Director of Operations | Fast Casual | St Louis | Central IL #ZDG 3547472
Job Description
Job Description
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Fast Casual Restaurant Multi-Unit Franchise Group
The Opportunity
A rapidly growing, multi-brand franchise group is seeking a Director of Operations to lead their high-volume fast casual restaurant division across multiple Midwest markets. This is a high-visibility leadership role reporting directly to the VP of Operations within a 130+ unit franchise platform that is scaling aggressively.
The brand youd be leading is one of the fastest-growing fast casual concepts in the country with $3M+ average unit volumes, a cult-level consumer following, national media attention, and significant expansion plans. This is not a maintenance role. This is a build role with a clear path to VP-level leadership as the company adds new brands and new markets.
What Youll Do
Oversee multi-unit operations across two regional markets with District Managers reporting directly to you
Lead, develop, and hold accountable a team of DMs, General Managers, and unit-level leadership
Spend the majority of your time in restaurants coaching teams, identifying bottlenecks, and driving operational excellence during peak periods
Build your bench: recruit, train, and develop your next generation of GMs and DMs
Own the P&L across your markets drive sales, manage costs, and deliver strong unit-level profitability
Support new store openings as the company continues to grow its footprint
Partner directly with the VP of Operations and ownership group on strategy, growth, and talent
Keep it simple execute brand standards, take care of your people, and dont overcomplicate it
What Were Looking For
This isnt about a perfect resume. Its about the right person. The ownership group is building something special and they hire for culture, energy, and long-term fit above all else.
Multi-Unit Leadership: Youve directly managed 8+ restaurant locations with full P&L accountability. Not just overseeing owning the numbers.
People Builder: Your track record shows a history of developing GMs, DMs, and future leaders. You get energy from watching your people grow.
Restaurant-First Operator: You lead from the floor, not from a laptop. Youre in your restaurants during peak hours, coaching your teams, and seeing operations firsthand. Including some evenings.
High Energy & Culture Fit: You bring positive energy to every conversation. Youre the type of person your team wants to work hard for and someone the leadership team would want to grab a beer with after work.
Solid Tenure: Youve committed to your past roles and built something. Were looking for stability and loyalty, not a resume full of 1218 month stops.
Franchise Group Experience (Preferred): You understand what it means to operate within a franchisee environment lean teams, hands-on ownership, and the autonomy to run your business.
Growth Mentality: Youre excited by the idea of building markets, opening new stores, and scaling a brand not just maintaining whats already there.
Background & Experience
Were open-minded on where you come from. Fast casual and QSR multi-unit operators are a natural fit, but weve built our leadership team from a variety of backgrounds and well consider any segment if youre the right person.
Fast casual, QSR, or casual dining multi-unit operations leadership
Director of Operations, Area Director, District Manager, ready to step up
Experience with high-volume restaurants ($2M$4M+ AUV preferred)
Franchise group or multi-brand operator experience is a strong plus
New store opening experience is a plus
No degree requirement we care about what youve built, not where you went to school
Compensation & Benefits
Base Salary: $110,000 $120,000
Bonus: 1520% of base salary (performance-based)
Estimated Total Comp: $126,500 $144,000 in year one
Health Insurance: Company-subsidized health, dental, and vision
Car Allowance: Provided for director-level roles
PTO: Competitive and flexible paid time off
Growth Upside: Clear path to VP of Operations as the company scales
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#STSCompany DescriptionSuperior Talent Source is a niche search agency specializing in executive placement nationwide with leading restaurants, hotels country clubs and resorts across the United States.
Our recruiters have decades of experience in recruiting for the Hospitality industry, and they have built up an excellent network of relationships as well as a deep understanding of the marketplace.
Our recruiter's expertise together with our approach is focused on finding the right fit for both candidate and client, whilst delivering a quality service.
Our success is built on investing in relationships and doing it the right way. Going beyond phone calls and e-mails, taking the time to attend conferences, being active members of professional groups and social media. Getting to know clients and candidates on a personal level and supporting and nurturing the relationships we establish.
Lastly, we know what it takes and how to match the right candidate to the right client.
Company Description
Superior Talent Source is a niche search agency specializing in executive placement nationwide with leading restaurants, hotels country clubs and resorts across the United States.\r\n\r\nOur recruiters have decades of experience in recruiting for the Hospitality industry, and they have built up an excellent network of relationships as well as a deep understanding of the marketplace.\r\n\r\nOur recruiter's expertise together with our approach is focused on finding the right fit for both candidate and client, whilst delivering a quality service.\r\n\r\nOur success is built on investing in relationships and doing it the right way. Going beyond phone calls and e-mails, taking the time to attend conferences, being active members of professional groups and social media. Getting to know clients and candidates on a personal level and supporting and nurturing the relationships we establish.\r\n\r\nLastly, we know what it takes and how to match the right candidate to the right client.