Store Manager - Ghost Kitchen

Joe & the Juice•Los Angeles, CA

55d•Onsite

About The Position

As a Store Manager, you are responsible for the daily operation of your ghost kitchen, ensuring the highest performance possible in all areas within the operation. You will adhere to market-specific legal requirements, company policies, risk, and compliance structures. You are expected to have a full overview of your ghost kitchen and lead your team members ensuring efficient workflows, great guest experiences, and high-quality products. Your overall success in this position depends on the degree to which you are able to lead, develop, and retain a highly engaged kitchen team, where all operational and fulfillment standards are consistently met in order to deliver best-in-class order accuracy and quality across both delivery and catering. As the business leader of your location, you will take ownership of operational performance, team development, fulfillment, inventory, labor, and financial results. Ultimately, you are accountable for meeting the cost budget, reaching the store's sales targets, and optimizing EBITDA through existing and new company initiatives, while continuously identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, throughput, order accuracy, and the overall guest experience.

Requirements

Minimum 5 years of leadership experience in a comparable high-volume restaurant, food production, retail, hospitality, fulfillment, logistics, e-commerce, or other service-driven environment, with a proven track record of delivering operational and financial results
Demonstrated experience leading and developing teams, with the ability to drive performance, accountability, and engagement
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust, resolve conflicts, and foster a collaborative team culture
Passion for people leadership, with a genuine commitment to coaching, mentoring, and developing team members to reach their full potential
Demonstrated ability to manage a fast-paced, high-volume operation while balancing competing operational priorities
Strong business acumen with experience managing labor, inventory, food cost, waste, sales, budgets, and/or P&L performance
Ability to analyze operational and financial KPIs, identify performance trends, and translate data into actionable business decisions
Strong organizational, planning, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to remain effective and make sound decisions in a rapidly changing environment
Ability to successfully lead operational change, including new products, technology, processes, and company initiatives
Knowledge of food safety, sanitation, workplace safety, and applicable regulatory requirements
Food Manager certification or ability to obtain required certification within the company-defined timeframe
Ability to work a flexible schedule based on business needs, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays as required

Nice To Haves

Experience with digital ordering, delivery, fulfillment, or third-party delivery platforms is strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Lead, inspire, and develop team members in alignment with company virtues and operational principles
Act as a role model of company values and foster a positive, high-performance culture
Ensure clear communication of expectations and accountability across the team
Create an environment of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement where team members understand how their performance contributes to overall store results
Lead effectively through changing business needs, new initiatives, menu introductions, technology implementations, and evolving operational priorities
Develop and motivate team members through structured development plans and continuous feedback
Facilitate in-store training sessions and regular team meetings
Monitor and drive employee engagement initiatives to meet or exceed benchmark engagement scores
Recruit, onboard, coach, and retain a high-performing team capable of consistently executing operational standards
Identify and develop future leaders through ongoing coaching, performance management, and succession planning
Address performance or behavioral concerns promptly and consistently while maintaining a positive and supportive team culture
Champion an accuracy-first mindset across all kitchen operations, delivery, and catering orders
Oversee the end-to-end execution of catering orders, ensuring accuracy, presentation, and on-time fulfillment for every event and corporate request
Monitor third-party delivery platform performance (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub) including ratings, fulfillment times, order accuracy scores, cancellations, and guest feedback
Drive guest satisfaction through consistent execution and fast, reliable order fulfillment across both delivery and catering channels
Identify and resolve issues impacting delivery ratings, catering execution, or overall customer experience
Manage the flow of digital orders from production through staging and courier/customer handoff to ensure speed, accuracy, product quality, and efficient throughput
Identify operational bottlenecks and implement solutions that improve production flow, ticket times, order accuracy, and overall kitchen capacity
Review guest feedback, refunds, order issues, and delivery-platform performance to identify trends and implement corrective action
Maintain a safe, secure, and healthy working environment by enforcing hygiene, health, food safety, and workplace safety standards
Ensure compliance with brand standards and all applicable local regulatory requirements
Uphold the highest operational ratings and performance standards
Maintain consistent execution of company recipes, production procedures, quality standards, portioning, packaging, and fulfillment processes
Ensure equipment, technology, and kitchen facilities remain operational and promptly escalate maintenance or facility issues when necessary
Successfully execute new operational initiatives, products, menu changes, systems, and processes while ensuring team readiness and compliance
Build and manage schedules based on forecasted sales, order volume, catering demand, and operational needs while meeting defined labor targets
Forecast staffing needs and adjust team deployment in real time based on business volume and changing operational priorities
Ensure appropriate staffing levels and skill deployment across production, fulfillment, catering, and other operational areas
Monitor labor productivity and identify opportunities to improve efficiency without compromising food quality, order accuracy, safety, or the guest experience
Maintain appropriate staffing and leadership coverage while proactively addressing attendance, scheduling, and workforce needs
Use operational and workforce data to identify trends and make informed staffing and deployment decisions
Take full ownership of inventory management, including stock counting, ordering, receiving, storage, and inventory accuracy
Optimize inventory levels to minimize waste and meet defined monthly waste targets
Maintain appropriate inventory levels based on sales forecasts, catering volume, menu mix, and business needs
Monitor food cost, product usage, waste, shelf life, and inventory variances and implement corrective actions when targets are not achieved
Ensure proper receiving, rotation, storage, labeling, and handling procedures are consistently followed
Partner with suppliers and internal support teams to proactively resolve availability, quality, or supply-chain issues
Drive sales growth and overall store performance
Optimize store EBITDA and achieve defined KPI targets
Monitor financial performance and implement corrective actions where necessary
Take ownership of controllable operating expenses, including labor, food cost, waste, supplies, and other store-level costs
Analyze sales, labor, fulfillment, delivery-platform, inventory, and operational KPIs to identify trends and opportunities for improvement
Translate performance data into clear action plans and hold the team accountable for execution
Identify opportunities to increase sales and order capacity across delivery and catering channels while maintaining operational excellence
Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Culinary, People, Finance, Facilities, Supply Chain, and other support teams to improve store performance and successfully execute company initiatives