Director of Operations - Restaurants

Director of Operations – Dave’s Hot Chicken

Position: Director of Operations

Employment Type: Full-Time

Industry: Restaurant / Multi-Unit Operations

About the Role

Dave’s Hot Chicken is looking for a highly motivated, results-driven Director of Operations to lead and support our growing restaurant operations.

This position is responsible for driving operational excellence across multiple locations while developing strong leaders, building a high-performance culture, delivering an exceptional guest experience, and achieving financial results.

We are looking for a leader who understands that great restaurant operations start with great people. The Director of Operations will work closely with General Managers and restaurant leadership teams to create accountability, consistency, and a culture where team members feel supported, challenged, recognized, and given opportunities to grow.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

· Provide leadership and oversight for multiple Dave’s Hot Chicken locations.

· Ensure restaurants consistently execute Dave’s Hot Chicken operational standards, food quality, cleanliness, hospitality, and brand expectations.

· Conduct regular restaurant visits and provide clear, actionable feedback to leadership teams.

· Identify operational opportunities and develop plans to improve restaurant performance.

· Ensure restaurants are properly staffed and prepared to execute at a high level.

· Maintain strong standards for food safety, workplace safety, and regulatory compliance.

People & Leadership Development

· Recruit, develop, coach, and retain high-performing General Managers and restaurant leaders.

· Build a strong pipeline of future General Managers, Area Leaders, and other operations leaders.

· Create individualized development plans for key leaders and high-potential team members.

· Hold leaders accountable while providing the coaching, tools, and resources necessary for them to succeed.

· Recognize outstanding performance and create a culture where accomplishments are celebrated.

· Ensure leaders are actively developing their teams rather than simply managing daily operations.

· Promote a culture of respect, communication, accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

Financial Performance

· Take ownership of restaurant sales, profitability, labor, food cost, controllable expenses, and overall financial performance.

· Analyze P&L statements and restaurant performance reports to identify trends and opportunities.

· Develop action plans to improve underperforming locations.

· Partner with restaurant leadership to increase sales while maintaining appropriate labor and cost controls.

· Establish clear performance expectations and follow up consistently on results.

Guest Experience

· Ensure every restaurant delivers a consistently outstanding guest experience.

· Monitor guest feedback and identify recurring opportunities.

· Coach restaurant leaders on hospitality, speed of service, order accuracy, food quality, and restaurant cleanliness.

· Ensure guest concerns are handled quickly, professionally, and appropriately.

New Restaurant Openings & Growth

· Support new restaurant openings, including staffing, training, leadership development, and operational readiness.

· Build leadership benches ahead of organizational growth.

· Help establish scalable systems and processes as the organization adds locations.

· Partner with senior leadership to develop strategies that support long-term growth.

What We’re Looking For

The ideal candidate will have:

· 7+ years of progressive restaurant operations leadership experience.

· 3+ years of successful multi-unit leadership experience.

· Experience overseeing multiple high-volume restaurant locations.

· Proven ability to develop General Managers and build leadership pipelines.

· Strong understanding of restaurant P&L management, labor, food cost, sales building, and profitability.

· Demonstrated ability to improve restaurant performance and hold teams accountable for results.

· Experience supporting new restaurant openings is strongly preferred.

· Excellent communication, coaching, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

· Ability to balance people, operations, guest experience, and profitability.

· Willingness to travel regularly between restaurant locations.

· Must be willing to work weekend, nights and availability to travel.

The Leader We Want

We are looking for someone who:

· Leads from the front and is comfortable spending significant time inside the restaurants.

· Builds relationships and earns the trust of their teams.

· Sets high expectations without losing sight of the people responsible for delivering the results.

· Develops leaders instead of simply giving directions.

· Recognizes and rewards great performance.

· Communicates clearly and follows through on commitments.

· Makes decisions based on both operational data and what is actually happening inside the restaurants.

· Takes ownership and expects the same from their leadership team.

· Understands that sustainable financial performance comes from strong operations, strong leadership, and engaged teams.

· Is passionate about building a winning culture while growing the Dave’s Hot Chicken brand.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this position means:

Great People. Great Restaurants. Great Guest Experiences. Strong Financial Results.

The Director of Operations will be expected to build restaurants where team members want to work, leaders have opportunities to grow, guests want to return, and the business consistently delivers strong results.

Why Join Dave’s Hot Chicken?

This is an opportunity to play a significant leadership role in a rapidly growing restaurant brand. You will have the ability to influence operations, develop future leaders, support restaurant growth, and help create a culture built around accountability, recognition, development, and operational excellence.

Dave’s Hot Chicken is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.