Operations Director - Chick-fil-A

The Operations Director is responsible for helping to set the vision for the restaurant, increasing sales and profits, and ensuring an exceptional service experience for guests. 

Essential Functions:

• Leads all operational aspects of the restaurant; helps execute the company vision and purpose, as well as uphold the established core values
• Facilitates the development and implementation of the annual budget, financial forecasts and other business goals, and leads unit management to ensure budgeted sales and profit goals are achieved
• Maintains that high food safety standards are maintained by training and operational adoption; ensures that food is prepped, held, and served according to of all Chick-fil-A, federal, state, and local sanitary, safety, and health standards
• Builds, trains, and coaches high-performing team; partners with Talent Acquisition to appropriately staff the restaurant to meet business needs

• Engages with Operations Controller and regional leadership on financial decisions and enacting needed controls; makes purchasing decisions for repairs, maintenance, and supplies

• Continuously monitors labor and food cost; adjusts scheduling and purchasing as necessary
• Ensures each guest has a positive experience and monitors CEM score
• Develops and communicates ongoing proprietary culinary standards, objectives, and goals consistently to optimize quality and financial results
• Acts as point of contact, liaison, and subject matter expert for all proprietary brand culinary related questions 

Reporting Relationship & Role Information:

• The Operations Director reports to the Senior Director of Operations
• This position requires flexible scheduling across all operational periods including early morning, evening, weekend, and holiday shifts based on business needs and airport operational requirements

Minimum Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, and Work Environment:

• Education and Experience: The combination of education and professional experience must exceed 8 years:
  • In a leadership role: Requires 3 years of experience leading a team of F&B Operations professionals engaged in developing and executing Operations programs
  • In a technical role: Requires 8 years of experience engaged in developing and delivering Operations programs
    • A bachelor’s degree in a program related to the functional area can count for 3 of the eight-year requirement
    • An MBA or a master’s level degree in a program related to the functional area can count for an additional 2 years of the eight-year requirement
  • In the industry: 3-5 years of F&B Operations experience
• Specialized Skillset/Competencies/Traits
  • Ability to quickly learn and implement Chick-fil-A operational standards, brand guidelines, and customer experience expectations with commitment to ensuring consistent execution
  • Demonstrated success in achieving sales targets and profitability goals while maintaining high standards of customer experience, employee engagement, and stakeholder relationships
  • Proven ability to manage complex, fast-paced food service operations with high customer traffic typical of airport locations while responding effectively to operational disruptions, staffing challenges, and unexpected situations without compromising service standards
  • Familiarity with restaurant management systems, POS systems, scheduling software, and digital ordering platforms
  • Understanding of airport operational requirements, security protocols, and unique challenges of serving travelers with varying time constraints
  • Business acumen and also has the mindset required to understand the long-term implications of Operations planning and to advance the organization’s goals
  • Demonstrated history of understanding the needs of the business, stakeholders, the employee population and individual circumstances
  • Demonstrated history of creating and maintaining positive work environments through coaching, developing, and leading teams to achieve common goals