays, and various hours during the week.
Minimum Job Qualifications
- Must be 21 years of age or older at the time of application.
- Able to pass a post-offer, pre-employment background check.
- Manager ServSafe certification is required.
- LEAD certification is required.
- Minimum Cicerone Level I certification or comparable beer-related education.
- Minimum of 3 years of restaurant or hospitality management experience required.
- College degree preferred.
- Complete understanding of restaurant operations, brewery taproom operations, and private event booking, planning, and execution focusing on hospitality.
- Thorough knowledge of brewing is a plus.
- Demonstrated budgeting experience and full understanding of financials.
- Thorough knowledge of food products, standard recipes, and proper food preparation techniques.
- The ability to accept and act on feedback from employees and the Owners and CFO constructively, without resorting to excuses.
- The ability to be honest about your skills and willingness to seek help when you cannot execute on something to a high-quality standard alone.
- The ability to use data to make decisions and make a case for improvements to the store, SOPs, and the product line/mix.
- The ability to use all tools associated with the position, including but not limited to draft lines, point of sales systems, inventory, and payroll software.
- Demonstrated ability to build effective teams, help employees find their intrinsic motivation every day, and give employees growth opportunities that focus on their strengths and career/experience goals.
- The ability to establish and maintain high standards of performance.
- The ability to give clear directions and set expectations for staff.
- The knowledge of and ability to execute highly effective merchandising approaches that drive sales growth.
- Understand basic retail concepts and the context to apply them (gross margin, markdowns, wholesale, etc.).
- Slack, Email, and Google Doc proficient.
- Social media and technology savvy in the context of brand and retail requirements.
- Healthy initiative and leadership skills.
- Ability to communicate effectively and be understood in English, both verbally and in writing.
- Excellent organizational skills.
- Accuracy and attention to detail.
- Flexibility, ability to adapt quickly, and react positively to business needs and changes in strategies.
- Strong problem-solving skills
Employee Conduct
- Every employee’s responsibility is to contribute to a positive work environment through cooperative and professional interactions with co-workers, customers, and vendors.
Compensation
- Base salary 57-63k
- Bonus potential
- Two weeks paid vacation and three weeks of paid vacation after the first year.
- Employee Sponsored Health Insurance Plan
- Cell phone + data plan
- Eligible for other benefits as they become available