Front of House Manager
Josephine | Old Town Alexandria, Virginia
About Josephine
Josephine is a high-volume French brasserie located in the heart of Old Town Alexandria. Set within a beautifully restored historic building, Josephine combines classic French cuisine, a robust wine and cocktail program, and warm, polished hospitality in a lively and distinctive setting.
We are seeking an experienced Front of House Manager to join our leadership team. This is a hands-on operational role for a hospitality professional who thrives in a fast-paced restaurant, leads from the floor, holds high standards, and understands that exceptional guest experiences are created through preparation, consistency, attention to detail, and genuine hospitality.
The Position
The Front of House Manager is responsible for supporting the successful day-to-day operation of Josephine, with a particular focus on service execution, guest experience, staff leadership, training, and maintaining restaurant standards.
Our managers are active leaders during service. This is not an office-based management position. The successful candidate will be highly visible on the floor, engaged with guests and employees, anticipating problems before they occur, and working alongside the management team to ensure every service is organized and executed at a high level.
Key ResponsibilitiesService & Floor Management
- Lead and actively manage lunch, brunch, dinner, and/or private-event services.
- Maintain a strong presence on the floor and ensure consistent execution of Josephine's service standards.
- Coordinate servers, bartenders, hosts, bussers, runners, and other FOH employees throughout service.
- Monitor pacing, table maintenance, ticket times, guest needs, and overall flow of the restaurant.
- Identify potential service issues early and take immediate action to resolve them.
- Work closely with the kitchen and culinary leadership to maintain strong FOH/BOH communication.
- Ensure the restaurant is properly prepared, staffed, and organized before each service.
- Assist with opening and closing procedures and ensure all managerial checklists and responsibilities are completed.
Guest Experience
- Create a warm, welcoming environment and build genuine relationships with our guests.
- Perform regular table visits and actively monitor guest satisfaction.
- Recognize celebrations, special occasions, regular guests, and opportunities to create memorable experiences.
- Handle guest concerns professionally, graciously, and with an appropriate sense of urgency.
- Take ownership of service recovery and follow through to ensure concerns are fully resolved.
- Help cultivate repeat business by delivering personalized hospitality and recognizing returning guests.
Team Leadership & Development
- Lead by example and establish a professional, positive, and accountable working environment.
- Conduct effective pre-shift meetings that prepare and motivate the team for service.
- Coach employees in real time and provide clear, constructive feedback.
- Assist with onboarding, training, and continued development of FOH employees.
- Reinforce standards consistently and hold employees accountable when expectations are not met.
- Identify high-potential employees and help develop future trainers, captains, and leaders.
- Help create a culture in which employees feel supported while understanding that high standards are non-negotiable.
- Communicate effectively with fellow managers and operate as part of a unified leadership team.
Restaurant Operations
- Assist in developing daily floor plans, sections, and staffing assignments based on anticipated business.
- Monitor reservations, anticipated covers, VIPs, large parties, special requests, and private events.
- Maintain restaurant cleanliness, organization, appearance, lighting, music, temperature, and overall atmosphere.
- Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, alcohol service, and company policies.
- Support inventory controls, cash handling, comps, discounts, voids, and other managerial procedures.
- Assist with labor management and make appropriate staffing adjustments based on business levels.
- Complete accurate shift reports and communicate important operational information to the management team.
- Work collaboratively with culinary, beverage, events, and senior leadership.
What We're Looking For
The ideal candidate is someone who genuinely enjoys hospitality and understands the difference between simply managing a shift and leading a restaurant service.
Qualifications
- Previous restaurant management or significant supervisory experience required.
- Experience in a high-volume, full-service restaurant strongly preferred.
- Fine-dining, upscale-casual, brasserie, or similarly service-focused experience is a plus.
- Strong understanding of restaurant service fundamentals and dining-room operations.
- Excellent communication, organization, and leadership skills.
- Ability to remain composed, professional, and decisive during high-volume services.
- Strong attention to detail and an ability to recognize service issues before they become guest complaints.
- Comfortable coaching employees and holding teams accountable to established standards.
- Strong guest-recovery and problem-solving skills.
- Working knowledge of wine, spirits, cocktails, and classic food-and-beverage service is preferred.
- Experience with restaurant POS and reservation-management systems is preferred.
- Ability to work evenings, weekends, brunches, and holidays as required by the business.
- Ability to stand and remain active for extended periods during service.
The Right Person for Josephine
We are looking for someone who:
- Leads from the floor. You are most effective when you are present, engaged, and actively directing service.
- Plans ahead. You would rather identify a staffing or operational problem hours before service than solve it after it affects a guest.
- Notices the details. Empty glasses, an uncleared plate, a guest looking for assistance, an incorrect table setting, or an overwhelmed employee should immediately register with you.
- Maintains composure. A busy restaurant should create urgency, not chaos.
- Believes in accountability. You are comfortable setting expectations, following up, and having difficult conversations when necessary.
- Develops people. You understand that great restaurant teams are trained and coached—not simply scheduled.
- Values hospitality. You recognize that memorable experiences often come from small, thoughtful gestures rather than grand ones.
- Works as part of a team. Strong communication and coordination among managers are essential to successful service.
- Wants to grow. Josephine is an ambitious restaurant, and we are looking for leaders who want to develop along with it.
Why Join Josephine?
Josephine is a growing restaurant with a strong reputation, an ambitious leadership team, and a commitment to becoming one of the premier dining destinations in Old Town Alexandria and the greater Washington, D.C. region.
For the right candidate, this position offers an opportunity to take meaningful ownership of restaurant operations, develop as a hospitality leader, and contribute directly to the continued growth of Josephine.
If you are passionate about restaurants, enjoy leading people, and take pride in creating exceptional guest experiences, we would love to hear from you.
To apply, please submit your resume along with a brief description of your restaurant management and leadership experience.
Pay: Up to $75,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
