| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Restaurants and Food Service |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Chief Operating Officer |
| Direct reports | Restaurant Area Manager, Restaurant Manager, Food Safety Supervisor |
| Experience | 12+ years in restaurants with 5 years leading multiple outlets |
Head of Restaurant Operations job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: Head of Restaurant Operations
Department: Restaurants and Food Service
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A Head of Restaurant Operations leads the operations of a restaurant chain across all outlets. They own standards, SOPs, service and kitchen consistency, operating margins and new outlet openings. The role sits at the top of operations, above area managers. A strong Head of Restaurant Operations keeps every outlet on brand and profitable, rolls out systems that hold quality at scale, and builds area managers who run their clusters well.
Key responsibilities
- Own operations, standards and profitability across all restaurant outlets.
- Set and roll out SOPs for service, kitchen, hygiene and cash handling.
- Lead area managers and hold outlets to sales and margin targets.
- Drive same store sales through operations, service and local marketing support.
- Control food cost, labour cost and shrinkage across the chain.
- Own new outlet openings from site readiness to launch.
- Standardize menu execution and food quality across every outlet.
- Run audits on service, food safety and brand standards.
- Build training and career paths for outlet and area managers.
Requirements
- Degree or diploma in hotel management or business
- Long multi-outlet restaurant experience
- Food safety knowledge
- 12+ years in restaurants with 5 years leading multiple outlets
KRAs and KPIs for a Head of Restaurant Operations
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Same store sales | Same store sales growth at or above the plan |
| Operating margin | Outlet operating margin held at or above target |
| Standards | Outlets score above target on brand and service audits |
| Food safety | All outlets pass food safety audits, none below threshold |
| New openings | New outlets opened on time and to standard |
| Manager pipeline | Trained managers ready for every new and vacant outlet |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: POS and analytics dashboards, Inventory and costing software, Audit and checklist apps, MS Excel, Scheduling software.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Chief Operating Officer, Business Head, Vice President Operations
Interview questions for a Head of Restaurant Operations
- How do you keep quality consistent across many outlets?
- How do you improve same store sales in a mature chain?
- How do you control food and labour cost across the chain?
- Walk me through opening a new outlet to standard.
- How do you use audits to hold brand standards?
- How do you build a pipeline of ready outlet managers?
Managing a Head of Restaurant Operations in ZeniaHR
Hire and manage your restaurants and food service team in one place
Post the role, onboard the new hire, and track attendance, leave and KRAs in ZeniaHR. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What does a Head of Restaurant Operations do?
A Head of Restaurant Operations leads a restaurant chain across all outlets. They own standards, SOPs, service and kitchen consistency, operating margins and new openings. They lead area managers, run audits and build the manager pipeline. Their job is outlets that stay on brand and profitable as the chain grows.
What is the difference between a Head of Restaurant Operations and an Area Manager?
A Head of Restaurant Operations runs the whole chain: strategy, SOPs, margins and expansion, leading several area managers. An Area Manager runs one cluster of outlets in a region. The head sets the system and owns the chain; the area manager delivers it in the field.
What qualifications does a Head of Restaurant Operations need?
A degree or diploma in hotel management or business, with long multi-outlet restaurant experience. Employers value proven unit economics, SOP rollout, food and labour cost control, new openings and people development. A record of scaling quality across many outlets matters most.