Reports To: Director of Clubhouse Operations
Supervises: Servers, Bartenders, Bussers, Food Runners, Banquet Staff
Position Summary
The Dining Room Manager is responsible for leading the daily front-of-house dining operation at Sarasota Yacht Club and translating the Club's hospitality standards into consistent, personalized, and polished member experiences. This position oversees service execution, dining room readiness, staff leadership, training, scheduling, labor productivity, member relations, service recovery, and coordination with culinary and beverage teams.
As a visible leader on the floor, the Dining Room Manager sets the tone for service, professionalism, accountability, and teamwork. The manager is expected to know members, recognize preferences, anticipate needs, develop service staff, and ensure that every dining environment reflects Sarasota Yacht Club's standards of luxury hospitality, cleanliness, warmth, and operational excellence.
Leadership & Hospitality Culture Expectations
At Sarasota Yacht Club, we believe exceptional hospitality is about creating experiences that make members and guests feel genuinely seen, valued, and cared for, while fostering a culture where employees feel supported, empowered, and inspired to exceed expectations.
As a manager at Sarasota Yacht Club, the Dining Room Manager is expected to lead with warmth, visibility, accountability, and emotional intelligence. This includes maintaining an approachable floor presence, creating thoughtful and personalized experiences, strengthening member relationships, coaching employees in the moment, and reinforcing a culture of excellence, teamwork, and mutual respect.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
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Lead all daily dining room operations and ensure consistent execution of Sarasota Yacht Club service standards across assigned dining venues and member functions.
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Maintain a visible, engaged, and approachable management presence throughout service periods, proactively observing the member experience and addressing needs before they escalate.
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Conduct or support pre-shift meetings to communicate reservations, member preferences, special occasions, menu features, service standards, allergies, events, staffing assignments, and operational priorities.
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Ensure dining rooms, service stations, tables, menus, glassware, silverware, linens, lighting, music, temperature, and overall ambiance are clean, polished, organized, and presentation-ready before and throughout service.
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Coordinate reservations, seating flow, table assignments, server sections, service pacing, and dining room coverage to support an efficient and personalized member experience.
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Supervise service execution from greeting through departure, including order accuracy, food and beverage delivery, table maintenance, check presentation, and timely service recovery.
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Build positive relationships with members and guests by recognizing preferences, anticipating needs, acknowledging special occasions, and creating thoughtful, personalized interactions.
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Handle member concerns and service recovery with discretion, empathy, urgency, and ownership; document and communicate significant issues and follow-up needs to the appropriate leadership team.
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Communicate member feedback, preferences, recurring concerns, and service opportunities to Food & Beverage leadership, Culinary, Membership, and other departments as appropriate.
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Lead, coach, schedule, and develop servers, bartenders, banquet/service staff, hosts, bussers, and other front-of-house employees as assigned.
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Support recruitment, interviewing, onboarding, orientation, and ongoing training of front-of-house employees.
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Train and reinforce standards for service etiquette, menu knowledge, wine and beverage service, suggestive selling, responsible alcohol service, allergy awareness, POS procedures, and Sarasota Yacht Club hospitality expectations.
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Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, recognition, and performance accountability while fostering employee engagement, teamwork, professionalism, and retention.
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Prepare and manage staff schedules based on reservations, forecasted business levels, events, and operating needs while monitoring labor productivity, overtime, and staffing efficiency.
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Review timekeeping and attendance information for accuracy and address scheduling, punctuality, attendance, and coverage issues in accordance with Club policy.
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Collaborate closely with the Executive Chef, culinary leadership, bartenders, event teams, and Food & Beverage leadership to coordinate service timing, menu changes, special requests, and operational priorities.
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Monitor POS accuracy, member charge procedures, check handling, voids/discounts, and closing procedures in accordance with Club controls and manager authority.
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Monitor front-of-house supplies, service equipment, smallware, breakage, loss, and operating needs; communicate replenishment or repair needs promptly.
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Ensure compliance with applicable food safety, sanitation, responsible alcohol service, emergency, and workplace safety requirements throughout front-of-house operations.
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Ensure food allergy and dietary requests are communicated accurately and promptly between service staff and the culinary team in accordance with Club procedures.
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Complete opening and closing management duties, including operational checks, staff readiness, dining room inspections, side-work verification, POS procedures as applicable, and end-of-shift communication.
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Support banquets, Club events, holiday functions, regattas, member celebrations, and special hospitality initiatives as operationally required.
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Attend leadership meetings, training sessions, service briefings, and departmental meetings as assigned.
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Perform additional duties, responsibilities, and special projects as assigned by Food & Beverage leadership or Club leadership.
Member Experience Expectations
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Deliver and model exceptional hospitality, professionalism, warmth, and responsiveness at all times.
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Know and recognize members whenever possible, develop familiarity with preferences, and create personalized service experiences that strengthen member relationships.
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Anticipate member needs and take proactive ownership of the dining experience rather than waiting for concerns to be raised.
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Maintain a polished professional appearance, positive attitude, calm presence, and high level of visibility during service.
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Ensure service recovery is handled promptly, thoughtfully, and with appropriate follow-through.
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Promote Sarasota Yacht Club's culture of luxury hospitality, teamwork, respect, accountability, and service excellence.
Leadership & Team Development Expectations
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Lead by example and hold employees accountable to Club standards with consistency, fairness, and professionalism.
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Create a supportive work environment where employees receive clear expectations, timely coaching, recognition, and opportunities to grow.
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Develop service talent through regular training, observation, feedback, and reinforcement of hospitality behaviors.
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Encourage collaboration among front-of-house, culinary, beverage, banquet, and support teams to deliver seamless member experiences.
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Address employee performance, conduct, attendance, and service concerns promptly and in partnership with Food & Beverage leadership and Human Resources when appropriate.
Operational & Financial Accountability
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Support departmental financial objectives through thoughtful labor scheduling, productivity management, operating supply controls, and responsible use of Club resources.
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Monitor business levels and adjust floor coverage and staffing deployment to maintain service standards while controlling labor efficiency.
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Identify recurring service, workflow, equipment, staffing, or training issues and recommend practical operational improvements.
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Support accurate POS procedures, member charge handling, discounts/voids, and other front-of-house controls within assigned authority.
Qualifications & Experience
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Minimum of 3-5 years of progressive food and beverage or dining room leadership experience preferred.
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Private club, yacht club, luxury hotel/resort, fine-dining restaurant, or comparable upscale hospitality experience strongly preferred.
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Demonstrated supervisory experience with responsibility for coaching, scheduling, training, and day-to-day employee accountability.
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Strong knowledge of upscale dining room service standards, front-of-house operations, service recovery, and member/guest relations.
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Working knowledge of wine, spirits, beverage service, menu presentation, and responsible alcohol service expectations preferred.
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Experience with POS systems, reservations systems, scheduling/timekeeping systems, and Microsoft Office applications preferred.
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Strong communication, interpersonal, organizational, conflict-resolution, and problem-solving skills.
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Ability to remain composed, visible, and decisive during high-volume service periods and changing operational demands.
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Food safety and responsible alcohol service certifications preferred or required as applicable to Club policy and law.
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Ability to work a flexible schedule including evenings, weekends, holidays, and special events.
Physical Requirements
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Ability to stand and walk for extended periods of time throughout dining and event service.
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Ability to lift, carry, and maneuver service items and supplies up to 40 pounds when necessary.
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Ability to bend, stoop, reach, and perform repetitive service-related tasks.
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Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced hospitality environment with frequent movement between dining rooms, service areas, kitchen pass areas, and event spaces.
