Some restaurants serve dinner. A few become part of how a city tells time.
Piper already owns the morning in Oceanside — a devoted daytime following, a Forbes Four-Star address, a dining room with real light and real soul. Now we're building its evenings, and we're building them to be talked about: a California coastal restaurant with the ease of a neighborhood regular and the approachable polish of a great hotel — a place that knows the night belongs to its guests.
We're looking for the person who will define what dinner at Piper feels like — and the role is two things at once: the manager who leads the evening on the floor, and the wine leader who owns the program. One person who holds a room's attention, tells a wine's story well enough to sell it, and turns a respected hotel restaurant into a place people choose, again and again, whether or not they're staying upstairs.
Not a manager who keeps a good thing running. A host who makes the room come alive — and the wine authority who gives it a reason to be remembered.
What you'll own
The room's energy. Atmosphere is the product, not the decoration. You'll shape the sound, the light, and the pacing of service into one seamless experience — so the room reads “a place where interesting people gather” from the first guest to the last glass poured. You'll set the rhythm of every night and own the final five minutes of service as much as the first.
The wine program — and it's yours. This is the heart of the role. Wine drives Piper's evenings, and you'll own the program end to end: the list, the cellar, the by-the-glass strategy, the storytelling, and the selling. You'll inherit a respected list and evolve it — curate a coastal-California-meets-Europe point of view, and lead one of Southern California's most distinctive wine cultures. We invest in that mastery — WSET, Court of Master Sommeliers, or equivalent certification is supported and funded, because a leader who's still growing makes the whole floor better.
And you'll be rewarded for the room you build. Storytelling that sells, done with warmth rather than pressure, is the entire game here.
The people. You'll lead, train, mentor, and motivate the front-of-house team — recruiting, onboarding, scheduling, coaching, and performance management — developing the next generation of Southern California hospitality leaders. You coach quietly, celebrate publicly, and hold standards without creating fear.
The guests. You'll remember names, anniversaries, favorite wines, and exactly how a regular takes their martini. You'll handle service recovery with transparency and care, and build the kind of loyalty that fills a dining room on its own.
The business. Revenue growth through hospitality, not pressure. You'll own financial performance — revenue, labor, cost of goods, controllable expenses — and keep operations within budget. Weekly payroll, tip distribution, OS&E inventory, ordering, vendor relationships, forecasting, and action plans. Plus wine dinners, chef collaborations, and seasonal experiences that give regulars a reason to keep coming back.
The standard. You'll partner closely with culinary leadership on menu execution and experience design, uphold Forbes Four-Star service and Hyatt brand standards, and ensure full compliance with health, safety, sanitation, and responsible alcohol-service regulations. (Scope includes Piper and in-room dining.)
Who you are
You're the person guests remember — not because you're loud, but because you're present.
You read a room before anyone else does. You know when to approach a table and when to let a conversation breathe. You anticipate instead of react. You love standing on the floor. You finish every evening stronger than you began it — and you understand that genuine luxury is measured not by formality, but by how deeply people feel cared for.
Why Piper, why now
- You inherit a respected restaurant with a built-in following — and the rare freedom to define its evenings from a near-blank canvas.
- You'll report to the Assistant Food & Beverage Director, with direct ownership of Piper's evening service, the wine and beverage program, and FOH hiring and development.
- The creative latitude of an independent restaurant with the stability and global mobility of Hyatt behind you.
- Oceanside: genuine coastal California, a dining scene on the rise, and a quality of life most big-city operators are quietly looking for.
Compensation & benefits
Base salary: $70,304–$96,600/year. This is the range The Seabird Resort reasonably expects to pay; individual offers reflect experience and education.
Hyatt's benefits package may include:
- 12 complimentary hotel nights at Hyatt hotels worldwide, plus unlimited discounted room rates for colleagues, friends & family
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance; discounted prescriptions; life & disability insurance; flexible spending account
- 401(k) with employer match and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Vacation, sick, and new-child leave; bereavement and jury-duty pay
- Complimentary employee meals — and more
