MAKE Projects Restaurant & Events Manager (MAKE Cafe) San Diego, CA · Full time Company website

Apply for Restaurant & Events Manager (MAKE Cafe)

MAKE stands for Merging Agriculture Kitchens and Employment. Our social enterprise restaurant and urban farm located in San Diego provides an exciting learning platform for our participants to gain critical social, communication and job readiness skills. We operate an urban farm and cafe to provide a paid, real-world work experience for low-income refugee and immigrant women and youth. Our vision at MAKE Projects is to see San Diegans cross social, racial, economic, and geographic lines as we gather over a common love of food, flavors, and culture. We believe in the power of food to bring diverse populations together, unite a community, and educate each other about our history and differences, as well as our commonalities.

Job Title: Restaurant & Events Manager (MAKE Cafe) 

Full-time, Salaried  

Located: San Diego, Normal Heights neighborhood 

Immediate Supervisor: Executive Director 

Direct Reports: Barista, Cashiers, Event Staff, Trainees (program participants) 

 

About MAKE Projects: 

MAKE Projects is a social enterprise that operates an all-day brunch café (MAKE Cafe) while providing hands-on culinary and hospitality training to participants in our job readiness program. Our mission is to combine exceptional food with meaningful workforce development, creating opportunities for participants to grow skills, confidence, and professional experience. MAKE Cafe seeks to become the go-to gathering place to host a variety of small and large community events each month and throughout the year. Our food is globally-inspired and locally-sourced.  

 

Position Overview: 

MAKE Cafe is seeking an enthusiastic Restaurant and Events Manager (REM) to lead, train and supervise all front-of-house operations for MAKE Cafe service operations as well as special events. The REM will manage all catering and private requests. Day to day, the REM must exercise a blend of customer service excellence, operational leadership, and administrative management.  The REM will work in close partnership with the Executive Chef (EC).  

 

The ideal candidate: loves making people feel happy and welcome, builds community wherever they go, enjoys teaching and training others to succeed and is extremely well-organized. 

 

Job Responsibilities: 

Service Leadership 

• Customer Relations: Engage with all customers throughout service to tell the MAKE story while also assessing service operations to manage staff operations smoothly and more successfully  
• Monitor service operations and liaise with the EC to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction by addressing customer complaints or concerns promptly and professionally  
• Write daily log posts and properly address all service or personnel issues  

 

People Leadership   

• Mentor and provide regular performance feedback to FOH crew  
• Ensure proper training of FOH crew by following and updating MAKE training manuals, in partnership with MAKE’s management team 
• Maintain a culture of accountability with staff when performance expectations are not met, including delivering disciplinary action when necessary  

 

Operational Leadership 

• Oversee day-to-day FOH operations to ensure smooth functioning of the MAKE Cafe, catering, private event and special event activities 
• Ensure staffing, COGS and operational budgets 
• Work with management to ensure menu items are in line with MAKE values  
• Ensure proper equipment and facilities maintenance schedule  
• Ensure staff maintains a clean, safe and organized workplace  
• Lead revenue growth by developing innovative menu and special event experiences in line with MAKE values  

 

Skills: 

• Excellent guest service and social skills for all MAKE Cafe audiences: neighborhood, donors, business, nonprofit and community partners 
• Excellent communication soft skills to convey the MAKE mission, restaurant concept and build a strong MAKE community of return guests, donors and partners  
• Ability to educate, train, supervise and direct the work of others  
• Have a working knowledge of computer word processing programs and POS systems  
• Organized with a strong emphasis on attention to detail and time management  
• Strong sense of urgency and ability to consistently meet deadlines  
• Ability to think independently and willingness to take initiative  
• Ability to adjust leadership style as necessary to cultivate a results driven team  

 

Qualifications: 

• Minimum 3 years of restaurant or events hospitality experience with an emphasis on guest service  
• Minimum 1 year of management experience supervising others 
• ServSafe Manager Certified  

 

Physical Demands and Work Environment  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential job functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: communicate and accurately exchange information at normal speaking levels; move in an office or restaurant environment to accomplish tasks; use hands to finger, grasp, or feel; reach by extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction; stoop, kneel, crouch, and crawl; and view and operate electronic devices and equipment, including but not limited to, phones, tablets, and computers, and coffee grinders, espresso machines, and other food facility equipment. The employee must also be able to detect, distinguish, and determine with a degree of accuracy the differences or similarities in intensity or qualify of flavors or odors by using the tongue or nose. The employee must frequently raise objects weighing 25 pounds or less and from a lower position to a higher position or move such objects horizontally from position-to-position, and occasionally raise or move objects weighing more than 25 pounds. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.  

 

Note  

This Job Description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work being performed; it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for the position. You will be expected to render all services that are consistent with the position and its responsibilities. The Company has the right to revise this Job Description at any time or to require that different tasks, duties, and responsibilities be performed as assigned.  

 

Work Environment: This position requires a full-time, in-person schedule Wednesday through Sunday. Our current restaurant service hours are 9am-2pm, with occasional private dinners and special events. Subject to change as we grow. 

 

Compensation and Benefits: This is a full-time, salaried at $70,300 per year plus health benefits, paid time off, and paid sick leave. MAKE Projects also offers a matching 401k retirement plan after six months of employment.  

  

How to Apply: Visit www.sdmake.org/joinus to submit your cover letter, resume and responses to our questions.  

   

MAKE Projects is an equal opportunity employer. MAKE Projects does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, marital status, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability. Any offer of employment is contingent upon the satisfactory results of reference and background checks.