Kansas City, Missouri
Pay: $80000 - $85000 Pay varies by location
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Summary: The General Manager serves as the senior on-site leader for American Dining Creations at an assigned cultural institution, overseeing all culinary and hospitality operations with an uncompromising commitment to excellence. Reporting directly to the District Manager, this role acts as the primary representative of American Dining Creations, partnering with institutional leadership to ensure hospitality delivery reflects and supports the mission and growth of the institution.
This position is responsible for delivering an exceptional guest experience for a discerning audience — including donors, trustees, institutional partners, and the public — while maintaining disciplined, cost-effective operations. Success in this role requires a sophisticated understanding of hospitality, meticulous attention to detail, and the ability to lead teams in high-expectation, high-visibility environments where quality and professionalism are paramount.
Responsibilities:
- Lead all dining and hospitality services, including daily restaurant operations, on-site catering, donor events, and high-profile institutional gatherings.
- Deliver hospitality that reflects the excellence within the mission of the institution — thoughtful, polished, detail-driven, and anticipatory.
- Partner closely with culinary leadership to ensure precise execution of menus, impeccable presentation, and consistency that meets the expectations of trustees, donors, guests, and institutional partners.
- Maintain rigorous standards for quality, cost control, and service delivery while responding gracefully to bespoke requests and evolving institutional needs.
- Serve as a visible and trusted presence during events and daily service, interacting confidently and professionally with senior leadership, board members, donors, guests, and vendors.
- Recruit, develop, and lead a team of supervisors and frontline staff (variable depending on season and programming), establishing clear expectations for performance, appearance, and accountability.
- Build staffing plans aligned with service volume and labor targets while maintaining high-quality execution.
- Execute high-profile events with precision, adaptability, and composure.
- Prepare and deliver thorough and accurate daily and weekly operational reports for leadership, demonstrating strong command of operational discipline.
- Maintain meticulous compliance with all food safety and regulatory standards, ensuring that all preparation, temperature, and production logs are accurate and audit-ready at all times.
- Continuously evaluate operations to strengthen systems, elevate guest satisfaction, and improve team performance.
- Perform additional duties as needed in support of the institution’s mission and public-facing initiatives.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in hospitality, restaurant or business or Culinary Degree from an accredited culinary association is preferred, but equivalent professional experience is acceptable.
- Five years' experience in a similar leadership position with elevated service standards that may include restaurants, retail, hotels, or other hospitality-focused industries.
- Demonstrated success managing high-profile operations where professionalism, discretion, and attention to detail are critical
- Strong financial acumen, including experience managing operating budgets, purchasing, inventory control, labor models, and point-of-sale systems.
- Proven ability to lead, coach, and hold teams accountable to exceptionally high standards of service, presentation, and guest engagement.
- Experience executing catered programs and special events requiring precision, adaptability, and coordination with multiple internal and external stakeholders.
- Comfortable interacting with senior leadership, trustees, donors, chefs, and institutional partners in a polished and professional manner.
- Experience with service volumes up to 500 guests daily and leading multi-level teams in dynamic environments.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office, online ordering applications, CATERTRAX or comparable catering management systems.
- Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and special events, in alignment with institutional programming needs. Must be able to lift 30lbs, stand, walk, bend for daily work schedule.
- Must possess a valid driver’s license and have reliable transportation to work.
About Us:
American Dining Creations is a division of American Food & Vending and one of the largest privately held hospitality service partners in the United States.
At American Dining Creations, we recognize that all corporate and education dining partners are unique. We pride ourselves on creating programs and providing dining services with the strength of a national program and the flexibility and innovation of an industry leader.
We pair superior culinary offerings with outstanding management practices, providing every client with the highest operation standards and flexibility, consistently responding quickly with creative menus, comprehensive concepts, and top-notch service.
Our full range of dining and catering amenities brings the guest experience to the next level by providing students, guests, and faculty with outstanding and memorable dining solutions.
We currently operate nationwide dining accounts, employing over 2,000 people and growing, serving hundreds of thousands of guests daily. Our services include full café dining emphasizing our Fresh Difference culinary philosophy, mobile ordering, catering, events and our grab-and-go program, My Fresh Market. We stand committed to providing true partnership, customization, and 24/7 support.
American Dining Creations Offers:
- Weekly Pay
- 401K with company match
- Employee Assistance Program
- Eligible employees offered Medical, Prescription, Dental, and Vision Plans, FSA/HSA
- Ongoing training and development programs
- Bonus programs for eligible positions
American Food & Vending is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Chat with Scout, our virtual hiring assistant to apply for this position right from your mobile device. Text JOB to 315-803-6049 to get started!