General Manager

Opportunity Summary:

Located within the Beacon Grand, originally established as The Sir Francis Drake in 1928, Starlite stands as a historic and revered cocktail establishment within the heart of San Francisco. Following decades of legacy, Starlite reopened in February 2024 and was quickly recognized as one of Esquire’s 50 Best Bars in America and among Condé Nast Traveler’s 22 Best Bars in San Francisco. Underpinning this restoration is a conscientious effort to preserve the stories and experiences woven into the fabric of the establishment's history. 

Starlite is looking for a prestigious team to collaborate with new ownership and its esteemed partners to evolve its legacy. 

Job Summary:

The General Manager (GM) is setting the stage - inspiring staff, sharing the vision, all while hosting locals and visitors to the city and providing one of the best service experiences in San Francisco. 

What You’ll Do:

• Cultivate one of the most welcoming spaces in Union Square - a place to see and be seen by locals and tourists alike, ensuring a fun time is had by all.
• Act as a liaison to VIPs, Investors, and traveling restaurant and bar industry greats, acting as their point-of-contact for visiting Starlite whenever they are in town.
• Drive the culture of hospitality. Foster creativity in planning  and arranging  for special touches for VIP and special guests of all kinds. 
• Continually improve service through observation, collaboration and discussions with guests, staff, sales teams, Beacon Grand leadership,  and ownership. Host open and productive conversations with chef & bar leads to edit and adapt until Starlite sings. 
• Guide, educate, and inspire exceptional team performance and mentor managers, supervisors, and team members. Most importantly, show how it’s done. 
• Find new and fun ways to ensure profitability - consider quality, marketing, and community as key levers to pull. 
• Oversee the daily workflow of the department - standards adherence, scheduling, coverage, service quality, budgets & profits, planning alongside hotel. 
• Develop innovative solutions to enhance communication of guest and service information.

Who You Are:

• Warm &  personable, you easily connect with others - you can talk sports, SF history, donuts, etc.
• A "lead from the front,” hands-on leader.
• Your sense of ownership helps you identify pain points in operations steps to fill voids and build infrastructure for future success and stability.
• Your emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills enable you to  build strong working relationships with team members and stakeholders at all levels.
• You’re a team player who can set your ego aside and find win-for-all solutions.
• Feels energized by creating a fun place where people connect and have a good time.
• Highly, highly service trained - you can effortlessly show others how to serve in an unpretentious, yet high quality food & beverage environment.
• An eye for hospitality - you notice the alignment of napkins, spoons and forks, a body stance and how that welcomes or hinders guests from entering.
• You have an appreciation for and commitment to cocktail culture, the resurgence of San Francisco nightlife and your own personal growth!

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Listen, speak, and write clearly in order to negotiate, follow through, and effect change. It is essential to have the ability to apply what is heard from staff and guests into solutions best for all.
• High emotional maturity & ability to connect with others. 
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills to strive in a team environment.
• Excellent hands-on organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate them when appropriate.
• Basics of Excel & scheduling software, proficient with POS Systems, and OpenTable systems.

Education and Experience:

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• At least three (3) years of Food & Beverage management experience required.
• Lifestyle / luxury hotel experience required.
• CA / San Francisco experience preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to bend, push, pull, stand, walk, talk, or hear.
• Frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, or telephone
• Long hours sometimes required to include weekends and holidays
• Medium work – exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects