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Director of Operations

About Umami Riot

Umami Riot is a chef-driven hospitality collective founded by James Beard Award–winning chefs Tim and Nancy Cushman. Our portfolio includes some of Boston’s most acclaimed and culturally relevant restaurants (o ya, Bianca, Hojoko, Clucks Asian Chicken, and gogo ya) each with a distinct point of view, yet united by a shared commitment to flavor, creativity, and experience.

We believe hospitality is more than service – it’s storytelling, community, and connection. Umami Riot is entering its next phase of growth, focused on deeper guest engagement, expanded sales channels, and scalable marketing systems that support both legacy concepts and future launches.

Position Overview

The Director of Operations is responsible for the day-to-day operational performance, consistency, and financial execution of Umami Riot’s restaurant portfolio. Reporting to the Vice President of Operations, this role ensures company standards, systems, and expectations are consistently executed at the restaurant level while developing high‑performing management teams and delivering exceptional guest experiences.

This is a hands‑on, field-driven leadership role that translates strategy into disciplined execution. The Director of Operations directly oversees General Managers and partners closely with cross‑functional leaders to drive results across multiple concepts and locations. This position is a critical leadership role within the organization, accountable for achieving both financial and qualitative performance targets through ongoing coaching, development, and training of store-level leadership teams.

The Director of Operations must fully embrace Umami Riot’s creative, entrepreneurial culture and bring the operational rigor, organization, and leadership presence required to guide the company through continued growth. Highly collaborative and analytically strong, this role is responsible for upholding and evolving the Umami Riot ethos—ensuring cultural values are consistently reflected in people, processes, decisions, and daily operations. Working in close partnership with the Leadership Team and Operators, the Director of Operations ensures commitments to guests, employees, and investors are clearly defined, communicated, and achieved.

Key Responsibilities

Operations & Quality

• Oversee daily operations across all Umami Riot concepts, ensuring consistent execution of FOH and HOH standards.
• Enforce systems and procedures related to service, food quality, preparation, inventory, cleanliness, and safety.
• Partner with Culinary Leadership to support menu execution, tastings, quality control, and operational rollouts.
• Support execution and consistency of beverage programs in partnership with Beverage Leadership, ensuring service standards, cost controls, and profitability targets are met.
• Identify operational efficiencies and cost‑saving opportunities without compromising brand standards or guest experience.
• Oversee facilities management across all locations, including preventive maintenance, R&M, vendor relationships, and landlord coordination.
• Execute operating plans aligned with annual and quarterly budgets.
• Analyze P&Ls, sales data, labor metrics, and operational KPIs to drive performance and corrective action.
• Partner with General Managers to optimize staffing models, scheduling practices, and productivity.
• Support labor controls, payroll accuracy, and financial discipline at the unit level.
• Translate financial insights into clear, actionable expectations for management teams.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop General Managers and FOH management teams through regular one‑on‑ones, performance reviews, and on‑site presence.
• Drive management recruiting, onboarding, training, and retention in partnership with HR and the Vice President of Operations.
• Ensure managers are operationally disciplined, financially literate, and guest-focused.
• Champion training programs and ensure consistent execution of onboarding and leadership development initiatives.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across all concepts.

HR, Systems & Compliance

• Partner with HR to support the full employee lifecycle, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, and compliance.
• Ensure adherence to local, state, and federal labor, safety, and sanitation regulations.
• Ensure proper adoption and effective use of operational systems, including POS, scheduling, inventory, and reservation platforms.
• Identify gaps in training, process, or systems and lead solutions in partnership with cross‑functional teams.

Guest Experience & Brand Execution

• Act as a visible ambassador of Umami Riot’s values, hospitality philosophy, and brand standards.
• Support execution of marketing initiatives, promotions, and events at the unit level.
• Monitor guest feedback and partner with management teams to address opportunities and elevate service.
• Ensure each concept maintains its unique identity while meeting shared operational and hospitality standards.
• Serve as an operational lead for new restaurant openings, owning execution from pre‑opening through post‑opening stabilization.
• Partner with Culinary, Beverage, Service & Hospitality, and Development teams to ensure operational readiness, staffing, training, and systems execution.
• Support implementation of opening timelines, checklists, and performance plans.
• Lead assigned operational projects that drive scalability, consistency, and continuous improvement across the portfolio.

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of progressive restaurant leadership experience, with multi‑unit oversight preferred.
• Proven experience in chef‑driven, hospitality‑focused concepts.
• Strong financial acumen, including P&L ownership, labor management, and cost controls.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and hold management teams accountable.
• Highly organized, detail‑oriented, and results‑driven.
• Comfortable working nights, weekends, and holidays as required.
• Strong working knowledge of service, beverage, food safety, and sanitation standards.
• Professional presence with a collaborative, people‑first leadership style.

Success Metrics

• Consistent operational execution and brand standards across all concepts.
• Achievement of sales, labor, and profitability targets.
• Strong engagement, development, and retention of General Managers and leadership teams.
• Improved guest satisfaction, service consistency, and operational discipline.

Behavioral Profile

• Balances entrepreneurial thinking with structure, systems, and scalable processes.
• Brings an “above and beyond” work ethic and strong ownership mentality.
• Passionate about coaching, developing, and leading high‑performing teams.
• Able to shift seamlessly between strategic planning, data analysis, and hands‑on execution.
• Demonstrates high integrity, resilience, and emotional maturity.
• Open to feedback and committed to continuous improvement.
• Influences and collaborates effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Acts as a brand ambassador, consistently representing Umami Riot’s culture and values.

Seniority level

• Director

Employment type

• Full‑time

Job function

• Management and Manufacturing

Industries

• Hospitality