Food Service Manager (General Manager, Restaurant) Job Description Template

In plain language: States the official job title, the location or locations covered, and the direct reporting line — both who the GM reports to and which positions report to the GM.

Common mistake: Listing a reporting line to a generic title like 'management' rather than a specific role. Ambiguous reporting structures create authority disputes and undermine the GM's ability to make operational decisions.

In plain language: A 3–5 sentence overview of the role's purpose — the outcomes the GM owns and the level of decision-making authority granted, including hiring, termination, and budget authority.

Common mistake: Omitting dollar-threshold authority limits. Without a defined spending limit, finance and ownership have no clear control point, leading to unauthorized purchases and budget overruns.

In plain language: Itemizes the day-to-day management responsibilities across front-of-house and back-of-house operations — opening and closing procedures, floor presence, shift management, and service standards.

Common mistake: Writing duties as outcomes ('ensure guest satisfaction') without defining the specific behaviors or processes required. Outcome-only descriptions make performance management subjective and difficult to document for disciplinary purposes.

In plain language: Defines the GM's responsibility for revenue targets, cost controls (food cost, labor cost, waste), cash handling, and reporting cadence to ownership or corporate.

Common mistake: Not specifying target cost percentages. A job description that says 'manage food and labor costs' without benchmarks gives the GM no measurable standard and makes performance reviews contentious.

In plain language: Covers the GM's authority and responsibility for recruiting, onboarding, scheduling, coaching, disciplining, and terminating hourly and supervisory staff in compliance with employment law.

Common mistake: Granting termination authority without referencing compliance with company policy and employment law. An uncaveated termination clause creates employer liability if the GM terminates an employee without following proper procedure.

In plain language: States the GM's responsibility for maintaining compliance with local health codes, HACCP protocols, food handler certification requirements, alcohol licensing conditions (if applicable), and any brand standards audits.

Common mistake: Listing compliance as a general responsibility without naming the specific regulatory framework. Vague compliance language does not put the employee on notice of the specific standards they are accountable for meeting.

In plain language: Defines measurable expectations for guest satisfaction, complaint resolution authority, review monitoring, and the GM's personal floor presence obligations.

Common mistake: Setting guest satisfaction standards without specifying the platform or measurement method. 'Maintain high guest satisfaction' is unenforceable without a defined metric and tracking source.

In plain language: Lists the minimum education, experience, licenses, and certifications required to be eligible for the role — including food safety certifications, alcohol server certifications, and any state-specific manager licenses.

Common mistake: Setting qualification requirements so high that they exclude otherwise qualified candidates, or so low that they invite underqualified applicants and trigger discrimination claims if requirements are applied inconsistently.

In plain language: Documents the physical demands of the role — standing, lifting, heat exposure — and the expected schedule including evenings, weekends, and holidays. This section has ADA and human rights code significance.

Common mistake: Skipping physical requirements entirely to avoid the awkwardness of the conversation. Omitting them removes the employer's ADA/accommodation documentation trail and creates inconsistency when accommodation requests arise later.

In plain language: States the base salary or hourly rate, bonus or incentive structure, benefits eligibility, and — in US contexts — the at-will employment acknowledgment that the job description does not constitute a contract of employment.

Common mistake: Omitting the at-will disclaimer in US job descriptions. Courts have found that specific performance standards and detailed duty lists in job descriptions create implied-contract claims when no disclaimer is present.

A food service manager job description is a formal employment document that defines the full scope of a restaurant general manager's role — including duties, authority, qualifications, reporting structure, financial accountability, compliance obligations, and performance expectations. It serves as both a hiring tool and a legally defensible record of what the employer and employee agreed the role entailed, which is critical for performance management and termination decisions.

In most US jurisdictions, a job description is not itself an employment contract, provided it contains a clear at-will disclaimer. Without that disclaimer, courts have found detailed job descriptions — particularly those with specific performance standards and progressive discipline references — to constitute implied employment contracts. In Canada and the UK, a job description incorporated by reference into an employment contract carries binding weight. Always include an at-will or non-contract disclaimer for US contexts and consult an employment lawyer for cross-border roles.

Most US states require a food protection manager certification — typically ServSafe or an equivalent accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Alcohol service certification (TIPS, TABC, or state-equivalent) is required in jurisdictions where the restaurant holds a liquor license. In Canada, the Canadian Institute of Food Safety (CIFS) Food Handler Certificate is widely recognized; provincial requirements vary. In the UK, a Level 3 Award in Food Safety in Catering is the standard for supervisory roles. Confirm current requirements with your local health authority before finalizing the job description.

A complete financial accountability section covers revenue targets, food cost percentage targets (typically 28–35% for full-service, 25–30% for fast casual), labor cost percentage targets (typically 30–35% of revenue), cash handling and reconciliation procedures, weekly P&L reporting to ownership, and the dollar threshold below which the GM can authorize expenditures without additional approval. Specifying these benchmarks in the job description creates the measurable standards needed for performance management and bonus calculations.

Yes, for any GM role with meaningful financial exposure, a separate employment contract is strongly recommended. The job description defines the role; the employment contract governs the legal relationship — confidentiality, IP assignment, non-compete, non-solicitation, termination notice, severance, and governing law. Relying solely on a job description leaves the employer without enforceable restrictive covenants and creates ambiguity on termination obligations.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to distinguish between essential functions and marginal tasks in job descriptions. Physical requirements (lifting, standing, heat exposure) must be listed accurately and apply only to genuinely essential functions. Using 'with or without reasonable accommodation' language signals that the employer will engage in the interactive process when needed. Overstating physical demands to screen out candidates is an ADA violation; understating them removes the documentation trail when an accommodation request arises.

Detailed enough to define the GM's accountability clearly, but not so granular that any operational change requires a document amendment. Best practice is to list 8–12 core duty categories (operations, financial management, staffing, compliance, guest experience) with a brief description of each, plus a catch-all clause such as 'and other duties as reasonably assigned.' Over-specifying makes the description a constraint rather than a governance tool.

Yes — a signed, specific job description is one of the most useful documents in a termination-for-cause proceeding. It establishes what the employee agreed to do, against which documented performance failures can be measured. Courts and labor arbitrators routinely review job descriptions to assess whether a performance standard existed and whether the employee had notice of it. A vague or unsigned job description undermines the employer's position significantly.

State explicitly that the role requires evening, weekend, and holiday availability and that specific shift requirements will vary based on business needs. Include a minimum floor presence expectation (e.g., present during peak service periods on no fewer than five shifts per week). Vague availability language leads to disputes when the GM declines to cover weekend shifts or objects to a schedule change.