At FARE, we are on a mission to change the way America eats.
We are a fast-casual restaurant concept offering a seasonal, nutrition-forward, deliciously craveable menu. We balance healthy and indulgent options, all handcrafted from scratch in each location daily.
Born and built in Chicago, FARE is a growing scratch-made restaurant brand — and we're looking for leaders who care deeply about food, people, and doing things the right way.
Location: Chicago, IL | Multiple FARE Locations
Job Type: Full-Time, Exempt
Salary: $63,000–$75,000 per year + bonus
Schedule: 50+ hours/week; nights, weekends and holidays as business needs require
Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), paid parental leave and employee meal benefit
About the Role
FARE is growing, and we’re looking for an experienced General Manager who can step into different locations, quickly understand the operation, lead teams, and help restaurants perform at a high level.
The Floating General Manager performs the full responsibilities of a FARE General Manager while providing leadership wherever the business needs it most. You may support an established restaurant, help open and stabilize a new location, temporarily lead a restaurant during a leadership transition, or assist an existing General Manager with training and operational execution.
This is a great opportunity for a strong restaurant operator who enjoys variety, knows how to quickly build credibility with a team, and wants to play an important role in a growing restaurant company.
This position is not assigned to one permanent home restaurant. Assignments may range from short-term leadership coverage to extended placements and may change based on FARE's operational and growth needs.
What You'll Do
Lead Restaurant Operations
- Serve as the acting General Manager when assigned to lead a restaurant.
- Take ownership of day-to-day restaurant performance, team leadership, food quality, guest experience, cleanliness, and operational standards.
- Quickly assess each restaurant's team, volume, routines, opportunities, and priorities.
- Support restaurants during leadership vacancies, transitions, high-volume periods, and operational challenges, partnering with existing General Managers and Operations leadership as needed.
Support New Restaurant Openings & Growth
- Provide hands-on leadership for new restaurant openings, including setup, systems implementation, operational readiness, team development, and post-opening stabilization.
- Create clear operational and personnel handoffs when transitioning into or out of an assignment.
Develop & Lead Teams
- Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, train, and develop restaurant team members when assigned.
- Set clear expectations, coach team members in real time, and provide timely, documented performance feedback and accountability.
- Consistently reinforce FARE policies, procedures, values, and leadership expectations.
Own Food Quality & Restaurant Standards
- Taste food daily and drive quality through recipe adherence, portion and presentation standards, operational reviews, and internal and external audits.
- Maintain high standards for cleanliness, sanitation, food safety, equipment care, workplace safety, and restaurant security.
- Ensure menu changes, pricing updates, and operational procedures are executed accurately.
- Lead from the floor and be comfortable jumping into both front-of-house and back-of-house operations when needed.
Manage Restaurant Financial Performance
- Manage labor performance, staffing levels, and payroll based on the needs of the assignment.
- Own restaurant financial performance, including food cost/COGS, inventory accuracy, waste, and controllable expenses.
- Identify and address repairs, maintenance, and other operational issues that may impact restaurant performance.
Required Qualifications
- 3+ years of Restaurant General Manager experience or comparable restaurant leadership experience.
- Demonstrated experience leading, coaching, and developing hourly restaurant teams.
- Strong knowledge of labor management, food cost/COGS, inventory, food safety and restaurant financial performance.
- Comfort working hands-on in both front-of-house and back-of-house operations.
- Ability to work approximately 50+ hours per week, including nights, weekends and holidays as needed.
- Ability to work at multiple FARE locations throughout the Chicago market.
Preferred Qualifications
- Fast-casual restaurant leadership experience.
- New restaurant opening experience.
- Experience stabilizing, turning around or supporting multiple restaurant locations.
- Full-service or fine-dining experience.
- Strong kitchen/BOH experience, including scratch cooking and knife skills.
Certifications
Candidates must possess or be able to obtain required food safety certifications, including:
- Allergen Awareness Certification
- City of Chicago Certified Food Service Manager certification
- Illinois Food Protection Manager certification for locations outside Chicago, as applicable
Schedule & Travel Requirements
This is a floating leadership position, so flexibility is essential.
- Assignments may change in location, scope, reporting relationship, and duration based on business needs.
- Availability for opening, closing, weekend, and holiday shifts as needed.
- FARE will provide advance notice of assignment changes when practicable; however, this role does not guarantee a permanent home restaurant, fixed rotation, or permanent-placement timeline.
Physical Requirements
The General Manager role is active and hands-on. Team members in this position must be able to:
- Stand and walk for extended periods and work an active restaurant leadership schedule.
- Lift and carry up to 50 pounds and frequently bend, reach, stoop, carry, and handle restaurant equipment.
- Work in typical restaurant environments, including warm and cool temperatures, indoor and outdoor areas, restaurant noise, and around common food allergens.
Why FARE?
This isn't a General Manager role where you'll simply inherit one restaurant and maintain the status quo.
FARE is growing, and the Floating General Manager will be an important part of that growth. You'll have the opportunity to lead different teams, support new restaurant openings, strengthen existing restaurants, develop future leaders, and make a visible impact across the organization.
If you're a hands-on restaurant operator who can walk into a new environment, earn the team's trust, identify what needs to happen, and get to work, we'd love to meet you.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $63,000.00 - $75,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Are you available to work weekends?
Experience:
- Leadership: 1 year (Required)
- General Manager : 2 years (Preferred)
- Profit & loss: 2 years (Required)
Shift availability:
- Night Shift (Preferred)
- Day Shift (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
