The Role

The General Manager is responsible for making sure the restaurant is properly prepared, staffed, managed, and maintained.

You will oversee day-to-day front-of-house operations while working closely with the kitchen, events team, ownership, and other department leaders.

You should be comfortable taking ownership of the operation, identifying problems before they become larger issues, and creating systems that allow the restaurant and business to operate consistently.

This role requires someone who is willing to be present on the floor, interact with guests and staff, and understand what is happening during service.

 

Key Responsibilities:

Restaurant Operations

– Oversee day-to-day restaurant operations.

– Ensure each service is properly planned and prepared.

– Monitor the restaurant floor during service.

– Ensure service is efficient, professional, and consistent.

– Identify service issues early and resolve them quickly and professionally.

– Ensure opening, closing, and shift procedures are properly completed.

– Maintain appropriate staffing levels based on expected business.

– Coordinate closely with the kitchen to maintain smooth service and communication.

– Ensure the restaurant is ready for regular service, special events and high-volume periods.

– Work closely with the events team to ensure staffing, service, and operational details are prepared for weddings, private functions, and special events.

– Support the execution of events and respond to operational issues as they arise.

 

Staff Leadership & Training

A major responsibility of this role is developing people and building a stronger team.

 

The General Manager will:

– Recruit, onboard, and train restaurant staff, alongside the administrative team.

– Establish clear expectations for employees.

– Ensure employees understand their responsibilities and service standards.

– Coach staff and provide ongoing feedback.

– Address performance difficulties promptly, professionally, and consistently.

– Develop strong servers and team members into shift leads and supervisors.

– Ensure leads understand how to make decisions and manage service.

– Provide clear direction and support while encouraging team members to take ownership of their responsibilities.

– Build a team that can maintain standards confidently and consistently without relying on senior management to be physically present.

The goal is to create an operation where employees know what is expected and leadership exists at every level.

 

Scheduling & Labour Management

– Prepare and maintain staff schedules.

– Schedule according to expected sales, reservations, events, and business volume.

– Monitor labour costs and unnecessary overtime.

– Adjust staffing where appropriate without compromising service.

– Identify staffing needs early.

– Work with ownership and management regarding hiring requirements.

– Ensure scheduling decisions balance guest experience, employee needs, and business costs.

 

Financial & Operational Accountability

The General Manager is expected to understand that operational decisions affect profitability.

Responsibilities include:

– Monitor labour costs.

– Watch waste and unnecessary operating expenses.

– Monitor inventory and supply levels and communicate purchasing needs.

– Review operating needs and identify opportunities to improve efficiency.

– Monitor discounts, voids, comps, and other areas that may affect revenue.

– Work with ownership and leadership to understand restaurant performance.

– Help ensure staffing and purchasing decisions are appropriate for business volume.

 

Service Standards

– Establish and reinforce clear service expectations.

– Ensure guests are greeted and served appropriately.

– Monitor table service, wait times, and overall guest experience.

– Ensure staff understands menu items, wine, food, and current promotions.

– Maintain consistent hospitality standards between different employees and shifts.

– Personally engage with guests and respond appropriately to concerns.

– Follow up on complaints or service failures when necessary.

The General Manager should know what is happening in the dining room through direct observation and regular engagement with the team.

 

Cleanliness, Maintenance & Presentation

The General Manager is responsible for ensuring the restaurant and guest areas are maintained to a high standard.

 

This includes:

– Dining room cleanliness.

– Patio and guest areas.

– Bars and service stations.

– Washrooms.

– Host and entrance areas.

– Staff work areas.

– Furniture and restaurant equipment.

– Opening and closing cleanliness standards.

Maintenance problems should be identified and communicated before they become larger problems.

The restaurant should remain clean, organized, professional, and guest-ready.

 

Planning & Communication

– Plan ahead for reservations, weddings, private functions, and special events.

– Ensure managers and employees know what is happening before each shift.

– Sustain clear communication between front-of-house, kitchen, events and leadership.

– Attend or participate in management meetings as required.

– Communicate staffing, maintenance, operational, and guest-service issues to ownership.

– Create action plans rather than simply identifying problems.

– Ensure decisions, standards, and expectations established by ownership are clearly communicated and consistently implemented.

 

Building Strong Shift Leaders

A successful General Manager will be present and engaged during key service periods and peak seasons, while building a leadership team capable of operating confidently in their absence.

An important part of this position is developing capable shift leads and supervisors who are empowered to confidently run service when the General Manager is not present.

This includes:

– Clearly defining what leads are responsible for.

– Teaching them how to manage staff.

– Giving them authority to make appropriate service decisions.

– Ensuring they understand when something needs to be escalated.

– Holding them accountable for maintaining standards.

– Creating consistency between different shifts and different leaders.

 

What Success Looks Like

Success in this position should be visible throughout the operation.

 

We want to see:

– A well-trained and confident staff.

– Strong shift leaders who can independently manage service.

– Appropriate staffing and controlled labour costs.

– Better organization and planning.

– Consistent restaurant cleanliness.

– Strong communication between departments.

– A proactive approach to creating a consistently exceptional guest experience.

– Confident and efficient handling of guest needs as they arise.

– Consistent food and beverage service.

– Happy and well-looked-after guests.

– Clear accountability throughout the restaurant.

– An operation that runs confidently and consistently whether ownership or the General Manager is physically present or not.

 

Who We Are Looking For

The right person will have strong leadership experience in the restaurant or hospitality industry.

 

You may currently be working as a:

– Restaurant General Manager

– Assistant General Manager

– Restaurant Manager

– Food & Beverage Manager

– Front-of-House Manager

– Hospitality Manager

 

We are looking for someone who is:

– A strong people leader.

– Highly organized.

– Comfortable managing a busy restaurant floor.

– Confident in training and coaching employees.

– Confident handling challenging situations calmly and professionally.

– Financially aware and attentive to labour and operating costs.

– Capable of building effective schedules and planning ahead.

– Guest-focused.

– Detail-oriented.

– Comfortable holding people accountable.

– Able to delegate responsibility effectively and develop others to take ownership.

– Able to communicate clearly with staff and senior leadership.

– Willing to take ownership of problems and follow them through to completion.

– Willing to be hands-on and assist wherever needed to support the team and operation.

 

Schedule & Seasonality

Rolling Grape Vineyard is a seasonal hospitality and events business.

Hours and business volume can fluctuate throughout the year based on restaurant traffic, weddings, events, and seasonal demand. Seasonality will significantly affect staffing levels, business volume, and the day-to-day focus of the role throughout the year.

The General Manager will be expected to plan staffing accordingly and work with ownership and other departments to help maximize business throughout both peak and shoulder seasons.

Creativity and initiative are encouraged. Opportunities to improve service, develop experiences, support events, and build additional business are an important part of a growing hospitality operation.

Evening, weekend, and holiday availability will be required depending on operations and events.

 

Rate 

The range will be $25- $ 28 an hour, with opportunities for growth.

 

About Rolling Grape Vineyard

Rolling Grape Vineyard is a winery, restaurant, and event destination in Bailieboro, Ontario.

Our operation includes restaurant service, patios, weddings, private events, live entertainment, and special vineyard experiences.

We are looking for a General Manager who can help build the systems, people, and standards required for a growing hospitality business.

The right person will understand that their role is not simply to run the restaurant while they are present, but to build the people, systems, and leadership structure that allow the operation to run confidently and consistently every day.