General Manager – Coronado Athletic Club
Coronado, California | Full-Time
About Coronado Athletic Club
Coronado Athletic Club is redefining what a neighborhood club can be.
We are creating a hospitality experience that blends the warmth of a country club, the energy of a premier sports bar, and the sense of belonging found only in a close-knit island community. Located in the heart of Coronado, our mission is simple:
We know your name, and we're glad you came.
Our guests include longtime Coronado residents, active military families, visitors from around the world, business professionals, cyclists, tennis and pickleball enthusiasts, families, and sports fans. Every person who walks through our doors should feel like they belong.
We're searching for an exceptional General Manager who can build not just a successful restaurant, but a thriving community.
Position Summary
This is not a traditional restaurant General Manager position.
We are looking for a hospitality leader who understands both the operational excellence of a high-volume restaurant and the relationship-driven culture of a private country club.
The ideal candidate knows how to create regulars, recognize faces, build membership programs, organize unforgettable events, inspire employees, and create an atmosphere where guests genuinely feel at home.
If you've successfully managed a country club, yacht club, athletic club, golf club, boutique hotel, premium sports bar, upscale neighborhood restaurant—or a combination of these—you may be exactly who we're looking for.
What You'll Be Responsible ForCommunity Building
- Build one of the strongest hospitality communities in Southern California.
- Develop relationships with Coronado residents, military families, local businesses, sports organizations, schools, and community groups.
- Create an environment where members know one another and feel connected.
- Become one of the recognizable hospitality leaders on the island.
Membership Growth
- Develop, launch, and continually improve our membership program.
- Grow both complimentary and paid membership tiers.
- Create exclusive member experiences, rewards, events, and benefits.
- Drive member retention through genuine hospitality—not just discounts.
- Build referral programs that encourage members to invite friends and neighbors.
Hospitality Leadership
- Lead daily operations with excellence.
- Deliver exceptional service standards.
- Ensure every guest—member or first-time visitor—receives the same warmth and respect.
- Resolve guest concerns quickly and professionally.
- Create memorable experiences that turn visitors into regulars.
Sports Bar Operations
- Oversee a fast-paced sports hospitality environment.
- Coordinate major sporting events, viewing parties, tournaments, and themed experiences.
- Work alongside marketing to create excitement around every sports season.
- Ensure audio/video systems and game-day experiences exceed guest expectations.
Event Programming
Create a year-round calendar of engaging experiences including:
- Live music
- Trivia nights
- Member socials
- Wine and whiskey tastings
- Pickleball and tennis gatherings
- Cycling meetups
- Watch parties
- Community fundraisers
- Holiday celebrations
- Family events
- Navy appreciation events
- Local business networking
- Seasonal festivals
Every week should give guests another reason to return.
Team Leadership
- Recruit exceptional hospitality professionals.
- Coach, mentor, and inspire your team.
- Build a culture where employees genuinely enjoy coming to work.
- Train staff to recognize members and regular guests by name.
- Teach personalized hospitality that makes every guest feel remembered.
- Foster accountability, positivity, and continuous improvement.
Business Management
- Manage labor, scheduling, food and beverage costs, inventory, and profitability.
- Analyze KPIs and make data-driven decisions.
- Maintain outstanding cleanliness and operational standards.
- Collaborate with ownership on budgeting, growth initiatives, and long-term strategy.
Ideal Candidate
You are someone who naturally remembers people's names.
You enjoy introducing guests to one another.
You believe hospitality is about relationships—not transactions.
You know that community is intentionally built.
You understand that the difference between a successful restaurant and a beloved institution is how people feel when they walk through the front door.
You can comfortably move between greeting a longtime member, welcoming a first-time tourist, chatting with a Navy family, solving an operational challenge, coaching a bartender, and preparing for a major sporting event—all in the same afternoon.
Qualifications
Preferred experience includes:
- 5+ years as a General Manager or senior hospitality leader
- Experience managing upscale restaurants, sports bars, country clubs, yacht clubs, golf clubs, athletic clubs, boutique hotels, or luxury hospitality venues
- Strong leadership and coaching experience
- Proven success growing guest loyalty or membership programs
- Experience creating community events and programming
- Excellent financial and operational management skills
- Strong knowledge of food, beverage, wine, cocktails, and sports hospitality
- Experience with scheduling, budgeting, inventory, and labor management
- Comfortable using hospitality technology and POS systems
- Excellent communication and organizational skills
Bonus qualifications:
- Existing relationships within the Coronado or San Diego community
- Experience with private club or membership-based hospitality
- Sports, golf, tennis, pickleball, yacht club, or athletic club experience
- Marketing or event planning experience
- Military community engagement experience
What Success Looks Like
Within your first year, you'll help create:
- A welcoming culture recognized throughout Coronado.
- A growing membership community with high retention.
- A calendar of signature events that members eagerly anticipate.
- Employees who know regular guests by name.
- Outstanding online reviews driven by exceptional hospitality.
- A profitable, well-run operation with strong employee morale.
- A destination that locals proudly call "their club."
Why Join Coronado Athletic Club?
This is a rare opportunity to build something from the ground up.
You'll have the chance to shape the culture, establish traditions, create a community, and help build what we believe will become one of Coronado's most beloved gathering places.
We're not simply opening another sports bar.
We're creating the island's living room—a place where neighbors become friends, members feel at home, visitors are welcomed like locals, and every guest leaves happier than when they arrived.
If you're passionate about hospitality, community, leadership, and creating unforgettable experiences, we'd love to meet you.
A Note About Our Brand Transition
You may notice that our website currently redirects to Nicky Rottens Coronado.
That is intentional.
Coronado Athletic Club is the exciting next chapter of the former Nicky Rottens Coronado location. We are currently transforming the space, concept, and guest experience into a completely reimagined hospitality destination that blends the welcoming culture of a neighborhood club, the energy of a premier sports bar, and the personalized service of a private country club.
While the transition is underway, our existing website continues to redirect to the current location so guests and applicants can easily find us. Over the coming months, you will see the launch of our new branding, website, membership program, event calendar, and club experience.
This is a unique opportunity to join the leadership team during the transformation and help build one of Coronado's premier hospitality destinations from the ground up.
Pay: $59,050.32 - $89,071.35 per year
Work Location: In person
