Hospitality Manager in Louisville, Kentucky at Eternal Optimist

Feast BBQ | Louisville, KY

Salary: $50,000–$60,000 annually (based on experience)

Feast BBQ is seeking a Hospitality Manager to help lead the front-of-house operation of one of Louisville's most respected barbecue restaurants.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who is passionate about hospitality, developing people, and creating memorable guest experiences. Reporting to and working closely with the Managing Partner, you'll help shape the culture of our restaurant, strengthen our bar program, and build a team that takes pride in delivering exceptional service every day.

This position offers the opportunity to grow as a hospitality leader while making a meaningful impact on an established restaurant with ambitious goals.

• Serve as Manager on Duty and take ownership of the restaurant's operation during assigned shifts.

• Lead daily front-of-house operations, working shifts and setting the standard for hospitality.

• Recruit, hire, train, coach, and develop front-of-house team members, creating a strong pipeline of future leaders.

• Create weekly schedules and manage labor to support business needs.

• Identify opportunities to improve systems, communication, and operational consistency.

• Create and maintain a culture of accountability, teamwork, and hospitality

• Ensure all employees feel supported, heard, and empowered to perform at their best

• Monitor team morale and actively work to maintain a positive and inclusive work environment

• Maintain exceptional guest service standards and professionally resolve guest concerns.

• Oversee opening and closing procedures while ensuring cleanliness, organization, and attention to detail throughout the restaurant.

• Partner closely with kitchen leadership to deliver a seamless guest experience.

• Lead day-to-day beverage operations, including building cocktails, liquor, beer, and wine ordering, inventory, organization, and cost control.

• Maintain appropriate beverage pars and inventory controls.

• Ensure cocktail recipes, pours, presentation, and responsible alcohol service are consistently executed.

• Partner with the Managing Partner and leadership on seasonal beverage changes, promotions, and opportunities to improve the program.

• Understand and help achieve established labor, beverage cost, sales, and controllable expense goals.

• Monitor beverage cost, waste, comps, and inventory variance.

• Identify opportunities to grow sales, improve beverage mix, reduce waste, and improve operational efficiency.

• Identify opportunities to increase guest frequency, beverage sales, check average, and overall restaurant sales through better hospitality, team education, merchandising, and execution.

• Develop knowledgeable bartenders through coaching, product education, and hospitality-focused service.

• Anticipate and resolve service, staffing, guest, and operational issues before they become larger problems.

• Ensure important shift information, concerns, wins, and follow-up items are communicated clearly to the Managing Partner and incoming leadership.

• Ensure all local, state, and federal health and safety regulations are strictly followed

• Maintain current knowledge of labor laws, liquor compliance, and OSHA standards

• Conduct routine audits to confirm safety, sanitation, and maintenance standards are met.

• Identify facility, equipment, cleanliness, or maintenance concerns promptly and ensure they are communicated through the appropriate company process.

• Support restaurant events, promotions, community initiatives, and other efforts that strengthen Feast BBQ's connection to its guests and neighborhood.

• Three or more years of restaurant, hospitality, or bar leadership experience.

• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

• Experience with scheduling, labor management, inventory, and POS systems (Toast experience preferred).

• Knowledge of beverage operations, inventory management, and responsible alcohol service is required.

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

• Availability to work nights, weekends, and holidays.

The ideal candidate:

• Leads from the floor and sets the example for the team.

• Naturally coaches, teaches, and develops others.

• Takes ownership and follows through.

• Understands that our people, our guests, and the health of the business are interconnected. Strong teams create better hospitality, better hospitality builds a stronger business, and a stronger business creates more opportunity for everyone.

• Has an appreciation for great food, beverages, and genuine guest service.

• Wants to help build a restaurant where guests come not only for outstanding barbecue, but because they enjoy spending time here.

• Creates moments that earn repeat visits and makes guests feel seen, valued, and genuinely glad they came.

If you're looking for an opportunity to grow your career, help shape a team's culture, and make a lasting impact on a restaurant that's always striving to improve, we'd love to meet you.

• Lifting and Carrying: Ability to lift and carry cases of beverages, liquor, beer, wine, glassware, ice, and other restaurant supplies weighing up to 40 pounds unassisted, and occasionally lift or move objects weighing more than 40 pounds with assistance.

• Working Conditions: Works in a fast-paced restaurant and bar environment that may be noisy, crowded, and physically demanding. May be exposed to wet or slippery floors, cleaning chemicals, broken glass, heat, cold, and varying temperatures when entering walk-in refrigerators or storage areas.

• Standing and Walking for Long Periods: Must be able to stand, walk, and move throughout the restaurant and bar for the duration of the shift.

• Bending, Stooping, and Reaching: Frequently required to bend, stoop, crouch, reach, and access bottles, glassware, supplies, ice wells, coolers, and storage areas at varying heights.

• Repetitive Motions: Perform repetitive motions associated with bartending and front-of-house service, including pouring beverages, shaking and stirring cocktails, handling glassware, using a POS system, stocking, cleaning, and resetting service areas.

• Handling Cleaning Chemicals: Safely handle cleaning chemicals, sanitizers, detergents, and other restaurant cleaning products according to established safety guidelines.

• Coordination and Dexterity: Maintain the hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary to handle glassware, bottles, bar tools, trays, cash, credit cards, and restaurant equipment safely and efficiently.

• Fast-Paced Environment: Ability to work efficiently and remain composed in a high-volume hospitality environment while managing multiple guests, orders, and priorities simultaneously.

• Guest Interaction and Communication: Ability to communicate clearly, professionally, and hospitably with guests, team members, vendors, and leadership throughout the shift.

• Attention to Detail: Maintain accuracy in guest orders, beverage preparation, cash handling, inventory, responsible alcohol service, and overall presentation.

• Adherence to Safety and Alcohol Service Protocols: Follow proper safety procedures and responsible alcohol service standards, including appropriate handling of glassware, prevention of slips and falls, and compliance with applicable alcohol laws and company policies.

• Basic Math Proficiency: Ability to perform basic math necessary for cash handling, tip calculations, inventory counts, beverage costing, and other front-of-house responsibilities.

• English Communication Skills: Ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing, for guest service, team communication, inventory, ordering, documentation, and retrieving information as needed.

• Technology Proficiency: Ability to proficiently use and learn restaurant and business systems, including:

  • Toast POS

  • Gmail and Google Workspace, including Docs and Sheets

  • Scheduling, inventory, communication, and other restaurant management platforms used by the Company