South Africa: Restaurant General Manager (Succession Pathway) posted by TradeOn

Location: Garden Route Region
Initial Deployment: KFC Voorbaai (Initial Training at Voorbaai or Heiderand)
Future Scope: Heiderand, Kwanonqaba, Plettenberg Bay, George, Oudtshoorn

Overall Purpose of the Position:
The purpose of this role is to manage a restaurant within the policies and guidelines of the company to build a great team, ensure customer satisfaction and profit maximization. The Restaurant General Manager (RGM) will perform hands-on work to train and develop employees, respond to customer service needs, and model appropriate behaviours in the restaurant. This role provides overall leadership through building a culture of recognition while motivating the team with the goal of operational excellence.
This role forms part of a structured succession pathway, starting with a supervised training phase at Voorbaai or Heiderand before assuming full RGM responsibilities. Successful progression depends on passing all required training modules and certification assessments.

Key Performance Areas (KPAs) & Responsibilities include, but not limited to:
Build People Capability
Facilitating restaurant training programmes and onboarding for all restaurant staff to company standard to enable them to maximise performance and realise their career potential.
Coaching on the floor; give regular feedback, recognition and corrective guidance to sustain high performance.
Engagement & retention: Creating a positive work environment; implement fair practices and processes, growth pathways and recognition.
Performance management: Setting goals, conducting reviews, and addressing performance/IR matters promptly.
Recruitment and maintaining Bench strength: Recruiting, Developing Operational Leaders and maintaining a healthy bench of developed and capable team members.
Performance Indicators: Employee Engagement Score, Bench Strength & Internal Promotions & Training Completion & Certification

Deliver a Consistent Customer Experience
Ensuring CHAMPS (Cleanliness, Hospitality, Accuracy, Maintenance, Product Quality, Speed of Service) and brand standards are consistently met by the restaurant team, exceeding customer expectations and achieving audit/compliance standards.
Forecasting inventory, sales and staffing; develop staffing plans; manage food and supply orders to balance cost efficiency with operational needs
Guiding Restaurant Manager (RM) in effective deployment planning; address obstacles during peak trading
Tracking, analysing, and identifying root causes of customer complaints, performance, and operational variances; develop SMART action plans or continuous improvement plans with the Area Coach (AC) to address issues and sustain standards.
Planning and executing restaurant marketing initiatives; ensuring effective execution of promotions to build traffic and grow sales.
Driving Customer-Focused Culture by setting the tone for a customer-first mindset, recognizing great service, reinforcing hospitality behaviours, and holding all staff accountable for delivering a superior customer experience.
Performance Indicators: CHAMPS/ROCC Audits, Customer Complaint Resolution Rate & Operational Routine Compliance

Grow the Brand, Sales and Profits
Ensuring the team delivers strong sales performance, operating efficiency, and consistent business results.
Managing staffing, inventory, cash handling, and other controllables while reviewing financial reports and take corrective actions to protect margins and drive cost efficiency.
Ensuring restaurant facilities and equipment are maintained to brand standards through preventive maintenance and timely upgrades.
Accurately complete forecasting, budgets, and action planning to deliver business results.
Supporting and executing new company initiatives and track results, ensuring effective rollout and adoption by the team.
Performance Indicators: Sales Growth vs Budget, Restaurant Profitability & Brand Initiatives Executed Success

Ideal Requirements
Minimum Grade 12 / Matric
Advantageous: Tertiary certification and/or Diploma in supply chain, Hospitality, or related field
Essential: 3-5 years management experience in a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR), retail or hospitality environment with proven ability to lead large teams and manage multiple shifts.
Ability to interpret and act on P&L statements, manage budgets, control labour, food costs, and other controllables
Proficient with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and comfortable using POS systems and operational reporting tools
Excellent understanding of CHAMPS, food safety, health & safety compliance, and operational excellence in a high-volume environment.
Passion for coaching, mentoring, and succession planning to foster growth and leadership within your teams
Willingness to work shifts, evenings, weekends and public holidays in line with business needs.
Flexibility to work at any Restaurant within region based on business needs

Key Personal Inherent Characteristics
Customer service oriented with ability to cultivate and sustain a customer-first culture.
Leadership and team-building skills with excellent interpersonal and communication abilities.
Conflict resolution and effective problem-solving skills.
Results-driven with high accountability and resilience under pressure.
Operational excellence in fast-paced environments with high attention to detail
Effective time management, planning, and organizational skills.
Passion for developing people and fostering a positive team culture.

Important Information for Candidates
Initial Training: All successful candidates will undergo a structured training program at Voorbaai or Heiderand for 6-9 months.
Passing Requirement: Progression to full RGM level requires passing all training assessments. Failure to do so may affect continued employment.
Mobility Requirement: Post-training, placement may occur at any South Cape restaurant based on business needs.
Succession Plan: Typically, 1-3 months depending on performance, readiness and business needs.

Join Our Team at TradeOn!

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If you have not received a response within one month, your application was most likely unsuccessful.

TradeOn SA reserves the right to withdraw this advertisement and not fill the above-mentioned vacancy at any stage during the recruitment process.

Meeting our employment equity goals will be acknowledged during the recruitment process.

Why Join Us
Transparent career pathway from Trainee RGM to RGM.
Structured training and certification support.
Opportunities for growth across multiple locations and area leadership growth.

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