Director of Operations - Restaurant

Santa Barbara, CA

Full Time

Leap Brands

Senior Manager/Supervisor

We are looking for a Director of Operations who knows what great restaurant operations look like and has the leadership skills to build them at scale. This isn't a corporate desk job. We're looking for a hands-on operator who enjoys being in the restaurants, coaching leaders, improving financial performance, and creating an exceptional guest experience.

The Director of Operations will oversee multiple full-service restaurant locations and partner with General Managers to drive sales, profitability, operational excellence, and team development.

Responsibilities

Lead the operational performance of multiple full-service restaurant locations.
Coach, mentor, and develop General Managers and Area Leaders.
Drive sales growth while improving restaurant profitability and EBITDA.
Analyze P&L statements and identify opportunities to improve labor, food cost, and operating expenses.
Ensure every restaurant consistently delivers an exceptional guest experience.
Maintain high standards for food quality, cleanliness, service, and hospitality.
Develop action plans for underperforming restaurants and hold leadership teams accountable for results.
Recruit, train, and retain high-performing operational leaders.
Partner with HR on hiring, employee relations, and succession planning.
Work closely with Marketing, Culinary, Finance, and Training to execute company initiatives.
Monitor KPIs including sales, labor, food cost, guest satisfaction, turnover, and safety metrics.
Ensure compliance with all health, safety, and company operating standards.
Travel regularly between restaurant locations.

Qualifications

7+ years of multi-unit leadership experience in full-service restaurants.
Experience overseeing multiple restaurant locations with responsibility for financial performance.
Strong understanding of restaurant P&Ls and key operating metrics.
Proven ability to develop General Managers into high-performing leaders.
Experience leading high-volume restaurant operations.
Excellent communication and coaching skills.
Strong business acumen with the ability to balance hospitality and profitability.
Willingness to travel extensively.

Preferred Experience

Casual dining, polished casual, upscale casual, or family dining experience.
Experience with 8–20+ restaurant locations.
Background working with private equity-backed or growth-oriented restaurant companies.
Experience leading new restaurant openings, remodels, or operational turnarounds.

Apply for this position

Required*

First Name*

Last Name*

Email Address*

Phone*

Address*

Resume*

We've received your resume. Click here to update it.

Attach resume or Paste resume

Attach resume as .pdf, .doc, .docx, .odt, .txt, or .rtf (limit 5MB) or Paste resume

Paste your resume here or Attach resume file

Cover Letter

Are you willing to relocate?*

What's your citizenship / employment eligibility?*

What's your highest level of education completed?*

Are you 18 years of age or older?*

LinkedIn Profile URL:

Desired salary*

Earliest start date?*

Have you ever been convicted of a felony?*

If “Yes”, you have been convicted of a felony, please explain the circumstances around the conviction:

References: Please enter names and contact information:

By typing YES, you consent to receive sms/text messages from Leap Brands. Reply STOP to opt-out anytime"

https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/80511648* YesNo

Do you agree to receive communication via SMS text?*

The following questions are entirely optional.

To comply with government Equal Employment Opportunity and/or Affirmative Action reporting regulations, we are requesting (but NOT requiring) that you enter this personal data. This information will not be used in connection with any employment decisions, and will be used solely as permitted by state and federal law. Your voluntary cooperation would be appreciated. Learn more.

Gender

Race/Ethnicity

Invitation for Job Applicants to Self-Identify as a U.S. Veteran

A “disabled veteran” is one of the following:
- a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or
- a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.
A “recently separated veteran” means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.
An “active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran” means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.
An “Armed forces service medal veteran” means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Veteran status

I IDENTIFY AS ONE OR MORE OF THE CLASSIFICATIONS OF PROTECTED VETERAN LISTED ABOVE
I AM NOT A PROTECTED VETERAN
I DON’T WISH TO ANSWER

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form CC-305
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 05/31/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
Blind or low vision
Cancer (past or present)
Cardiovascular or heart disease
Celiac disease
Cerebral palsy
Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
Diabetes
Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
Intellectual or developmental disability
Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
Short stature (dwarfism)
Traumatic brain injury

Please check one of the boxes below:

YES, I HAVE A DISABILITY, OR HAVE HAD ONE IN THE PAST NO, I DO NOT HAVE A DISABILITY AND HAVE NOT HAD ONE IN THE PAST I DO NOT WANT TO ANSWER

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

You must enter your name and date
Name	Date

Human Check*

Submit Application

Thanks for visiting our Job Board. Please pardon our appearance as we work to make your application process as enjoyable as possible. Our goal is to ensure you are not taking 20 minutes to fill out your application, but to simplify the application process.

Director of Operations - Restaurant

Responsibilities

Qualifications

Preferred Experience

Apply for this position