ASSISTANT RESTAURANT MANAGER (DUTY MANAGER)

The Assistant Restaurant Manager is responsible for coordinating, overseeing, and executing daily front-of-house (FOH) shift operations. This role directly supports the Restaurant Manager in managing floor personnel, ensuring a five-star guest experience, and maintaining seamless operational flow. The Assistant Restaurant Manager is expected to resolve shift-level problems, manage daily administration, and escalate complex issues to the Restaurant Manager only after gathering all relevant facts.

Key Responsibilities:

Floor Presence & Member Relations (80% - 90% of Shift Time)

• High Visibility: Spend 80% to 90% of shift time actively moving through dining areas, personally greeting each new table at least once during service.
• Service Modelling: Set a flawless professional example for floor staff, ensuring these hosting benchmarks are consistently met even during personal absences.
• Complaint Resolution: Address and resolve customer complaints immediately on the floor, keeping a detailed shift log of the issues and how they were settled.
• Operational Collaboration: Build strong working relationships with other estate departments to integrate FOH activities and keep clients well-informed.

Front-of-House (FOH) Service Management

• Operational Standards: Coordinate daily FOH shift functions including visual aesthetics, service speed, safety, and overall quality control.
• Menu & Product Knowledge: Maintain total fluency in the current À la Carte menu, daily specials, and wine/beverage lists. Conduct ad-hoc menu tests with service staff.
• Shift Briefings: Conduct mandatory daily shift briefings to communicate menu options, allergen/dietary profiles, and operational expectations clearly to waiters and barmen.
• Large Group Coordination: Identify and immediately route bookings of 15 or more guests to the Restaurant Manager and Events Coordinator to streamline invoicing, menus, and venue requirements.
• Takeaway Control: Oversee the execution of takeaway orders from the initial phone call through to final collection, enforcing strict quality and plating controls.

Revenue Generation & Cost Control

• Upselling & Training: Conduct continuous on-the-floor upselling training with floor staff.
• Sales Targets: Set and reinforce daily spend-per-head targets for waiters, including targeted pushes for specialised estate theme evenings.

Staff Management & Leadership

• Performance & Discipline: Act as the first line of management for floor grievances. Address minor performance deviations, monitor staff training gaps, and consult with the Restaurant Manager and HR when formal disciplinary warnings are required.
• Team Culture: Supervise and mentor waiters, servers, baristas, and bar staff, ensuring compliance with estate policies, common courtesy, and core company values.

General Shift Administration

• Daily Administration: Complete daily shift reports and respond promptly to incoming restaurant enquiries.
• Cash-Ups & POS: Ensure all waiter and bar cash-ups are completed correctly and balanced flawlessly against the POS system at close of business.
• Reservations Management: Manage the live restaurant reservation book and digital booking platforms
• Hotel Liaison: Coordinate directly with the Estate Hotel regarding the food and beverage requirements of in-house guests and inbound tour groups.

Requirements:

· SA Citizen

· Grade 12 (Matric).

· Familiar with POS systems.

· Minimum 2+ years’ experience in a high-volume restaurant, café, or hospitality environment.

· Ability to work shifts, weekends, and public holidays.

• After-Hours Accessibility: Requires operational availability for after-hours contact with superiors and shift staff across a 7-day operational cycle as business demands dictate.

To Apply: Kindly send your updated CV to hr@pearlvalley.co.za.

Pay: From R30,23 per month

Work Location: In person