Restaurant General Manager

General Manager

Metro Private Cinema | New York, NY

If you are hard working, appreciate work/life balance and have high standards with low tolerance for mediocrity, this job might be for you. And if you also love movies, you’ll want to keep reading.

Metro Cinema is an upscale Private Dining Room + Cinema concept from the founder of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Our Chelsea location features 20 private cinema suites available for movies and private events paired with next level contemporary dining, an ambitious wine and cocktail program and highly personalized service.

We are looking for an exceptional General Manager to lead the operation.

This is not a desk job. The General Manager is the senior operating leader of Metro Cinema and is responsible for the performance of the business, the development of its people and the experience of every guest who walks through our doors.

The right person is equally comfortable reviewing a P&L, coaching a manager, working through a complicated private event, analyzing labor, solving an operational problem and stepping onto the floor during a busy service.

We are looking for someone who loves hospitality, develops great teams, understands the numbers and takes tremendous pride in running an excellent operation.

Experience & Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of progressive management experience in fine dining / upscale restaurants, hotels, or private hospitality clubs, with 8–10 years of progressive experience strongly preferred
• Experience as a General Manager, Assistant General Manager, Director of Operations or comparable senior operating leader in a high-touch hospitality environment strongly preferred
• Demonstrated success leading managers and large hourly teams
• Experience managing labor, budgets, cost controls and financial performance
• Strong understanding of elevated food and beverage service
• Private dining, events or high-touch guest experience strongly preferred
• Comfortable learning and working across modern hospitality technology, POS, scheduling and operational systems
• Ability to work on-site during evenings, weekends and holidays as required by the business
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, highly visible operating environment

We recognize that great operators do not all follow the same career path. While we expect a meaningful foundation of management experience, we care just as much about the scope of your experience, the results you have produced, the teams you have led and your readiness to take ownership of a business of this complexity.

Compensation & Benefits

Great talent deserves to be rewarded. Metro Cinema offers a competitive compensation and benefits package designed to support your well-being, future and professional growth, including:

• Salary: $105,000–$115,000, commensurate with experience
• Performance-based bonus opportunity
• Paid Time Off
• Comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance
• 401(k) with matching
• Transit benefits

Key Responsibilities

Lead the Operation: Own the day-to-day performance of Metro Cinema, ensuring consistently excellent execution across guest service, food and beverage, private events, facilities and overall venue operations.

Elevate the Guest Experience: Set and uphold exceptional hospitality standards throughout the guest journey. Be visible in the operation, engage with guests, resolve issues decisively and create a culture where personalized service is everyone's responsibility.

Build and Develop a Great Team: Lead, coach and develop Metro's management team and hourly staff. Establish clear expectations, provide regular feedback, recognize great performance and hold people accountable when standards are not met.

Drive Financial Performance: Take ownership of the financial health of the operation. Understand the P&L, manage labor and controllable expenses, maintain strong cost controls and use data and KPIs to identify opportunities to improve profitability without compromising the guest experience.

Own Labor Performance: Ensure staffing levels and schedules reflect the needs of the business. Balance excellent service with disciplined labor management and continuously look for smarter, more efficient ways to operate.

Deliver Exceptional Events: Partner closely with our Events and Culinary teams to execute private screenings, corporate events, celebrations and other special experiences at a consistently high level.

Create Operational Discipline: Establish and maintain strong systems, procedures and standards. Identify problems before they become bigger problems and ensure that expectations are understood and consistently followed.

Develop the Leadership Team: Build a strong bench of managers who can independently lead the operation, make sound decisions and hold their teams accountable.

Protect the Business: Maintain high standards around safety, sanitation, facilities, cash handling, HR practices and compliance with all applicable regulations.

Collaborate Across Metro: Work closely with ownership and company leadership on financial performance, guest experience, programming, events, technology and opportunities to improve the business.

What Success Looks Like

A successful General Manager creates an operation that feels exceptional to the guest and disciplined behind the scenes.

The team understands what is expected of them. Managers lead confidently. Events run smoothly. Labor and expenses are controlled. Problems are addressed quickly. Standards are maintained whether the General Manager is standing in the room or not.

Most importantly, the General Manager creates an environment where talented people want to work and guests want to return.

Who We're Looking For

There is no single background that guarantees success in this role.

Our ideal candidate has significant progressive leadership experience in fine dining, luxury hospitality, hotels, private clubs, premium entertainment, private events or another high-touch hospitality environment.

You may already be an accomplished General Manager. You may be a strong AGM, Director of Operations or senior hospitality leader who is ready for the next step. We care about the depth of your experience, the results you have produced and the way you lead more than a specific title or number of years.

The strongest candidates will demonstrate:

Leadership: A proven ability to build, motivate and retain high-performing teams while maintaining clear standards and accountability.

Operational Excellence: Strong command of complex hospitality operations and the ability to see both the big picture and the details that determine whether a shift succeeds.

Financial Acumen: Meaningful experience with P&L management, budgeting, labor management, cost controls and operational KPIs.

Hospitality: A genuine passion for service and an instinct for creating memorable, personalized guest experiences.

Judgment: The ability to make smart decisions quickly, particularly when circumstances are imperfect and there is no playbook.

Ownership Mentality: Someone who takes responsibility for outcomes, follows through and does not walk past problems.

Communication: A clear, direct and respectful communicator who can work effectively with hourly employees, managers, chefs, guests, vendors and senior leadership.

Adaptability: Metro is an unusual business. We combine elements of fine dining, private events, luxury hospitality, cinema and technology. The right person will be energized complexity rather than frustrated by it.

Curiosity and Growth: High standards without ego. Open to feedback, willing to challenge assumptions and constantly looking for ways to make the operation better.

Metro Cinema is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants due to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

Job Type: Full-time
Work Location: In person | Chelsea, New York