Restaurant Regional Manager (Limpopo, Mpumalanga & Gauteng)

A well-known franchise is currently seeking a Restaurant Support Manager / Regional Manager in Johannesburg. This pivotal role involves providing guidance, support and resources for franchisee restaurant operations. Your main responsibility will be to ensure the smooth and successful functioning of the franchise restaurants while upholding the brand standards.

This role will oversee regional operations in the Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Gauteng areas.

Working hours for this position are as follows:

Monday to Wednesday: 09:00-17:00

Thursday to Friday: 11:00-21:00

Every second Saturday: 09:00-21:00

Candidates must have prior experience in restaurant management and be open to flexible travel and working hours, including those that may be considered outside the regular norm.

Responsibilities:

• Drives, monitors and implements all activities that are briefed by the analyst
• Implement the standard operating procedures as directed by specialists
• Work closely with the business analyst to receive reports on the restaurants' performance
• Address the franchisee on issues that hinder the relationship managers and benchmarking team's work
• Monitors and takes action when approved product spec is not adhered to
• Manage and implement the franchise way of consequences and rewards
• Analyse and provide guidance to franchisees on all aspects of running their business - financial, people, maintenance
• Work with the restaurant development team to build/maintain a cost-effective restaurant
• Review the brand audit report on scheduled visits, this includes measuring compliance to brand and operational standards as per the SOP guidelines
• Provides opening support for new restaurant openings and revamps
• Provide guidance and corrective actions for all deviations in the restaurant audit
• Support franchisees in improving profitability and efficiencies across all restaurants
• Implementation of new menu items including specialities
• Measuring and driving sales across all menu items through waitron development and training
• Training of management, casuals and staff
• Attend monthly management meetings with owners and management, developing action plans for improvement
• Visiting stores to review quality of product, service and hygiene and assist when necessary. Demonstrating and following up of opening and closing procedures
• Organise Audits for problematic stores
• Ensure that R&M standards are acceptable
• Ensure that all relevant in-store strategic intent is in place and conduct follow-ups in order to ensure maximum turnover is derived
• Enforce buyers and suppliers nominated by the company
• Ensure that all promotions and relevant promotional material are available in restaurants
• Assist restaurants with the compilation of budgets and cash flows (daily/weekly/monthly)
• Ensure that all relevant in-restaurant strategies are in place, i.e., marketing plans, monthly & weekly overhead budgets, incentives for management, ASPH strategies, staff and casuals and stock turn ratios etc

RECORDS MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING

• Maintains accurate and up-to-date restaurant support feedback reports, turnover and GP records of all the restaurants within their area of responsibility and the results thereof
• Completes/Compiles monthly reports for submission to RBA for all restaurants within their area of responsibility

TRAINING and DEVELOPMENT

• Collaborate with the team to develop and deliver comprehensive training programmes for franchisee crew, focusing on product knowledge, service standards and operational procedures
• Provide coaching and guidance to franchisees and their management teams to enhance their skills and competencies
• Stay up to date on industry trends and best practices and share relevant information and resources with franchisees to drive continuous improvement
• Assist in developing crew skills sets to effectively support the current restaurant network better

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

• Improves operational effectiveness by researching and developing new techniques and/processes that cater to successful restaurant operations
• Stays current on company procedures, product changes and campaigns
• Regularly evaluates the relevance of the SOP manual content for the achievement of performance objectives

COMMUNICATION & RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

• Serve as a primary point of contact between franchisees, restaurant management and head office, fostering open and effective communication channels
• Build strong relationships with franchisees and restaurant managers, demonstrating a commitment to their success and the overall growth of the franchise network
• Address franchisee and restaurant managers enquiries, concerns and feedback in a timely and professional manner

Requirements

• Grade 12- NQF Level 4
• Hospitality Certification (advantageous)
• 3 years' relevant experience in hospitality industry
• 1-2 years' restaurant operations experience
• Previous experience in restaurant management, preferably within a multi-unit environment
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to make sound decisions in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively engage with franchisees, staff and stakeholders
• Ability to analyse data, identify trends and provide strategic recommendations
• Microsoft Office skills (Strong)
• Presentation skills (Strong)
• Conversation/communication skills (Strong)
• Must be able to run a restaurant
• Must have the passion for cooking or interest in food
• Outgoing personality who loves engaging with people
• Cannot have seafood allergies
• Flexible to travel and work unreasonable hours
• Knowledge and understanding of the hospitality industry (Intermediate)
• Knowledge of food preparation, hygiene and customer service best practices (Advanced)
• Coaching and mentoring skills (Intermediate)
• Research skills (Basic)