Front Of House Manager

n/naka is a two Michelin-starred California kaiseki restaurant led by Chefs Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida.  Our highly personal interpretation of kaiseki is devoted to honoring seasonality and providing an intimate, heartfelt guest experience.  Our team is driven by “omotenashi”, the Japanese philosophy of wholeheartedly caring for our guests. 

The FOH Manager will work closely with the chef/owners and all members of the Front of House team to ensure an extraordinary dining experience for our guests that is rooted in kindness and a sincere passion for the art of fine dining hospitality.  The FOH Manager will be leading the Front of House team in all aspects of guest relationships, service standards, and team development and culture. 

WHO YOU ARE:

The ideal candidate for this role will possess natural leadership abilities and a passion for hospitality and highly technical fine dining service standards that have been honed through a minimum of three years of experience as a leader on the floor, or in a hands-on managerial position at Two or Three Michelin starred establishments.  You are genuinely thoughtful, have incredible attention to details, and possess a natural grace and presence that puts others at ease.  Your commitment to extraordinary hospitality stems from your genuine love of serving others - guests and team members alike.  You understand that being a leader means holding yourself to a higher standard at all times and leading by example.  You are a problem solver and can anticipate any issues that may arise and proactively manage the FOH team to ensure that we exceed our guests’ expectations nightly.  You thrive in a small team environment and understand the importance of strategic scheduling, cross-training, and building a positive team culture that respects disciplined accountability.   

Duties and Responsibilities include, but not limited to:

• Manage, train, and develop all FOH staff following n/naka’s high service standards to create an extraordinary dining experience that is driven by genuine warmth, care, attention to details, and gracefulness.
• Lead by example proper execution of service standards and protocols
• Conduct daily and on-going training/development for all FOH team members by clearly communicating performance expectations, providing on-going feedback, and managing regular performance reviews
• Manage the flow of service through proper communication with chefs, FOH team members, kitchen team members, and valet staff. 
• Continually offer and implement new ideas for the improvement of guest relationships, service standards, reservations, and staff training/development
• Ensure effective hiring, onboarding, professional development, performance management, and staff retention for all FOH positions
• Manage all reservations related responsibilities, including proper setup and execution of online reservations on Tock, documenting reservations SOPs/policies, training staff on reservations SOPs/policies, updating reservations release dates on website, managing table configurations and releases to optimize business profitability
• Continually manage website information pertaining to hours of operation, reservations, menu changes, and cancellation policies, etc
• Cultivate sincere relationships with guests and oversee all SOPs related to guest relationship management to develop return business and take the utmost care of all guest relationships
• Support FOH service team by anticipating and solving any guest problems 
• Run and clear food as needed with the FOH team to ensure service and food quality
• Manage all guest service related communications, including but not limited to emails, phone calls, guest complaints, unique requests
• Manage all FOH staff opening, closing and security responsibilities through continual updates and oversight of tasks and checklists.  
• Work with chef/owners to manage all FOH staff job posting, hiring, training, disciplining, terminating 
• Expo during service to ensure the smooth flow of service
• Lead pre-shift and post-service meetings with FOH team
• Direct and manage daily menu updates and production
• Manage all supplies and inventory related to FOH responsibilities
• Manage all POS related responsibilities, including nightly comp/discount audit, guest check closing, tip recording, deposit refunds
• Manage all FOH schedules and time card approvals to ensure proper staffing and labor cost control 

• Work closely with sake and wine director to oversee beverage programs to maximize and meet targeted revenue goals, formulate sales strategies and training for FOH staff
• Evaluate and implement best practices regarding all guest communication operations including phone, email, online reservations process (i.e. scripts for reservation deferral to website, valet procedures, coat checks, gift certificates, dietary requests, confirmations, deposits, etc.)

• Develop and revise job descriptions for all FOH positions
• Completion of any FOH termination documents or requests for final paychecks including a letter of resignation

 Skills and Attributes:

• 3+ years of management experience in two or three Michelin star establishments
• 3+ years of hands on fine dining service experience
• Exceptional leadership and conflict resolution skills
• Exceptional communication, service skills, food & beverage knowledge required
• High aptitude in decision making and problem solving
• Ability to work under pressure and maintain grace and composure at all times
• Experience with Tock reservation system and Square POS
• Manager ServSafe certified

 Hours and Working Conditions:

• Must be available to work service Wednesday to Saturday on site, and work off site on administrative duties as needed on non-service days
• Must be able to work occasional holidays, consistent late nights, and occasional special events and buyouts
• The physical demands for this position are seeing, hearing, speaking, reaching, frequently lifting up to 25 pounds, occasionally lifting up to 50 pounds, sitting, standing for 4 to 11 hours, bending, and moving intermittently during working hours. These physical requirements may be accomplished with or without reasonable accommodations.

The duties of this position may change from time to time. n/naka reserves the right to add or remove duties and responsibilities at the discretion of Ownership or its managers. This job description is intended to describe the general level of work being performed. It is not intended to be all-inclusive.

n/naka is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender (including gender identity or expression), pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, marital status, domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking victim status, ancestry, national origin, alienage or citizenship, age, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristic, or other protected status.