How to Hire a Restaurant General Manager

1. Define what the restaurant needs the GM to achieve in the first year.
2. Set pay to match the market.
3. Choose how you'll find candidates.
4. Interview for results, not résumés.
5. Verify results with references.
6. Plan the first 90 days before the start date.

Most GM searches take 30 to 90 days, depending on the role and the market. This guide walks through each step, from the perspective of a firm that recruits restaurant leaders nationwide.

"General Manager" means very different jobs at different restaurants. Before talking to any candidate, write down:

• Concept and service style. Fine dining, upscale casual, high-volume, hotel restaurant or a multi-unit group.
• Volume and complexity. Annual sales, covers, number of outlets or private dining, and whether there's a bar program.
• Who the GM reports to. The owner, a Director of Operations or an ownership group. Write down how much authority the GM will have over hiring, scheduling and spending.
• Why the role is open. A new opening, a replacement, a turnaround or growth. Each one calls for a different leader.

A scorecard lists the outcomes you expect, not the duties. Strong scorecards include three to five measurable results for the first year, for example:

• Prime cost, labor percentage or a food cost target
• Retention of key managers and kitchen leadership
• Guest satisfaction or review scores
• Sales growth, or a successful opening by a set date
• A trained successor or assistant GM ready for the next unit

Use the same scorecard to write the job description, shape interview questions and judge finalists. If you can't name the outcomes, the search will drift.

Strong GMs compare total pay, not just base salary. Based on JWB Hospitality's General Manager Salary Guide:

Restaurant General Manager: $100,000 to $120,000

High-volume restaurant General Manager: $120,000 to $150,000+

High-volume concepts and upscale restaurant groups often pay above these ranges. GM bonuses commonly run 10% to 50% of base salary. If your offer is below market, expect a longer search and more declined offers. That gets more likely the more established the candidate is.

There are several ways to approach a General Manager search, and the right one depends on the situation. Promoting from within can work well when you already have a strong Assistant General Manager who has successfully run shifts, led the team, and shown readiness for more responsibility. The risk is promoting someone before they are fully prepared while also creating a new vacancy at the assistant level.

Job postings can be effective for more entry-level General Manager roles or for well-known brands that naturally attract applicants. However, many of the strongest GMs are already employed and are not actively searching job boards.

Referrals and your own network can also be valuable, especially if you know experienced operators in the local market. The downside is that the candidate pool can be limited, and it may be more difficult to keep the search confidential.

A restaurant executive search firm is often the best fit when the role is especially important, confidential, or difficult to fill. The main consideration is cost, so it is worth comparing different engagement models, including retained vs. contingency executive search, before deciding how to proceed.

If the current GM is still in the role, a public posting can create turnover before you're ready. Use direct, discreet outreach. Limit who knows about the search. Have a transition plan ready before you make an offer.

Ask every finalist the same questions, tied to your scorecard. Questions that separate strong operators:

1. "Walk me through your last P&L. What were prime cost and labor, and what did you change?"
2. "Tell me about a manager you developed who was later promoted."
3. "What was your management team's turnover in the past year, and why did people leave?"
4. "Describe a service failure on a busy night. What did you do during service, and what did you change afterward?"
5. "How do you work with the chef when food cost and guest experience pull in different directions?"
6. "What would you focus on in your first 30 days here?"

Strong candidates answer with numbers, names and specific actions. Vague answers about "culture" and "passion", with no results behind them, are a warning sign.

Reference calls should confirm the scorecard, not just the dates. Ask former owners, supervisors and direct reports what changed under the candidate's leadership. Ask how the team responded, and whether they'd hire the candidate again. Where you can, confirm the financial claims the candidate made in interviews.

• Present the offer verbally first and resolve any open questions before putting it in writing.
• Spell out the bonus structure, the review timeline and the growth path.
• Plan for a counteroffer, since strong GMs are often asked to stay.
• Agree on a start date that lets them leave their current role cleanly.

• Days 1 to 30: learn the team, the systems and the numbers. Work every shift and meet each manager one-on-one.
• Days 31 to 60: agree on priorities from the scorecard and make the first changes.
• Days 61 to 90: review results against the scorecard with ownership and set goals for the year.

A written 90-day plan gives the new GM and ownership the same definition of success from day one.

• Hiring for the concept they came from, not the one you run
• Skipping the scorecard and deciding on personality alone
• Offering below market and losing finalists late in the process
• Moving too slowly. Strong candidates often have more than one option.
• Leaving onboarding to chance

JWB Hospitality is a boutique executive search firm. It recruits General Managers, Directors of Operations and senior leaders for independent restaurants, fine dining and multi-unit restaurant groups nationwide. Founder JW Bibbins began his career in New York City's restaurant scene before moving into executive search.

• 300+ hospitality placements
• 95% offer acceptance rate
• 39-day average time-to-fill
• 90-day placement guarantee
• A contingency fee of 20% of first-year base salary, with no retainer

See our General Manager recruiting and restaurant executive search services.

How long does it take to hire a restaurant General Manager?
Most GM searches take 30 to 90 days, depending on the role's complexity and the market. JWB Hospitality's average time-to-fill across leadership searches is 39 days.

How much does it cost to hire a restaurant GM through a recruiter?
Executive search fees in hospitality typically range from 20% to 33% of the hire's first-year base salary. JWB Hospitality charges 20% on a contingency basis, so there's no fee unless you hire.

Should I promote an assistant GM or hire from outside?
Promote from within when the assistant GM has already delivered results against the same scorecard you'd use for an outside hire. Hire from outside when the restaurant needs skills the team doesn't have yet, such as an opening, a turnaround or multi-unit growth.

What should a restaurant General Manager scorecard include?
Three to five measurable first-year results, such as prime cost or labor targets, manager retention, guest satisfaction and sales growth.

Can I replace a General Manager confidentially?
Yes. A confidential search uses direct outreach rather than public postings, so the current team isn't disrupted before a successor is ready.

Schedule a confidential consultation with JWB Hospitality: 916.402.3077 · hello@jwbhospitality.com