Makina Cafe is an established woman-owned Ethiopian-Eritrean Hospitality Company with a food truck, a catering kitchen, and a food stall on Governors Island. In the spring of 2025 Makina will be opening its first full-service brick and mortar location in Sunnyside/Long Island City, and the first Ethiopian-Eritrean restaurant in the famously diverse borough of Queens. Makina Café’s mission is to serve delicious East African food without fear of putting a spin on this time-honored cuisine, and to educate their public about the history and culture behind this revered, long-standing culinary tradition in a welcoming, hospitable environment.
The Restaurant Manager position presents an exciting opportunity for an experienced supervisor with a strong sense of leadership to grow professionally, and to be part of a unique enterprise in Queens’ vast restaurant landscape.
About The Role
Makina Café seeks the help of an organized, responsible, and hospitality-loving individual with strong leadership skills to take on the management of this significant new location. The Restaurant Manager of Makina Café will be responsible for creating a truly hospitable environment; educating staff and patrons on the cuisine; hiring, training, and overseeing front-of-house staff; and overseeing general restaurant operations, from payroll to ordering and inventory. The ideal candidate will have proven experience managing a service team, strong communication skills, a passion for cultivating a warm restaurant environment, and be detail-oriented and results-driven.
QUALIFICATIONS
- 2+ years of experience in a similar role
- Proficiency using restaurant software (POS, reservations, and 3rd party delivery platforms) & the Google Suite
- Wine, beer & cocktail knowledge
- Strong organizational skills
- Proven ability to multitask and pay attention to details
- Passionate commitment to outgoing, friendly customer service
- Refined verbal and written communication skills
- Night & weekend availability
- Food Handler’s Certification
- Plays well with others and brings a positive attitude
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Hire, train, and manage all front-of-house positions
- Oversee dinner service
- Create weekly staff schedule and maintain approved budget for front-of-house labor per ownership expectations
- Communicate and perpetuate company policies, standard operating procedures, and best practices
- Create and maintain a collaborative work environment with high standards of customer service
- Educate staff and customers on the long tradition of East African cuisine and the Makina story
- Provide performance coaching: lead by example; counsel and advise staff; maintain a standardized system for two-way communication and feedback
- Liaise between front-of-house and back-of-house
- Own POS and reservations systems, updating and troubleshooting as necessary
- Point of contact for restaurant vendors including beverage distributors, carting company, dry goods suppliers, etc.; order related inventory
- Execute monthly inventory report; make related recommendations to ownership, and adjustments to ordering practices
- Enforce strict compliance with all relevant health and safety standards and requirements
- Prepare FOH for NYC Department of Health inspections
- First point of contact for restaurant repairs
- Execute weekly payroll
- Responsible for cash handling
- Track and submit relevant invoices to A/P
- Share all relevant customer feedback directly with kitchen and floor staff as well as ownership
- Work in partnership with Makina owners to realize their vision and their goals in terms of operational excellence and financial success
