Maitre D

Established by chef and founder Alex Stupak in 2011, Empellón has grown into a multi-restaurant company with locations in Manhattan’s east village, west village, and midtown east neighborhoods with more in development. Empellón simultaneously embraces the greatness of Mexican cuisine as it is, while constantly striving to realize what it could be. Empellón translates to jostle. For us, it means to push in a new direction and to push ourselves to strive for the best.

Empellón is seeking a Maitre D’ to lead our front-of-house hospitality program. This is not a traditional host position. It is a senior hospitality role rooted in intentional scarcity, personal recognition, and disciplined follow-through. The Head Maitre D’ is the memory of the room and the human filter through which the restaurant is experienced. This role is the face of the restaurant’s guest experience, blending service intuition, leadership, CRM management and relationship-building to ensure every guest visit feels personal, thoughtful, and memorable. 

The ideal candidate is a polished hospitality professional who thrives on connection, understands the power of data-driven personalization, and maintains exceptional standards of service and ambiance. They are responsible for developing and executing strategies that optimize customer engagement, retention and loyalty. This position requires a highly visible presence on the restaurant floor and plays a critical role in ensuring that every guest receives an elevated and personalized experience. The Maitre D’ / Guest Experience Manager will collaborate closely with the General Manager and leadership team to support operational excellence and sustained revenue growth.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Guest Experience

• Exercise full ownership of the book, managing all reservations through discretion, direct communication, and relationship-based access. 
• Personally manage VIP reservations and special requests
• Grant personal reservation access upon a guest’s second visit, using access as a tool to build a core group of regulars. 
• Oversee and coach the host team to ensure a warm, consistent, and polished greeting across in-person, phone, and digital touchpoints.
• Review the reservation book daily, weekly, and monthly to identify patterns, return behavior, and access eligibility. 
• Ensure the door operates with confidence and consistency, even under pressure 
• Engage directly with guests during dinner service, building genuine rapport and identifying long-term guests. 
• Review VIPs, return guests and notable guests in nightly pre shift meetings to the service team. 
• Send a personalized follow-up email to every guest after dining, acknowledging their visit and inviting return. 
• Build and maintain a detailed CRM with guest preferences, visit history, access status, and service notes. 
• Personally oversee VIP experiences from arrival through departure, performing a final quality check on each visit. 
• Work closely with the General Manager to ensure service flow, pacing, and brand standards are met nightly. 
• Serve as a key communicator between front-of-house staff and leadership, ensuring alignment on guest priorities and service standards.
• Uphold brand standards, service flow, and operational excellence in collaboration with the General Manager.
• Ensure lighting, music, and overall ambiance are properly calibrated for each shift.
• Maintain a consistent, engaged and highly visible presence on the floor to support the team and ensure flawless service.
• Ensure guest recognition programs are executed seamlessly in service. 
• Build meaningful relationships by touching tables, resolving issues with grace, and fostering guest loyalty.
• Oversee the development, accuracy, and ongoing maintenance of the CRM database with granular guest notes, preferences, visit histories and recognition details, ensuring personalized service for all return guests. 
• Utilize CRM data to personalize guest experiences and identify opportunities to strengthen guest relationships.
• Establish systems for guest appreciation by engaging directly with guests, building personal connections, and offering concierge-style access for future reservations.
• Proactively visit hotel concierge teams to nurture relationships, promote offerings, and drive consistent hotel guest referrals.
• Cultivate strong relationships with local hotel concierges, museums, theaters, and neighborhood partners to enhance Empellón’s visibility.
• Submit weekly reports to the General Manager summarizing hotel guest reservations, trends, and sales performance.
• Provide the General Manager with daily recaps highlighting VIP visits, applied comps, notable service moments, and relevant CRM updates captured during the shift. 
• Collaborate with the General Manager to organize annual appreciation gifts for VIPs and high-frequency guests.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–5 years of leadership experience in fine dining or high-volume, high-touch hospitality.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, emotional intelligence and guest engagement skills. 
• Strong memory for guest details and service nuances.
• Creative, strategic thinker with strong attention to detail and an eye for personalization.
• A natural sense of hospitality, professionalism, and presence.
• Availability for lunch, dinner, weekend and holiday services as needed. 
• Experience with CRM and reservation platforms (Resy & OpenTable).
• Comply with all safety and DOH regulations.
  
  

We encourage our employees to grow and learn and offer many opportunities for personal and career development.

Benefits:

Competitive salary based on experience

Paid Time Off

Benefits package, including vision/dental/medical, offered after 90 days to full-time employee

Commuter Discounts

Flexible Spending Account

We are an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including age, sex, color, race, creed, national origin, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, disability or any other basis prohibited by federal or state law.