Located inside Desert Botanical Garden, Gertrude’s offers a distinctive restaurant environment combining thoughtful hospitality, high-quality food and beverage, and one of the most unique settings in Phoenix.
The Restaurant Manager oversees daily front-of-house operations with responsibility for service, team development, financial performance, operational standards, and the overall guest experience. This position works closely with the Director of Operations, General Manager, Chef, and restaurant leadership to achieve revenue and cost targets while maintaining the standards and culture of Tarbell’s.
The right candidate is an active floor leader who leads by example, communicates clearly, develops people, and takes ownership of the business.
Role Description
The Restaurant Manager leads, inspires, and sets the tone for restaurant operations and culture.
This position requires someone who can manage a high-volume operation while maintaining polished, personal hospitality. You must be able to make sound decisions in real time, coach employees, solve problems, manage guest concerns, and keep the restaurant focused on both immediate execution and long-term improvement.
Our managers are expected to understand the entire operation—not simply manage a shift.
You will be responsible for building and developing the front-of-house team, maintaining operational systems, monitoring financial performance, controlling labor and expenses, and working closely with culinary leadership to achieve the restaurant’s daily, weekly, monthly, and annual goals.
The Restaurant Manager is also an ambassador of Tarbell’s culture and is expected to demonstrate professionalism, accountability, strong communication, and sound judgment at all times.
Key Responsibilities
Restaurant Operations
- Lead and oversee daily front-of-house operations
- Maintain consistent standards of service, hospitality, cleanliness, organization, and execution
- Actively manage the dining room and guest experience during service
- Oversee reservations and execution of the daily floor plan
- Lead pre-shift meetings and communicate priorities, expectations, menu information, and operational updates
- Ensure opening, closing, side work, and operating procedures are completed accurately
- Oversee staffing and execution of special events and private dining
- Maintain appropriate par levels of restaurant, bar, office, and operating supplies
- Work closely with the Chef and culinary leadership to ensure strong communication and execution between front and back of house
- Identify operational issues and implement practical solutions
Leadership, Hiring & Development
- Recruit, interview, hire, onboard, train, coach, and develop front-of-house employees
- Maintain an active recruiting pipeline and continually identify strong potential candidates
- Conduct regular employee evaluations and performance reviews
- Maintain accurate documentation related to coaching, counseling, performance, and disciplinary matters
- Observe and evaluate employee performance against established training and service standards
- Hold employees accountable for attendance, appearance, professionalism, performance, and execution
- Develop employees for increased responsibility and future leadership opportunities
- Implement and maintain training programs for front-of-house employees
- Conduct ongoing and recurrent training in service, food, wine, spirits, and hospitality
- Continually identify best practices within the hospitality industry and determine how they can improve our systems and standards
Financial & Business Performance
- Work with restaurant leadership and Chef to achieve revenue, profitability, labor, and cost targets
- Operate within established payroll, beverage, operating, and expense budgets
- Monitor labor costs and staffing levels based on business needs
- Review and manage key restaurant performance indicators, including:
- Revenue
- Covers
- Check averages
- Table turn times
- Labor costs
- Staff comps
- Expense targets
- Revenue goals
- Monitor changes in business performance and take appropriate action
- Identify opportunities to increase revenue while responsibly managing costs
- Participate in budgeting, forecasting, and operational planning as required
Inventory & Cost Control
- Monitor wine, liquor, and beverage purchasing and inventory
- Maintain familiarity with current and new wine, spirits, and beverage products
- Oversee bar inventories and conduct periodic spot checks
- Participate in monthly physical inventories and audit procedures for accuracy
- Conduct periodic inventories of silverware, china, glassware, equipment, and operating supplies
- Maintain accurate breakage, loss, spoilage, and inventory-control procedures
- Ensure employees properly care for company products, equipment, and property
- Work with culinary leadership to maintain accurate inventory and loss-control practices throughout the restaurant
Guest Experience
- Maintain a visible leadership presence throughout service
- Ensure guests receive consistent, attentive, and professional hospitality
- Respond quickly and professionally to guest concerns
- Investigate and resolve significant guest-service issues in coordination with restaurant leadership
- Ensure necessary operational follow-up occurs after guest incidents or service failures
- Use guest feedback to identify opportunities for training and operational improvement
Facility & Restaurant Standards
- Maintain a clean, organized, safe, and professional restaurant environment
- Oversee restaurant maintenance and coordinate necessary repairs
- Work with culinary leadership on kitchen-related maintenance needs
- Monitor the condition of furniture, fixtures, equipment, serviceware, and restaurant assets
- Ensure company safety, sanitation, food-handling, and alcohol-service standards are consistently followed
Qualifications
The ideal candidate will have:
- At least 3–5 years of restaurant management or comparable leadership experience
- Experience in a high-volume, full-service restaurant environment
- Fine dining or elevated-service experience preferred
- Strong understanding of restaurant financials, labor management, cost control, and KPIs
- Proven ability to recruit, train, coach, and develop employees
- Strong leadership and performance-management skills
- Excellent guest-service and interpersonal skills
- Ability to remain calm, organized, and decisive under pressure
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- High attention to detail and follow-through
- Working knowledge of restaurant operating systems and procedures
- Strong knowledge of food, wine, cocktails, and beverage service
- Ability to analyze information, identify problems, and make sound operational decisions
- Ability to work effectively with culinary, service, and senior leadership teams
- Flexible availability, including nights, weekends, holidays, and special events as required by the business
A degree in hospitality, business, or a related field is valued but not required. Relevant restaurant leadership experience and demonstrated performance may substitute for formal education.
Certifications
The Restaurant Manager must maintain or obtain all certifications required for the position, including applicable:
- Food Manager certification
- ServSafe Manager certification
- Alcohol-service or management-level alcohol training
- Other state, county, or company-required certifications
Physical Requirements
This position requires the ability to work actively throughout restaurant operations, including extended periods of standing and walking.
The employee may be required to bend, reach, lift, carry, climb, stoop, kneel, or move restaurant equipment and supplies. The position may occasionally require lifting or moving items weighing up to 50 pounds.
The Restaurant Manager must also be comfortable working in a restaurant environment that may include heat, cold, humidity, noise, wet surfaces, kitchen equipment, cleaning products, and other conditions typical of restaurant operations.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.
What It’s Like to Work at Gertrude’s by Tarbell’s
Our managers are expected to lead from the floor and take ownership of the business.
Strong restaurant leadership means knowing what is happening throughout the operation, communicating clearly, developing people, protecting standards, understanding the numbers, and addressing problems before they become larger ones.
We expect managers to bring solutions, not simply identify problems.
Gertrude’s by Tarbell’s offers the opportunity to work with an experienced hospitality team while continuing to develop your leadership, operational, financial, food, wine, and business-management skills.
Benefits & Opportunities
- Competitive compensation
- Performance incentives after the introductory period for eligible positions
- Medical, dental, and vision benefits after the introductory period
- Life insurance
- 401(k)
- Employee referral program
- Ongoing food, wine, beverage, and hospitality education
- Professional development and career-growth opportunities
- A collaborative restaurant leadership team
- A unique workplace inside Desert Botanical Garden
About Gertrude’s by Tarbell’s
Gertrude’s by Tarbell’s is built around genuine hospitality, thoughtful food and beverage, and professional service.
Our goal is straightforward: create an experience guests want to return to and a restaurant our team is proud to work in.
The Restaurant Manager plays a critical role in making that happen by developing the team, protecting standards, managing the business, and ensuring that what we promise our guests is consistently delivered.
When applying, please submit your resume and relevant restaurant management experience. Compensation will be determined based on experience and qualifications.
Gertrude's by Tarbell's