General Manager
Black Briar
Chicago, IL
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JOB DETAILS
JOB TYPE
Full-time
SKILLS
Accounting, Beverages, Budgeting, Coaching, Content Management Systems (CMS), Cook Dishes, Documentation, Expense Tracking, Financial Literacy, Health Plan, Metrics, Onboarding, Performance Management, Performance Modeling, Performance Reviews, Product Management, Profit & Loss, Restaurant, Team Building, Team Lead/Manager
LOCATION
Chicago, IL
POSTED
30+ days ago
Company Overview:
Black Briar is a Bold American Tavern built on live-fire cooking, a serious raw bar, and hospitality that runs deeper than service. We are opening in Chicago's West Loop and building something meant to last - a restaurant with institutional character, operational discipline, and a genuine point of view.
We are looking for a General Manager who has earned this role. Someone who has opened before, held a standard under pressure, and understands that the best restaurants are built on culture as much as craft.
The Role:
The GM is the operational and cultural anchor of Black Briar. You own the full front-of-house experience, the beverage program, and the financial performance of the business. You report directly to the ownership group and are their most trusted voice on the floor.
This is not a title for someone who manages from a distance. You are present during service, visible to your team, and accountable to a standard that does not flex based on the night or the season.
What You Own:
Job Summary
- Full FOH operations - floor execution, pacing, service standards, and guest experience across every shift
- Beverage program oversight in partnership with the Beverage/Wine Manager - product, education, cost performance, and guest-facing execution
- P&L accountability - labor, beverage cost, and controllable expenses tracked weekly with ownership-level transparency
- Hiring, onboarding, and development of the full FOH team
- Weekly scheduling in 7shifts within established labor targets
- Reservations strategy and OpenTable execution - pacing to protect both guest experience and kitchen capacity
- Pre-shift culture - team meetings that are content-driven, focused, and consistent
- Performance management across all FOH positions - coaching, documentation, and progressive accountability
- Bi-weekly beverage inventory in coordination with the Beverage/Wine Manager and accounting
- Direct, regular reporting to ownership - operational, financial, team, and guest experience updates with no surprises
Qualifications + Skills
- 7+ years in full-service restaurant operations, with at least 3 years as a General Manager or senior leader at a high-volume, full-service concept
- Experience opening a restaurant from pre-opening through stabilization strongly preferred
- Ownership-level financial literacy — you have read a P&L, built a labor model, and driven performance against a budget
- Serious working knowledge of wine, spirits, and cocktail programming; formal beverage certification (WSET, CMS) strongly preferred
- Proficiency with Toast, OpenTable, 7shifts, and Google Workspace
- Illinois Food Handler and BASSET certifications required
- Chicago market experience preferred — candidates from comparable markets with demonstrated performance will be considered
- A builder. Someone who develops people, creates systems, and leaves a team better than they found it
You lead with presence, not volume. You hold a standard because you believe in it. You understand that a great restaurant is not built on opening night - it is built in the years after, when the work is quieter and the discipline has to be self-generated.
You are not chasing a title. You are looking for a place where the work means something and the team around you is worth building with. If that is you, we want to hear from you.
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary Range: $85k - $105k
- Performance bonus tied to financial and guest experience metrics
- Health benefits with employer contribution
- Employee dining benefit
- Annual performance review with merit increase opportunity
Black Briar is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that reflects the city we are proud to call home.
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