Restaurant Development Manager / New Store Opening Manager

Restaurant Development Manager / New Store Opening Manager

The Grill Stratford, 38 Romford Road, London, E15 4BZ

For 19 years, The Grill Stratford has built one of the strongest reputations in the industry through exceptional food, service and consistency.

Our achievements include:

• No. 1 Restaurant on TripAdvisor for 3 consecutive years.
• Nearly 4,000 Google reviews.
• 5 Star Food Hygiene Rating.

We are now entering an exciting growth phase and are preparing to open multiple new company-owned and franchise locations.

We are looking for an exceptional operational leader who will become a key part of our long-term growth.

This is not a traditional Restaurant Manager position.

We are looking for someone who can master every aspect of our business, improve our existing restaurant, develop our management team and lead every future restaurant opening.

Initially, you will spend approximately 2 to 3 months based at our Stratford restaurant, learning every operational detail, identifying improvements and helping strengthen the business.

Once you have mastered our systems and standards, you will become responsible for opening every new restaurant we launch.

Your mission is simple.

Every new restaurant must operate to exactly the same standards as our Stratford branch restaurant from day one.

Your ResponsibilitiesPhase One – Master The Grill

Become an expert in every aspect of the restaurant, including:

Front of house operations.

Kitchen operations.

Customer service.

Food quality.

Portion control.

Opening and closing procedures.

Cash handling.

Stock control.

Ordering.

Labour management.

Food cost management.

Health and safety.

HACCP compliance.

Complaint resolution.

Google and TripAdvisor reputation management.

You will work alongside the owner and existing management team to fully understand our business before taking responsibility for future expansion.

Improve Stratford

We expect you to leave our first restaurant in a stronger position than when you joined.

You will be responsible for:

• Improving operational efficiency.
• Increasing sales opportunities.
• Improving customer experience.
• Developing the management team.
• Coaching supervisors.
• Identifying operational improvements.
• Maintaining our exceptional online reputation.
• Building systems that can be replicated across future restaurants.

Develop Future Leaders

One of your key responsibilities will be developing our existing sponsored supervisor into a confident Restaurant Manager.

You will also identify and develop future Assistant Managers and Supervisors who can support our expanding business.

We believe strong businesses are built by developing great people.

New Restaurant Openings

Once a new restaurant is handed over following completion of the fit-out, you will take full operational responsibility for preparing it for opening.

This includes:

Recruiting the complete restaurant team.

Interviewing and selecting candidates.

Training every member of staff.

Setting up kitchen and front of house operations.

Implementing all company systems and procedures.

Conducting trial service days.

Leading the opening period.

Supporting the restaurant during its first month of trading.

Coaching the Restaurant Manager until they are operating confidently and independently.

You will repeat this process for every future restaurant opening.

The Person We Are Looking For

We are looking for someone who:

• Has significant management experience within premium hospitality.
• Has experience recruiting and building successful restaurant teams.
• Has been involved in opening and launching new restaurants or has extensive experience preparing restaurants for successful openings.
• Is passionate about training and developing people.
• Understands labour management, food costs and profitability.
• Is highly organised and able to manage multiple projects.
• Leads by example and earns the respect of their team.
• Has exceptionally high standards and attention to detail.
• Is commercially minded and constantly looks for opportunities to improve revenue, customer experience and operational performance.
• Wants to build a long-term career and grow into a senior leadership role as the company expands.

Success Will Be Measured By

• Successful restaurant openings.
• Consistent standards across every location.
• Strong recruitment and staff retention.
• Development of future Restaurant Managers.
• Growth in sales and profitability.
• Maintaining outstanding customer reviews and guest satisfaction.
• Building systems that allow the business to expand without compromising quality.

This is a unique opportunity to help build one of the UK's leading premium halal restaurant brands and become a key part of our long-term leadership team.

Salary & Benefits

Salary: £40,000 to £45,000 per annum, depending on experience.

Annual Performance Bonus: Up to £5,000 per year based on agreed KPIs, including operational excellence, successful team development, sales growth, customer satisfaction, staff retention and overall business performance.

Restaurant Opening Bonus: £2,500 for each successful restaurant opening, payable once agreed operational KPIs have been achieved and the restaurant has successfully traded for 3 months.

Career Progression

This is not a role with a fixed career path.

As our business expands, you will have the opportunity to progress into senior operational leadership, with increasing responsibility for future restaurant openings and the wider business.

Following the successful opening of each new restaurant, your remuneration package will be reviewed to reflect any significant increase in responsibilities.

Additional Benefits

Genuine opportunity to build and shape one of the UK's leading premium halal restaurant brands.

Lead every new restaurant opening and play a key role in the company's expansion.

Work directly alongside the founder and have real influence over operational decisions.

Autonomy to implement new ideas, systems and improvements.

Ongoing leadership and professional development.

Company pension.

Paid annual leave.

Complimentary meals whilst on duty.

Staff discount.

We are not simply looking for an employee.

We are looking for someone who wants to build something exceptional, develop future leaders and become a key part of our long-term success.