Dining Manager - Rice Hospitality

Rice University•Houston, TX

7h•Onsite

About The Position

The Dining Manager for Rice Hospitality provides front-of-house leadership and operational oversight across multiple retail and hospitality outlets, including coffee shops and campus dining concepts. This role is responsible for ensuring consistent service standards, operational efficiency, and exceptional guest experiences across all assigned locations. Working collaboratively with culinary leadership and hospitality management, the Dining Manager plans, organizes, and supervises front-of-house teams while supporting financial objectives, staff development, and service excellence. This position serves as a key liaison between Rice Hospitality, campus partners, vendors, and guests, ensuring seamless day-to-day operations across diverse service models. The ideal candidate is a hospitality-driven leader with demonstrated experience managing multiple food and beverage outlets, preferably within café, coffee shop, or fast-casual environments. They are organized, proactive, and calm under pressure, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic, guest-facing setting. A strong service mindset, operational discipline, and passion for hospitality are essential, along with the ability to lead teams through consistency, communication, and accountability.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree
In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year for year basis may be substituted
Minimum of 2+ years of administrative or hospitality management experience
In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted
Strong interpersonal and communication skills
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
Excellent time management and organizational skills
Service-oriented leadership style
Ability to handle stressful situations with professionalism and positivity
Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel

Nice To Haves

Experience managing multiple food and beverage outlets
Coffee shop, café, or fast-casual dining experience strongly preferred
Background in hospitality, hotels, restaurants, or campus dining
Proven ability to lead front-of-house teams and deliver consistent service standards
Experience with POS systems, scheduling software, and basic financial reporting

Responsibilities

Provide daily front-of-house operational leadership across multiple retail and café locations
Establish service standards and ensure consistent guest experience across all outlets
Collaborate with culinary leadership on menu execution and service flow
Oversee scheduling, labor deployment, and staffing optimization
Monitor operational performance and address service or staffing gaps
Serve as liaison with campus partners, vendors, and internal departments
Support financial oversight, including basic budgeting, labor tracking, and reconciliation
Assist with equipment needs, vendor coordination, and operational improvements
Train, guide, and supervise student and hourly staff
Prepare reports, communications, and operational documentation
Perform other duties as assigned in support of Rice Hospitality objectives