Associate Manager

Role Purpose

Assist in leading restaurant managers and team members in the execution of an excellent guest experience resulting in increasing guest counts, sales and MOP growth. Ensures decisions and actions are in alignment with the Credo and Guiding Principles and all TGI Friday's standards are met. To select, coach and develop team members.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

• Manages all day-to-day restaurant operations with a focus on delivering a great guest experience; supervises and support 3–6 Managers and all FOH and BOH hourly Team Members; manages all profit and loss centers.
• Aligns all behavior with the Credo and Guiding Principles.
• Executes on all brand standards.
• Identifies opportunities to drive sales, traffic and return visits with a 4-wall mentality; oversee implementation of local store marketing and national marketing promotions.
• Assists with the determination of current and future staffing needs in the restaurant to ensure an adequate number of talented team members are available to deliver a great guest experience.
• Identifies and develops high potential team members and managers to fill future openings.
• Provides ongoing and honest feedback, coaching and development to managers and team members.
• Evaluates performance fairly and frequently and holds managers and team members accountable to results.
• Creates a safe, clean and discrimination-free environment for all managers, team members and guests by ensuring all legal and company standards are met.
• Respond to Guest service complaints either in person or over the phone, taking any and all appropriate actions to turn dissatisfied Guests into return Guests.
• Completes all financial and personnel / payroll related administrative duties in and an accurate and timely way, in accordance with company policies and procedures.

Key Decisions

Makes:

• Team member hiring
• Team member terminations
• Team Member wage increases, with input of Human Resources
• Employee relations issues. Partners with Employee Relations department and / or Director of Operations depending on severity.
• Guest Relations issues. Partners with Guest Relations department and / or Director of Operations depending on severity.

Influences:

• Manager terminations
• Identifying opportunities and enacting plans to grow sales within the four walls of the restaurant
• Partners with the DO to create annual budget and sales projections

Measures of Success

• Guest satisfaction and guest complaints
• Revenue growth
• Controlling cost
• PACE
• Staffing Level and Staff Turnover
• Development and promotion of Team Members

Qualification Requirements

• 4-year college degree preferred.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in Restaurant Management with extensive knowledge of Friday's recipes, policies, standards, theories and successful results with past responsibilities.
• Must be capable of performing all functions and meeting all qualification standards for all hourly positions.
• Knowledge of P.O.S. system and the back office systems to fulfill management functions.

Competencies

ASSESSING AND SELECTING TALENT: Effectively identifies and evaluates the talent within your restaurant in order to select individuals that exhibit pride, passion and personality and to build top performing teams

• Proactively identifies strong candidates and “sells” Friday's in order to get the best talent on board.
• Identifies high potential within the team in order to maximize internal promotes
• Thinks strategically when making hiring decisions to get the right people in the right positions
• Identifies great talent based on diverse backgrounds, skills, and abilities as well as common passion for the business
• Effectively identifies gaps in talent and assembles the right mix of people (internally and externally) on the team to complement individual and group strengths
• Utilizes selection tools and processes as guidelines to effectively assess and hire the right people for the team
• Knows who top performers are and takes the necessary steps to engage and retain them

COACHING FOR PERFORMANCE: Spends time guiding, teaching and providing clear and directed feedback to your team to help them to grow and succeed

• Provides guidance, direction and mentoring to help managers/team members reach their full potential
• Provides honest and upfront feedback that is specific, timely and action-oriented
• Uses relentless follow-up as a method of consistently encouraging and reinforcing effective performance
• Critically evaluates managers/team members' unique developmental needs and builds plans to maximize strengths and improve weak areas.
• Identifies what managers/team members are doing well and provides positive reinforcement
• Delegates tasks and projects to managers/team members in order to help them learn new skills that can prepare them for the next level

LEADS AND INSPIRES OTHERS: Sets the example for the team by living the TGI Friday's credo and values; effectively influences and motivates them to reach goals

• Acts with integrity in all restaurant and personal dealings; demonstrates consistency in words and actions
• Demonstrates genuineness, openness, and approachability and consistently treats all team members and guests with dignity and respect
• Effectively manages stress level during difficult situations
• Demonstrates the ability to understand and adjust leadership style to fit others' needs
• Rallies and harnesses the energy within the restaurant by being present, upbeat and engaged
• Frequently and genuinely acknowledges and rewards strong performance
• Knows when to step back and allow others to lead the charge on team initiatives

FLEXIBLY ADAPTS AND MANAGES CHANGE: Keeps up with shifting business needs and embraces change in order to drive results

• Responds quickly to changing needs and adapts as necessary to meet new challenges
• Displays a positive, confident attitude for tackling new challenges and initiatives
• Builds support and commitment among team members by explaining purpose and goals around organizational initiatives
• Ensures that changes are fully integrated into operations and sustained over time
• Perseveres through resistance to change with positive influence and firm accountability

COMMUNICATION: Keeps everyone on the same page through frequent information sharing and open dialogue

• Creates open dialogue within the team that results in greater clarity and understanding of goals and expectations
• Demonstrates effective listening by being available to team members and responding to needs and concerns
• Communicates the “why” behind important goals and initiatives to gain buy-in
• Respects the opinions of others; listens to comments and concerns with an open mind
• Holds frequent meetings where information is shared freely with managers and team members
• Takes advantage of opportunities to engage in one-on-one communication

MANAGING EXECUTION: Sets performance standards and follows up relentlessly to ensure accountability for top quality results.

• Ensures 100% compliance with standard operating procedures
• Sets high standards and always looks to raise the bar
• Follows up to ensure disciplined execution of procedures and sustained results by consistently communicating expectations and measuring outcomes
• Delegates and follows up consistently in order to hold managers accountable
• Confronts sub-par performance directly and hold people accountable for making improvements
• Makes tough but necessary decisions in regards to discipline

PASSION FOR THE GUEST: Ensures that every action and decision leads to an exceptional guest experience

• Models exemplary hospitality by engaging regularly with the guests and interacting in a positive, sincere manner
• Encourages Team Members to focus efforts and attention on retaining guests for repeat visits
• Effectively balances guest needs with TGI Friday's business needs
• Utilizes unit performance data and guest feedback to improve the guest experience
• Shows awareness of guest needs and expectations; prevents problems before they occur
• Follows up to ensure that guest issues and complaints are addressed and resolved promptly

MANAGING FINANCIAL RESULTS: Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the financial components of the restaurant and how to impact results

• Analyzes financial profit and loss results, guest satisfaction measures, and other key performance data
• Uses appropriate tools and resources to monitor location's performance and understands factors that affect success and growth
• Partners with the DO to devise strategies to grow the business at their location
• Establishes local brand visibility to drive sales, traffic, and return visits
• Displays critical insight into the key drivers of business success
• Makes financial needs an important consideration in plans and decisions

DECISION MAKING & PROBLEM SOLVING