General Manager - New Restaurant Opening | Maui
Position: Full-Time, Salaried
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Industry: Restaurant / Hospitality
Opportunity: New Restaurant Opening
About the Opportunity
We are seeking an experienced, driven, and hospitality-focused General Manager to lead an exciting new restaurant opening in Kaanapali, Maui.
This is a unique opportunity to join the organization before the new restaurant opens and play an important role in building the operation, culture, and team from the ground up.
The selected candidate will be hired immediately and initially work with our established team at Gather on Maui in Wailea. During this period, you will learn our culture, systems, service standards, operational expectations, and leadership approach while working directly alongside our existing management and culinary teams.
As we approach the opening of our new Kaanapali location, you will transition into the General Manager role for the new restaurant, helping lead pre-opening preparation, hiring, training, systems implementation, and ultimately the restaurant's opening and ongoing operations.
We are looking for someone who wants more than simply taking over an existing operation. This is an opportunity to help build a restaurant from the ground up and then lead it.
Key ResponsibilitiesPre-Opening & Opening Leadership
- Work at Gather on Maui prior to the Kaanapali opening to become fully immersed in company culture, systems, and operating standards.
- Partner with senior leadership and culinary teams throughout the pre-opening process.
- Assist with developing the opening management and hourly teams.
- Recruit, interview, hire, and train employees for the new location.
- Help establish service standards, operating procedures, training programs, and opening systems.
- Coordinate opening timelines and operational readiness across departments.
- Lead training and mock-service periods prior to opening.
- Successfully transition from the existing restaurant into leadership of the new Kaanapali location.
- Take ownership of the restaurant following opening and build a strong, sustainable operation.
Restaurant Operations
- Oversee all day-to-day restaurant operations and maintain exceptional standards for hospitality, service, cleanliness, and organization.
- Maintain a highly visible leadership presence on the floor during service.
- Ensure consistent execution of company service and operational standards.
- Work closely with culinary leadership to maintain strong FOH and BOH communication.
- Lead pre-shift meetings and ensure teams are prepared for successful service.
- Identify operational challenges quickly and implement practical solutions.
- Maintain strong opening, closing, cash-handling, and administrative procedures.
Team Leadership & Culture
- Recruit, develop, coach, and retain a high-performing restaurant team.
- Build a positive, professional, and accountable workplace culture from the beginning.
- Develop managers and future leaders through ongoing coaching and feedback.
- Establish clear expectations and hold employees accountable while maintaining a supportive leadership approach.
- Create a team culture centered around hospitality, teamwork, consistency, and professionalism.
Financial Performance
- Take ownership of the restaurant's financial performance.
- Manage and understand the restaurant P&L.
- Monitor sales, labor, COGS, operating expenses, and other key performance indicators.
- Build schedules based on forecasted business levels and proactively manage labor.
- Work closely with culinary and senior leadership to achieve budgeted financial targets.
- Identify opportunities to increase revenue and improve profitability without compromising the guest experience.
Guest Experience & Community
- Create a culture of genuine hospitality and exceptional guest experiences.
- Build relationships with repeat guests, local residents, hotel and resort partners, and members of the Maui community.
- Handle guest concerns professionally and ensure strong guest recovery.
- Monitor guest feedback and online reviews and use feedback to continuously improve the operation.
- Represent the restaurant professionally within the local hospitality community.
Events & Revenue Growth
- Support private dining, large parties, and special events.
- Work closely with sales and events teams to ensure successful event execution.
- Identify opportunities to grow restaurant sales through local relationships, resort and concierge partnerships, repeat guests, and community involvement.
- Support marketing and promotional initiatives surrounding the restaurant's opening and ongoing operations.
Qualifications
- Minimum 3–5 years of restaurant management experience, with General Manager, Assistant General Manager, or comparable senior restaurant leadership experience strongly preferred.
- New restaurant opening experience is highly preferred.
- Experience in high-volume, upscale casual, fine dining, resort, or full-service restaurant environments preferred.
- Previous Hawaii or resort-market hospitality experience is a plus.
- Strong knowledge of restaurant financials, including P&L management, labor, COGS, budgeting, and forecasting.
- Proven ability to recruit, train, develop, and retain strong restaurant teams.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong understanding of hospitality and guest recovery.
- Experience with restaurant POS, scheduling, reservation, and operational systems.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and remain composed in a fast-paced environment.
- Availability to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and peak restaurant periods as required.
What We're Looking For
We're looking for a restaurant operator and builder, not an office manager.
The ideal candidate is excited by the challenge of opening a restaurant and understands that successful openings require flexibility, organization, urgency, and a willingness to be hands-on.
You should be equally comfortable interviewing potential employees, reviewing a P&L, developing a manager, running a busy dinner service, solving an unexpected operational problem, or helping prepare the restaurant for opening day.
Most importantly, we want someone who can build a strong team and culture before the doors open and maintain that culture once the excitement of opening has passed.
The Transition
You will not need to wait until the new restaurant is ready to begin employment.
The selected candidate will join our team at Gather on Maui in Wailea immediately, working alongside our established leadership team and learning the operation firsthand.
As the Kaanapali restaurant moves closer to opening, your focus will gradually transition toward pre-opening responsibilities, team recruitment and training, and operational preparation.
You will then assume full General Manager responsibility for the new Kaanapali restaurant at opening.
This structure provides the opportunity to fully understand the organization and its standards before being asked to lead a brand-new location.
Why Join Us?
This is an opportunity to join a growing hospitality organization and take ownership of one of its newest restaurants from the very beginning.
Rather than stepping into someone else's operation, you'll have the opportunity to help build the team, establish the culture, participate in the opening, and ultimately lead the restaurant's long-term success.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics.
Pay: $90,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Paid training
Work Location: In person
