General Manager - Sayville About Dark Horse Coffee & Kitchen Dark Horse Coffee & Kitchen is a locally owned, high-volume café and fast-casual restaurant serving specialty coffee, breakfast, and lunch. We are built around quality, consistency, genuine hospitality, and acts of service that turn everyday visits into memorable guest experiences. We are looking for an experienced, hands-on General Manager to lead our Sayville location. This position is responsible for the overall performance of the restaurant, including daily operations, team development, financial results, food quality, cleanliness, and the guest experience. The right candidate is a confident and approachable leader who sets clear expectations, follows through, and is comfortable working alongside the team during busy service periods. Key Responsibilities Lead all daily front-of-house and back-of-house operations. Maintain high standards for hospitality, food quality, speed of service, cleanliness, and restaurant appearance. Recruit, onboard, train, coach, and retain a dependable, high-performing team. Develop shift leads and other members of the management team. Create effective schedules based on projected sales, staffing needs, and labor targets. Lead pre-shift meetings and communicate daily priorities, goals, product updates, and operational concerns. Monitor service flow, ticket times, order accuracy, product presentation, and guest touchpoints. Provide real-time coaching and hold employees and managers accountable to company standards. Handle performance concerns, documentation, corrective action, and terminations professionally and consistently. Monitor sales, labor, cost of goods, waste, purchasing, and other controllable expenses. Review financial and operating reports to identify trends and opportunities for improvement. Oversee inventory counts, ordering, receiving, product rotation, prep levels, and vendor relationships. Maintain proper cash-handling, reconciliation, deposit, and loss-prevention procedures. Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, employee safety, and health department requirements. Maintain accurate temperature logs, cleaning procedures, labeling, storage, and food-handling practices. Respond to guest feedback and resolve concerns with urgency, care, and good judgment. Monitor restaurant equipment, repairs, and preventative maintenance needs. Support catering, local events, community relationships, and opportunities to grow sales. Partner closely with ownership while taking full responsibility for the restaurant's day-to-day execution. Qualifications Previous General Manager, Assistant General Manager, or comparable restaurant leadership experience. Experience managing a high-volume café, fast-casual restaurant, quick-service restaurant, or similar operation. Strong working knowledge of both front-of-house and kitchen operations. Proven experience hiring, training, developing, and managing restaurant teams. Strong understanding of labor management, inventory control, food cost, budgeting, and profit-and-loss reporting. Knowledge of food safety, sanitation, allergen awareness, and proper food-handling procedures. Comfortable using restaurant technology, including Toast POS, scheduling platforms, and digital reporting tools. Strong communication, organization, decision-making, and problem-solving skills. Ability to remain composed, visible, and effective during high-volume service. A hospitality-first mindset with a genuine interest in connecting with guests and supporting employees. Ability to give clear feedback, manage difficult conversations, and consistently follow through. Availability to work a full-time schedule that includes early mornings, weekends, holidays, and other shifts based on the restaurant's needs. Food Protection Manager certification is preferred or must be obtained within the required timeframe. What Success Looks Like A well-trained, engaged, and accountable team. Consistent food and beverage quality. Fast, accurate, and organized service. A clean, safe, and well-maintained restaurant. Strong guest relationships and positive reviews. Labor and food costs maintained within established targets. Continued sales growth and improved restaurant profitability. A capable leadership team that can operate successfully without constant owner involvement. Expect Full-Time / 5 Days / 45-50 hours a week Weekends are Mandatory for this position

Pay:

$72,000.00 - $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) Paid time off Paid training

Education:

High school or equivalent (Preferred)

Experience:

Restaurant management: 2 years (Preferred) Shift availability: Day Shift (Required)

Work Location:

In person