General Manager - K-12 Food Service | $75-80K + $2,500 Sign-On Bonus

Job Description

Job Description

Lead a Food Service Operation That Actually Matters

Imagine managing a food service program where "scratch-cooked" isn't marketing language—it's your daily standard. Your leadership directly impacts thousands of students who depend on nutritious meals to fuel their learning. Where you're not just filling a position, but building something meaningful.

We're a contract food service company that partners with the Urbana School District to deliver high-quality meals with locally sourced ingredients and genuine care. We need a General Manager who brings both operational excellence and a people-first leadership approach.

What We Offer

Compensation & Benefits:

• Base salary: $75,000 - $80,000
• Sign-on bonus: $2,500 (paid at 30/60/90 days)
• School calendar schedule supports work-life balance
• Professional development budget and career growth opportunities
  

Why Our GMs Stay:

• Supportive leadership team that removes roadblocks, not creates them
• Autonomy to make decisions and drive improvements
• Recognition culture that celebrates contributions at every level
• Average GM tenure of 5+ years (stability you can count on)

Your Impact

• Lead operations that serve meals daily to students across the Urbana School District, with full P&L accountability
• Build and develop a team of salaried managers and hourly staff who take pride in their work
• Partner with district leadership to improve meal participation, implement new programs, and address challenges proactively
• Manage budgets while maintaining quality standards and controlling food, labor, and direct costs
• Ensure compliance with USDA nutritional guidelines, health department regulations, and safety standards

What You Bring

Non-Negotiables:

• 5+ years of food service management experience
• Direct experience managing salaried/exempt managers (Assistant GMs, Food Service Directors, Site Managers—not just hourly supervisors)
• Contract food service background (Aramark, Sodexo, Compass Group, or similar)
• Strong financial management skills (P&L oversight, budgeting, cost control)
• Food safety certification (ServSafe or equivalent)
  

Strongly Preferred:

• K-12 school food service experience
• Union environment experience
• Higher education or institutional dining background
• Bilingual (Spanish/English)
  

You Are NOT a Fit If:

• Your background is primarily in quick-service restaurants (Chipotle, Panera, fast food chains)
• You have not directly supervised salaried employees

You'll Thrive Here If...

• You call clients before they call you. When something's off, you're already on it—not making excuses or waiting for someone else to notice.
• You lead from the front. When your team is short-staffed during lunch rush, you're in the serving line alongside them, not hidden in the office.
• You've turned around underperformers. You can tell us about a manager you coached from struggling to succeeding—and you genuinely enjoyed doing it.
• You find creative solutions within constraints. Tight budget? Supply shortage? You see these as puzzles to solve, not reasons to compromise on quality.
• You believe students deserve excellence. The meals you serve meet the same standard you'd want for your own family.
• You communicate early and often. Your clients and team never wonder where things stand because you keep everyone informed proactively.

Our Culture

We're not interested in corporate buzzwords. Here's what we actually mean:

Balance - School calendar hours mean evenings and weekends are yours. We respect boundaries and don't glorify burnout.

Meaning - Every meal you oversee matters to a student and their family. Your work has tangible impact you can see daily.

Recognition - We invest in your professional growth, celebrate wins publicly, and promote from within whenever possible.

What Happens Next

We're interviewing qualified candidates immediately and moving quickly to fill this role. Here's the process:

1. Apply - Submit your resume through ZipRecruiter
2. Phone screen - 15-minute conversation to discuss your background and the opportunity
3. Interview - Meet with our leadership team and the client
4. Offer - For the right candidate, we move fast

Company details and additional information will be shared with qualified candidates during the screening process.

Apply Now

If you have the multi-manager leadership experience and commitment to student nutrition we're looking for, don't wait. Strong candidates are moving through our process this week, and this opportunity won't stay open long.

Submit your resume through ZipRecruiter today.

Company DescriptionRestaurantZone is one of the fastest-growing national recruiting agencies in the hospitality/restaurant space. We are a research-based retained recruitment agency & hybrid tech company that focuses on key roles for restaurants and hospitality. RestaurantZone has been featured in National Restaurant News and Total Foods Service Magazine and has worked with reputable brands like Red Lobster, Vapiano's, Chick-fil-a, Sbarro’s, McDonald's, Domino's, Cracker Barrel, Google, and Facebook. We are the cutting edge of recruiting with tech-savvy recruiters with over 100+ collective years of experience working on the team. We have hundreds of jobs to fill and grow! Our recruiters work the entire country and focus on all major locations including Los Angeles, San Diego, New York City, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Washington DC, Houston, Las Vegas, Denver, Hawaii, and more!

Company Description

RestaurantZone is one of the fastest-growing national recruiting agencies in the hospitality/restaurant space. We are a research-based retained recruitment agency & hybrid tech company that focuses on key roles for restaurants and hospitality. RestaurantZone has been featured in National Restaurant News and Total Foods Service Magazine and has worked with reputable brands like Red Lobster, Vapiano's, Chick-fil-a, Sbarro’s, McDonald's, Domino's, Cracker Barrel, Google, and Facebook. We are the cutting edge of recruiting with tech-savvy recruiters with over 100+ collective years of experience working on the team. We have hundreds of jobs to fill and grow! Our recruiters work the entire country and focus on all major locations including Los Angeles, San Diego, New York City, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Washington DC, Houston, Las Vegas, Denver, Hawaii, and more!