General Manager Talent Pool- All Locations

Store Leader (General Manager) – Talent Pool / Future Opportunities

Please note: We are not currently hiring for an open Store Leader position. This posting is for our Store Leader Talent Pool. We use it to get to know experienced restaurant leaders we may contact when a management role opens in Chicagoland, Lake Geneva (WI), Atlanta (GA), or Denver (CO). Submitting an application does not guarantee an interview or a position. If a role that fits your experience and location opens, a member of our team will reach out.

About Egg Harbor Cafe

Egg Harbor Cafe develops restaurant leaders who thrive in a fast-paced hospitality atmosphere. Our team-based culture, hospitality, and culinary systems are built to support your success. People here care about their fellow team members, our customers, and our communities.

We specialize in top-quality food, always carefully sourced and often all-natural or organic. We serve cage-free eggs that are 100% Certified Humane. We pour premium fair-trade coffee sourced locally in downtown Chicago. We also offer an extensive gluten-free menu.

Delicious food, great employees, and satisfied customers are the goals behind everything we do. Our leadership teams are guided by the highest standards of quality and service. As a family-owned company for three generations, we’re proud to be considered an extended family to our employees and loyal customers.

From entry-level to management, our employees are at the heart of what makes Egg Harbor Cafe great. Many team members who embody our values complete our training and grow into the next leaders of our team.

About the Store Leader Role

At Egg Harbor Cafe, General Managers are known as Store Leaders. When a position becomes available, the Store Leader is accountable for the full performance of the restaurant: operational execution, financial results, team development, and guest experience. The Store Leader leads the store’s leadership team (the Hospitality Team Leader and the Culinary Team Leader) and owns the Profit & Loss results. They make sure the restaurant reflects Egg Harbor Cafe’s standards and values on every shift, every day. The Store Leader doesn’t personally complete every task but is accountable for the result in every area of the restaurant.

Our Harbor Values

Egg Harbor Cafe has six core values that are the foundation of our company. Our mission is for these values to be known by all and lived by everyone. Store Leaders lead by example with these values, and we use them for hiring, promoting, and rewarding our people.

• Habit 1 (Be Proactive): Own your circumstances. Take responsibility for your choices rather than blaming external circumstances.
• All In: Full commitment and excitement for working at Egg Harbor Cafe, with a great work ethic and attitude every shift.
• Radiate Goodness: A natural kindness, positivity, and warmth that others can feel in your presence.
• Be About Others: A desire to serve your team and guests through our Hospitality program and teamwork.
• Only Speak Truths: When you say you’ll do something, we can count on your word because of your proven integrity.
• Reflex of Excellence: A constant focus on doing your best work and a desire to learn, improve, and thrive every day.

What the Store Leader Role Involves

Intentional Daily Shift Leadership

• Own the operational execution of every shift and make sure every guest has a 5-star experience.
• Actively manage the floor, staying involved and moving with the flow of business so every department runs smoothly.
• Complete the Daily Accountability Chart (the daily plan for where each teammate works) so everyone understands expectations for the shift.
• Uphold sanitation and cleanliness standards (bathroom checks, health inspections, monthly audits, weekly cleaning, temperature checks); identify misses and build an action plan to correct them.
• Observe, coach, and execute Secret Shopper standards; use reviews, shopper scores, and weekly feedback reports to identify misses and build action plans.
• Maintain high standards from open until the last guest leaves.

Compliance

• Follow the standards in the Egg Harbor Training Plan, including staying current on new courses and limited-time menu offerings (LTOs) for yourself and your team, and coach on any changes.
• Assess, coach, and certify teammates daily as appropriate.
• Make sure everyone working a shift meets the legal requirements for their job.

Company Communication

• Stay current on communication from corporate and updates from your District Leader; respond to emails and Teams messages the same business day or as soon as reasonably possible.
• Keep the team informed through team meetings, FYIs, and Email, Teams, and Sling messages.

Financials

• Meet or exceed financial goals; track sales against budget and build sales both in-store and outside the store (catering, hot lunches, community events).
• Stay aware of each period’s theoretical cost of goods sold and work with the culinary team to improve it.
• Build weekly schedules at budgeted labor; submit labor to SharePoint by Friday at 10 a.m. each week and note any labor over budget.
• Focus on cost categories that are off budget to drive a turnaround.

Mission & Passion

• Know our values, live them daily, and coach the team through them.
• Support our mission of building regulars in the communities we serve by giving amazing service to every guest and recognizing and connecting with regulars.
• Support our passion of improving lives one encounter at a time.

Strong Culture

• Build a safe culture through consistent belonging cues, empathetic listening, and leadership vulnerability that create purpose and motivation.
• Praise teammates consistently and specifically.
• Uphold high standards through timely conversations, coaching, and documentation.
• Follow the recruiting and onboarding process so the store has enough of the right people.
• Stay current on Performance Reviews and Employee Engagement Surveys.

Leadership, Management & Accountability

• Lead, manage, and hold your Hospitality Team Leader and Culinary Team Leader accountable to deadlines and standards.
• Delegate appropriately: know when, what, and how to delegate, and know your leaders’ career goals so you can support their growth.
• Make sure communication from corporate reaches the right people through team meetings and Microsoft Teams.
• Hold certified teammates to the standards in the Egg Harbor Training Plan.

Kitchen Sanitation Excellence

• Complete daily and weekly cleaning, including properly cleaned floors.
• Complete daily temperature logs, with temperatures taken as close to 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. as possible.
• Complete both the general and culinary Food Safety Audits every period and put preventive measures in place so misses aren’t repeated.
• Follow through on any required Health Inspection directives.

Skills & Physical Requirements

• A well-developed organizational system for meeting deadlines, weekly to-dos, and other assignments.
• Strong working relationships with store staff, Hamco (our management company), and vendors.
• Ability to lead meetings.
• Proficiency in every job in the restaurant.
• A servant leader, willing to help in any role.
• Ability to have critical conversations with teammates.
• Problem-solving skills to create solutions as issues arise.
• Flexible schedule availability to meet the needs of the store and business.
• Ability to stand and walk for 7–8 hours at a time and lift 20 lbs.
• Work weeks typically run 40–50 hours, usually 5 shifts. During hardships, management may require additional hours or days.

Background Requirements

• Proficient in Office 365, especially Outlook, Teams, Excel, and SharePoint.
• Able to read and respond professionally to emails.
• Able to communicate clearly in English, verbally and in writing.
• Understands the basic math needed to manage food cost, labor, and other budget line items.
• Proficient in Toast POS and Toast Tab (required).
• Proficient in Sling (scheduling), R365 (financial reporting), and BambooHR (HR system).

Compensation (when a position is available)

Store Leaders earn a starting base salary between $66,000 and $76,000, depending on experience. They’re also eligible for a performance bonus of up to 30–35% of base salary, for a total earning potential of $85,800 to $102,600 per year.

What Happens After You Apply?

Your application will be added to our Store Leader Talent Pool. We review the pool whenever a management position opens and contact candidates whose experience and location match the need. Because we aren’t actively hiring right now, you may not hear from us right away. If your experience changes, we encourage you to update your application or apply again.

If you’re passionate about hospitality, developing people, and creating great guest experiences, we’d love to stay connected.