Director of Operations | Fast Casual

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Fast Casual Restaurant — Multi-Unit Franchise Group

The Opportunity

A rapidly growing, multi-brand franchise group is seeking a Director of Operations to lead their high-volume fast casual restaurant division across multiple Midwest markets. This is a high-visibility leadership role reporting directly to the VP of Operations within a 130+ unit franchise platform that is scaling aggressively.

The brand you’d be leading is one of the fastest-growing fast casual concepts in the country — with $3M+ average unit volumes, a cult-level consumer following, national media attention, and significant expansion plans. This is not a maintenance role. This is a build role with a clear path to VP-level leadership as the company adds new brands and new markets.

What You’ll Do

•      Oversee multi-unit operations across two regional markets with District Managers reporting directly to you

•      Lead, develop, and hold accountable a team of DMs, General Managers, and unit-level leadership

•      Spend the majority of your time in restaurants — coaching teams, identifying bottlenecks, and driving operational excellence during peak periods

•      Build your bench: recruit, train, and develop your next generation of GMs and DMs

•      Own the P&L across your markets — drive sales, manage costs, and deliver strong unit-level profitability

•      Support new store openings as the company continues to grow its footprint

•      Partner directly with the VP of Operations and ownership group on strategy, growth, and talent

•      Keep it simple — execute brand standards, take care of your people, and don’t overcomplicate it

What We’re Looking For

This isn’t about a perfect resume. It’s about the right person. The ownership group is building something special and they hire for culture, energy, and long-term fit above all else.

•      Multi-Unit Leadership: You’ve directly managed 8+ restaurant locations with full P&L accountability. Not just overseeing — owning the numbers.

•      People Builder: Your track record shows a history of developing GMs, DMs, and future leaders. You get energy from watching your people grow.

•      Restaurant-First Operator: You lead from the floor, not from a laptop. You’re in your restaurants during peak hours, coaching your teams, and seeing operations firsthand. Including some evenings.

•      High Energy & Culture Fit: You bring positive energy to every conversation. You’re the type of person your team wants to work hard for — and someone the leadership team would want to grab a beer with after work.

•      Solid Tenure: You’ve committed to your past roles and built something. We’re looking for stability and loyalty, not a resume full of 12–18 month stops.

•      Franchise Group Experience (Preferred): You understand what it means to operate within a franchisee environment — lean teams, hands-on ownership, and the autonomy to run your business.

•      Growth Mentality: You’re excited by the idea of building markets, opening new stores, and scaling a brand — not just maintaining what’s already there.

Background & Experience

We’re open-minded on where you come from. Fast casual and QSR multi-unit operators are a natural fit, but we’ve built our leadership team from a variety of backgrounds and we’ll consider any segment if you’re the right person.

•      Fast casual, QSR, or casual dining multi-unit operations leadership

•      Director of Operations, Area Director, District Manager, ready to step up

•      Experience with high-volume restaurants ($2M–$4M+ AUV preferred)

•      Franchise group or multi-brand operator experience is a strong plus

•      New store opening experience is a plus

•      No degree requirement — we care about what you’ve built, not where you went to school

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary: $110,000 – $120,000

Bonus: 15–20% of base salary (performance-based)

Estimated Total Comp: $126,500 – $144,000 in year one

Health Insurance: Company-subsidized health, dental, and vision

Car Allowance: Provided for director-level roles

PTO: Competitive and flexible paid time off

Growth Upside: Clear path to VP of Operations as the company scales

#STS