General Manager

Willow Lake Watering Hole & Mercantile is one of the Hill Country's best-kept secrets a nearly acre-sized outdoor bar and live music venue tucked a minute's walk from Wimberley's famous Square. We book live music Wednesday through Sunday, host award-winning food trucks, run a curated mercantile, and serve as the community's living room for locals and visitors alike. Now we're ready to take the operation to the next level and that starts with bringing in the right General Manager.

This is a rare opportunity for a bar manager who wants their first change at taking real ownership of a concept with genuine upside and the freedom to run things the way they should be run without corporate nonsense or micromanagement.

THE OPPORTUNITYWhat's on the table:$60,000 annual base salaryProfit share tied to revenue performance your work pays you directlyEquity opportunity available after 18 months for the right candidateMake your own schedule you know what a bar GM's week looks like; build it around the businessWimberley, TX one of the most sought-after places to live in Central TexasTHE ROLEYou'll have full operational authority over the bar, the venue, the staff, and the guest experience. You report directly to ownership and will have a weekly touchpoint but between those conversations, the business is yours to run.

Specifically:

People & CultureRecruit, hire, onboard, train, and develop all front-of-house staffBuild a culture of accountability, consistency, and genuine hospitalityOwn the staff schedule written around the business, not around dramaHandle all HR functions: performance management, discipline, and terminationBar & BeverageLead the beverage program: menu development, recipe creation, ordering, pricingMaintain and grow supplier and distributor relationshipsMonitor pour cost and implement controls that protect margin without sacrificing qualityKeep draft taps rotating with fresh, locally-relevant selectionsOperationsEnforce and continuously improve opening and closing proceduresDevelop and maintain SOPs and staff checklistsOversee daily, weekly, and period purchasing and inventoryManage facilities: property walk-throughs, equipment maintenance, landscaping, parkingCoordinate and execute private events, buyouts, and programmingMarketing & ProgrammingManage live music booking and the weekly event calendarMaintain website content and social media engagementDrive overarching marketing and event strategy in collaboration with ownershipMonitor and respond to customer feedback across all platformsFinancialReview P&L with ownership each period understand the numbers and act on themAudit invoices, monitor COGS, and adjust pricing as neededConduct bi-weekly inventory and cost reconciliationManage payroll clock-ins and controllable labor

WHO WE'RE LOOKING

FORYou've run a bar or restaurant before not managed a section of one, not been the opener, not been the assistant. You've held the keys, written the schedule, hired the people, fixed the ice machine at 10pm on a Saturday, and still came in Monday with a clear head and a plan. You know what good looks like because you've built it.

Beyond the experience, we're looking for someone who:

Leads with confidence and earns respect through consistency, not authorityUnderstands that a GM's job is to make every person on the team betterCan read a P&L, negotiate with a vendor, and still greet a regular by nameKnows Wimberley, the Hill Country market, or the Austin bar scene or all threeSees this role not as a job but as a chance to build something with real upsideTHE PLACEWillow Lake is not a corporate concept. It's a community institution with genuine soul live music under string lights, a curated mercantile, award-winning food trucks, and the kind of atmosphere that guests drive an hour to experience. Our foundation is solid. What we need now is a GM who can build the systems, develop the team, and unlock the full potential of what this place can be.

Wimberley is 45 minutes from Austin and San Marcos. It's a real town with a growing creative economy, a fiercely loyal local base, and one of the most beautiful natural settings in Texas. If you've been looking for the right opportunity outside of the city this is worth a conversation.

TO APPLYSend a resume and a brief note about your background and why this role interests you. Serious candidates only. Confidentiality respected.