Job title: Group Operations Manager
Location: Gourmet Food Parlour
Reports To: Head of Operations
Employment Type: Full-time
At Gourmet Food Parlour, we're incredibly proud of what we've built over the past 20 years.
What started as a single cafe has grown into one of Ireland's leading independent hospitality businesses. Today, we're a proudly Irish-owned company operating six standalone restaurants, premium locations within Brown Thomas and Arnott's, and two successful catering divisions that serve both corporate and private clients.
Our reputation has been built on fresh, innovative menus, genuine hospitality, exceptional coffee, and creating welcoming spaces where people love to meet, eat and celebrate. While we've grown significantly over the years, we've never lost the family values, passion and hands-on approach that got us here in the first place.
As we continue to grow, we're looking for an exceptional Group Operations Manager to join our senior leadership team. This is an opportunity to make a real impact in a business that's ambitious, constantly evolving and committed to raising the bar in casual dining.
Job Summary
Reporting directly to the Head of Operations, you'll play a key role in leading the day-to-day operations of our business, supporting our Restaurant Managers, developing our people, driving commercial performance and ensuring every Gourmet Food Parlour location consistently delivers an outstanding guest experience.
This is a hands-on leadership role. We're looking for someone who enjoys being on the floor as much as they enjoy analysing performance, someone who naturally builds relationships with teams, spots opportunities for improvement and leads by example.
You'll work closely with our leadership team to help shape the next stage of Gourmet Food Parlour's journey, ensuring our standards, culture and guest experience continue to set us apart.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership & People
Lead, mentor and develop Restaurant Managers across all locations.
Build engaged, high-performing teams through coaching, support and accountability.
Train, onboard and develop new managers, ensuring consistent leadership capability across all sites.
Conduct regular performance reviews and implement development plans.
Oversee management rosters, annual leave and staffing requirements.
Foster a culture that reflects Gourmet Food Parlour values, standards and commitment to hospitality excellence.
Multi-Site Operations
Oversee the day-to-day operations of all restaurant and cafe locations.
Ensure consistency in guest experience, food quality, presentation and service standards.
Lead management meetings and communicate business priorities across the group.
Support recruitment, onboarding and training of management and operational teams.
Maintain operational compliance while identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
Provide hands-on operational support by stepping into Restaurant Manager roles as needed, maintaining consistent standards, team leadership and commercial performance across all sites.
Food Safety, Hygiene & Compliance
Ensure full compliance with HACCP standards, food safety legislation, and internal audit requirements across all sites.
Champion a strong culture of food hygiene, health & safety, and cleanliness standards throughout the business.
Oversee regular internal audits and corrective action plans to maintain compliance excellence.
Ensure all teams are fully trained and consistently updated on HACCP procedures, allergen management, and food safety protocols.
Work closely with management teams to ensure all regulatory, environmental health, and safety standards are consistently met or exceeded.
Commercial & Financial Performance
Take ownership of sales performance, labour management and operational budgets.
Monitor labour costs and productivity across all locations.
Produce regular operational and financial reports, identifying trends and opportunities.
Work closely with Finance to achieve KPIs and deliver profitable growth.
Strategic Growth
Collaborate with the Head of Operations to deliver operational strategies that support the continued expansion of the business.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiencies, enhance guest experience and increase profitability.
Support the successful rollout of new initiatives, concepts and business opportunities.
Drive sales through exceptional execution, team engagement and innovative thinking.
Systems & Continuous Improvement
Champion operational systems across scheduling, purchasing and reporting.
Use data and performance insights to drive operational improvements.
Encourage best practice and consistency across every site.
Interdepartmental Communications
Work closely with HR, Finance, Marketing, Reservations and Maintenance teams.
Support recruitment, employee relations and performance management.
Oversee the Reservations function to ensure seamless guest communication.
Partner with department leaders to deliver projects that support business growth and operational excellence.
Performance & Accountability
Monitor operational and financial KPIs across the group.
Identify performance gaps and implement effective action plans.
Provide regular reports and recommendations to the Managing Director.
Lead by example with a proactive, visible and hands-on management style.
About You
You are an experienced hospitality leader with a passion for people, food and operational excellence. You understand what it takes to lead multiple locations successfully while maintaining exceptional standards and delivering strong commercial results.
Essential Skills & Experience
Minimum of three years' experience in a senior hospitality management role, ideally across multiple sites.
Proven leadership experience within restaurants, cafes or premium casual dining environments.
Strong commercial acumen with experience managing budgets, labour costs and KPIs.
Excellent people leadership, coaching and team development skills.
Experience in training and developing managers and leadership teams.
Strong understanding of HACCP, food safety, hygiene standards, and health & safety compliance.
Outstanding organisational, communication and decision-making abilities.
Experience using hospitality management systems such as Nory, Toast, OpenTable or similar platforms
Comfortable being highly hands-on and regularly stepping into operational leadership roles at site level when required.
Full clean driving licence with flexibility to travel between locations.
Why Join Gourmet Food Parlour?
At Gourmet Food Parlour, we're passionate about creating places people love to visit, and equally passionate about creating careers people are proud to build.
Joining our leadership team means becoming part of a business that values innovation, invests in its people, and continues to evolve after more than two decades of success.
We offer:
Competitive salary
Opportunity to influence the future direction of an established and growing hospitality group
Career progression within a respected Irish-owned business
A collaborative, ambitious and supportive leadership team
The opportunity to leave your mark on one of Ireland's leading casual dining brands
Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
Experience:
Senior Restaurant management (3years)
Work Authorisation:
Ireland (required)
Gourmet Food Parlour is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to creating a workplace built on respect, inclusivity, and opportunity for all.
